Tao is serious about quitting, ST 30/11/09
November 30, 2009 10:36 am LatestSource: The Straits Times Life!, 30 November 2009
(By: Cheryl Tan)
Call him the star who cried retirement. He probably does not care. He has said it once before and he is not afraid of saying it again.
Singer-songwriter David Tao will retire next year from the Chinese pop scene he had reinvigorated more than 10 years ago with the infusion of R&B elements.
The Taiwan-based musician said his fourth concert tour, which will make its way here at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Jan 8, will be his swansong, and his most recent album, Opus 69, marks the end of a chapter for him.
Speaking to journalists at a press conference at Orchard Central mall last Saturday, the 40-year-old singer said: ‘This is really going to be the last tour, last album for a while.’
He was in town over the weekend for a charity concert.
It is not the first time that he has announced his retirement from the music industry. He first declared it at a press conference in April last year, saying that his 2008 series of concerts was the end of the road. Then came his sixth album, Opus 69, which was released in August.
Just like the previous announcement, he sounds pretty serious about leaving this time, adding that it was the perfect time to quit since his contract with his music company is ending and he is done with his obligations.
‘I don’t want to do the same thing over and over again. It’s really boring for me, and if I’m bored on stage, it’s going to show,’ said the singer, whose self-titled debut album in 1997 broke new ground in Chinese pop with the introduction of R&B, earning him the title of godfather of Chinese R&B music.
His first five studio albums have earned him numerous nominations at the Golden Melody Awards, Chinese pop’s version of the Grammys, winning for best album, producer (twice) and song.
Plans have yet to be finalised, but he aims to take on the big screen next and reveals that he is in the middle of writing and developing his first Mandarin musical.
‘Film is a different medium from music, but it’s all about story-telling. In music you have five minutes per song, in film you have a few hours,’ said Tao, who majored in psychology and film at the University of California, Los Angeles.
However, there is still his final concerts to take care of. He says they will be mammoth affairs only in terms of length – each concert will be three hours long.
Otherwise, they will be more intimate affairs. The concert here, for example, will have only 6,000 out of 13,000 seats at the Singapore Indoor Stadium offered for sale.
The stage design will be reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s, eras which have strongly influenced Tao’s songwriting and musical style. He will perform oldies such as Hotel California from 1970s American rock band The Eagles and a Santana number from the Latin rock band that was also popular during that era.
Do not expect fancy outfits, glamorous guest stars or nifty dance moves at this concert. Those features may be de rigueur at many Chinese music concerts, but they are not for Tao.
‘I like to watch dance but I don’t dance. As for costume changes, I don’t want to do that, either,’ he said.
‘I’ll just go back to the basics, which is the music.’