Rainie Yang: "I was already very old when I was young"

Rainie's having her concert now at the Singapore Indoor Stadium as I post this. Just to share with you some pre-concert news. I wonder who's her guest, will it be Show Luo? Golden Bell Awards is happening in less than a week's time too. Looking forward to moments!

SINGAPORE : "I am a really pragmatic person! I don't fantasize. As a child, I was never 'Oh I want to be a plane captain'," said Taiwan pop idol Rainie Yang with a chuckle.

"I was already very old when I was young. I have things all planned out. Even when I was three years old and learning to dance, I already planned to open a dance school."

So why exactly is the theme for Yang's upcoming concert tour "Fantasy" when she is such a pragmatic, down-to-earth person?

It turns out the production crew came up with the theme "Fantasy" because they felt Yang had a wild and vivid imagination.

Yang wasn't sure about the theme at first but later accepted it as it fit her stage persona perfectly.

"I am a very pragmatic person. I don't have fantasies. But when it comes to performing, I am very creative and I come up with a lot of fantastic ideas," explained Yang when I caught up with the 26-year-old during a recent album signing cum showcase in Singapore.

Yang is also pragmatic enough to know that no matter how interesting her show's concept is; she is still the main attraction and it will not do if she looked chubby. She is even steering clear of Singapore delicacies to stay in shape!

"As you know, I became fat awhile ago. So now I am trying to keep fit. I don't go to the gym but I work out with the furniture in my home.

"For example, I don't have dumbbells so I use mineral water bottles and for some exercises, I will use a sturdy table. People won't see a plump Rainie Yang but a very fit Rainie Yang [at the concert]," she declared proudly.

A slim and slender Yang will definitely pack in the crowds but the singer said her Singapore concert will also feature some improvements that will make fans, even those who attended her maiden concert in Taipei, "feel as though it is a brand new show".

Look before you hug

Yang's Singapore concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on October 16 is the first overseas stop of the Rainie Yang World Tour 2010, her first large scale tour after a decade in showbiz.

The singer said it will be even better than her concert in Taipei because she had made improvements after receiving feedback from her management.

"The company told me to be more human. When I am about to burst into tears, I tend to try and hold it back or use a joke to block [the tears].

"This stops the audience from getting into the mood so I will tell myself to release my emotions at this concert. I am looking forward to crying in Singapore," explained Yang, adding that the concert would be a good opportunity to connect with her fans.

"There were also a lot of things I wanted to say but didn't manage to during the Taipei performance because I was too happy. A lot of the things such as thanking the fans and the difficult times I went through were not expressed."

"I think the Singapore concert would be a great improvement [in that aspect]!"

However, she lamented that her concert fell smack dab in the middle of the prime wedding season as this made it hard to find guest performers.

"I know mid October is a good time to get married. A lot of artistes have to go for weddings. It's true!

"On the day of my concert, about four or five of my friends have to go for weddings. You can't exactly go up to them and say 'hey, could you come [be a guest performer]' right?" said Yang.

Who the guest star will be is still a mystery.

But whoever it is, Yang said she will definitely think it through before attempting to hug her guest performer, lest a repeat of her embarrassing incident with Jerry Yan at her Taipei concert occurs.

They literally became an inseparable pair after the ornaments on Yang's costume got entangled with Yan’s vest when she pounced on him and gave him a big hug.

In the end, the costume stylist had to be called onstage to disentangle the two, who were forced to awkwardly stand on stage while awaiting rescue.

"I just hope we (she and her guest performer for her Singapore concert) don't get hooked onto each other.

"I will see what he is wearing before deciding whether or not to go up and hug him," said Yang with a laugh.


Rainie Yang performs on October 16, 8pm at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

- CNA