Taiwanese rock band Mayday have been accused of lip-syncing during their Shanghai concert on Nov 16, 2023. Photo: Live Nation
Taiwanese rock band Mayday has denied allegations that the members were lip-syncing during its recent concert in Shanghai.
B’in Music, the band's record company, issued a statement on Weibo on Monday (Dec 4), dismissing the claims as malicious attacks. The agency said the allegations have seriously damaged the band’s reputation.
“Mayday is cooperating with the law enforcement authorities to investigate the matter thoroughly,” it added.
The controversy started when a blogger analysed the vocals of 12 songs performed by Mayday during its Shanghai concert on Nov 16.
In a viral video posted on Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili, the blogger claimed that lead singer Ashin lip-synced to at least five songs.
China Central Television reported that the original video and audio recordings of Mayday’s Shanghai concerts have been submitted to the city’s cultural market inspection department for evaluation and analysis. The investigation results will be published later.
According to a set of regulations imposed on performers by the Chinese government, lip-syncing is illegal in China as it “deceives the audience”.
If the band is found guilty of lip-syncing, it could face a fine of 50,000 yuan (RM32,676) to 100,000 yuan (RM65,353).
Mayday held eight concerts in Shanghai in November and drew more than 360,000 fans, reported China Daily. Ticket prices ranged from 355 yuan (RM232) to 1,855 yuan (RM1,212) for the top-tier seats.
Formed in 1997, the band comprises Ashin, bassist Masa, drummer Guan You and guitarists Stone and Monster.
It has won several Best Musical Group honours at the prestigious Golden Melody Awards, and is known for albums such as Viva Love (2000), Poetry Of The Day After (2009) and History Of Tomorrow (2017).
Meanwhile, B’in Music announced on its social media platforms that Mayday’s Dec 7 Paris concert will be broadcast live on Mayday’s Instagram and Weibo accounts. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
