Mocking herself as a mere “B-lister” in Taiwan’s competitive entertainment circles, 41-year-old comedienne and singer Lotus Wang (王彩樺) probably never thought she would be featured on the world’s best-known news channel.
However, that’s exactly what happened to Wang as her quirky new techno hit Bobee (保庇), with its easy to remember dance steps, was selected by CNN digital producer Phil Han on Friday as the Best Viral Video of the Week.
The song, which is about asking deities for protection and good luck, was actually a cover of a tune by South Korean girl band T-ara.
Photo: Chang Chung-i, Taipei Times
“But the Taiwanese version has become a global hit with more than a million YouTube views. It is so popular that even a dozen copycat videos have appeared online,” Han said.
The popularity of Wang’s trendsetting Bobee dance, in which she is accompanied by three giant dancing divinity figures, was even compared to US pop diva Beyonce Knowles’ Single Lady, which was often replicated by netizens and even other famed recording artists such as Justin Timberlake.
While she still may have a long way to go before holding a solo concert at Taipei Arena, the mother of two has certainly climbed to the top of the ladder to become the country’s best known and much loved “B-grade entertainer,” as she brands herself.
Although Wang now sings about being blessed by the gods, the life she led before achieving popularity in her glittery career was a gloomy tale, with more downs than ups.
Wang had not yet turned one when her mother died of cancer and her father was a failed businessman who lost most of the family’s assets.
From the age of 13, Wang helped the family survive by running a noodle shop and singing at parlors and dance halls.
She was even once a show host at a Taiwanese version of a burlesque club — a past that still brings tears to her eyes whenever she speaks about it.
Refusing to be defeated by life’s lemons, Wang’s hard-working spirit and easy-going personality eventually won the affection of audiences and caught the attention of well-known show host Belle Yu (于美人), who saw Wang’s potential to be a bona fide superstar.
Yu decided to take a chance on Wang by transforming the self-deprecating comedienne into a first-class performer.
Wang released her first album last month and several of the tracks in addition to Bobee have received rave reviews. Her song Mother, about saying goodbye to loved ones, has been requested by the funeral parlor industry to be the profession’s theme song.
One of Wang’s famous lines in her comic routines is to call herself Taiwan’s Ayumi Hamasaki, the Japanese pop queen. Hearing herself being compared to Beyonce, Wang smiled brightly and said: “I am ecstatic because both Beyonce and Ayumi are my idols.”
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