“Everything had changed. This was my toughest time. First I found out there was not really any money in singing any more. My income, I realized, would come from the customers. I had to socialize with them and they would give me my money. I was so embarrassed.
“What should I do? Go back to the US and become a normal person or accept and change? It took me two months to think about it and I remember my girlfriends talking to me and urging me to stay in Taiwan and change my attitude. They said if other singers managed to survive, then why couldn't I.”
This is how Wei became a red envelope club singer. And though she has tried other businesses (such as cosmetics and clothing) she always returned to the stage. She has owned three red envelope clubs in the past 18 years.
She explained her job thus: “Before I sing, I say hello to the customers. I sing and then I socialize and encourage them to come back to see another show. I can't say I'm tired or I just want to sing, this is my job. If you don't say hello and smile why should they tip you with red envelopes?”
Though Wei agrees that most of the singers at her club make most of their money from red envelopes, she draws a distinction between Red Top and other red envelope clubs in Ximending, where socializing and relationships between singers and customers are the basis of their business.
“Some customers want to see a show, others want to make friends. At other red envelope clubs the singers will go with customers for money. There are no rules. We are more like a theater because we put on performances, such as the lady-boy shows we held for the past four months, even though we lost a lot of money.”
As for the future, Wei said it was her dream as a child to own her own club and sing, but admitted, “We have an older crowd and there are not so many of us any more.”
“Even so, red envelope clubs will last forever because singers need to earn money and this is a place they can do that. Young men get older too. Even though business is getting slower, there will always be a demand. Women and song are universal themes.”
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