Buttering Up Jam

TAIWANESE singer Jam Hsiao keeps declaring that he feels 'very blissful'. For a 21-year-old who was thrust into the limelight last year with no formal showbiz training, he appeared surprisingly upbeat. He shot to fame after appearing in the reality TV show One Million Stars to challenge a contestant, but stole the show with his powerful vocals.

One would have expected him to feel overwhelmed by the media frenzy over him - especially after his reticence earned him the nickname Sheng Hua Yi Ge, or the guy who's most stingy with words. But it seems he can handle and even enjoy it. 'All along, I've felt very blissful,' he said at a media conference here yesterday.

He was previously here in March for a performance. This time, he's back to promote his self-titled debut album. And he has become a lot more generous with words and a lot less shy.

What is bliss to him, we asked.

It means having many people around, taking good care of him, like his manager, Summer Lin, and his minders from record company Warner Music. Everything he needs is arranged for him - housing, food, transport.

FREEBIES

He also gets loads of freebies - products like clothes and shoes from sponsors and gifts from his doting fans. His Singapore fan club presented him with a white guitar during his showcase at StJames Power Station on Sunday. Even his pet cat, Bei Hui, is well taken care of as his fans keep showering him with pet food and toys.

With a laugh, Jam said: 'It's weird, but I'm wondering when I will get to spend any money. 'Usually, I'm either buying things for my family or giving them money - I don't spend on myself.'

Money is something he has plenty of. Reports from Taiwan had it that Jam earned more than NT$5 million ($224,000) in the first half of the year, thanks to four endorsement deals, including those a watch brand and a beverage. And he does not even consider his music career as work. 'It's not so much of a job but a passion for me. It's not that tough, and I can devote myself fully to it,' he said.

While his peers from One Million Stars are grumbling about media pressure or frantic work schedules, Jam is only too happy to embrace them all and do more. For instance, he will spend the next three weeks promoting his album in five cities in Malaysia, including Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur.

Miss Lin added that he loves to attend classes to pick up new skills, say, in dancing or body language, and every trainer is surprised by how earnest and serious he is. You get the feeling that he will try anything as long as it helps him to improve his performance on stage or in dealing with the media.

He doesn't mind any kind of label, such as being called Shi Nai Sha Shou, or auntie killer. Many older women adore him because his shy, boyish demeanour appeals to their maternal instincts. Jam smiled and said: 'That's good... As long as people like it, it's fine.'

He also welcomes criticism, adding that he 'agrees' with what music reviewers have said about his album - that it is too slickly packaged and underplays his vocal prowess. Earlier on, netizens blasted him for promoting violence in his music videos, where he is shown destroying a television set and burning a piano. 'It's just visual effects, but if it affected the people who are watching it, we'll try to... be more careful,' he said.

It would seem his supporters expect him to be the perfect role model, but it doesn't bother him. 'I'll try to deliver what people expect of me, but in a natural way,' he said. No matter what question you throw at him, it never affects his Zen-like composure. He seems genuinely contented with what he has achieved so far - which is a lot for a reformed rebel who hated studying and used to engage in fistfights with other boys.

Jam changed for the better after he discovered jazz drumming when he was 14. 'You can say that music saved me,' said the former pub singer and drum teacher. 'Music appeals to everyone, but I just feel more blissful than anyone else,' he added for the umpteenth time.

Perhaps the only thing missing in his life now is a girlfriend. He admitted to China Times Weekly recently that he had spilt up with his hairstylist girlfriend, who is four years older than him, as they were both too busy with their work. He said: 'Whether I yearn for love or not is secondary, but if it comes along, I won't reject it.'

Only polite girls who are sticklers for cleanliness and do not smoke need apply. Rudeness bugs him - his manager said he clams up and shows a moody face if anyone is impolite to him or those around him. Just don't expect him to be a die-hard romantic. He said: 'Romance is necessary in life, but I feel it should come naturally.'

A-MEI, Taiwanese singer

On her duet, A Moment, with Jam last year

'When I looked at him, he'd get all shy. He's not good at expressing himself with words but he'd pour his emotions into his singing.'

REAL HUANG, F.I.R guitarist

On how he and label mate Jam became friends

'In the beginning, I couldn't stand how he's so stingy with words. But he's warmed up to me by now, perhaps out of guilt, because he borrowed a black guitar worth NT30,000 ($1,300) from me for a TV programme and after that, he left it in the car and forgot to take it back with him.'

STEFANIE SUN, S'pore songbird

Jam on why he wants to work with her

'Because she's a singer whom I really admire. What kind of collaboration for us? How about a comedy? (laughs) Just joking... We should do music together, but as for what kind of music, I'll leave it to my record label to decide.'

DEE HSU, Taiwanese host

On hearing Jam Hsiao sing on TV for the first time last year

'When I first saw him on TV getting ready to sing, I remember thinking that this guy is so skinny and fair. But once he opened his mouth to sing, I was stunned. He sounded like an angel descending upon earth.'