By Choong Pui Yee and Nurliana Kamaruddin
As the hub of Mandopop, Taiwan has produced many popular singers and bands that have a pervasive influence in the Chinese-language music industry. From the 1970s to the 1980s, the iconic songbird Teresa Teng, whose music blends traditional and Western pop styles, captivated East Asia. By the 1990s, media globalization and cultural hybridity between the Mandopop and Cantopop further propelled Taiwanese music to a global audience. Then, in the late 1990s to the 2000s, popular bands such as Mayday, F4, and S.H.E., along with the growing popularity of Taiwanese dramas and talk shows, further fuelled the demand for Taiwanese pop culture among the global audience. By most measures, it is safe to say that Taiwan has firmly solidified itself as one of the cultural progenitors of East Asia in those three long decades.
However, the popularity of Mandopop has seemingly been on a decline from the 2010s onwards, as the trend shifted its focus to local identity. This was also the period when Taiwan experienced the revival of the Hokkien Music scene as well as the surging popularity of indie music. Experimental and non-conventional, the Taiwanese indie music scene is vibrant and unique.
Meanwhile, the surging popularity of Korean and Japanese pop, which has since garnered fans from all around the world, may have contributed to the dwindling popularity of Mandopop especially in Malaysia. K-pop, in particular, with its jingly songs, dramas of various genres, edgy bands, and, of course, intentional marketing, has been creating a new wave of fandoms and slowly redefining pop culture standards. J-pop, on the other hand, while offering similar products, also offers its unique anime genre that draws loyal fans. Such competition inevitably makes one wonder would the surging popularity of K-Pop or J-Pop crowds out the Taiwanese pop influence among the Malaysian audience.
The influence of any culture would inadvertently ebb and flow; Taiwanese pop culture is not an exception. However, Taiwanese pop culture is unlikely to fade out among the Malaysian audience for the following reasons.
First, Taiwanese pop is firmly established among the local Malaysian audience, especially the Chinese-speaking audience. The common language and cultural similarity would make it easy for the local audience to be receptive to the Taiwanese music and drama. Moreover, it is important to underscore how Mandopop continues to constitute a core collection of the playlists of local Chinese-language radio stations. Essentially, there is an absence of expiry dates of Taiwanese songs regardless of the era of their production. The recurring broadcasting of these songs on local stations will help perpetuate the presence of Mandopop among the Malaysian audience.
Second, just as K-pop fans consider themselves part of the fandom of a particular artist or band, similar loyalty exists among those who have a deeper appreciation of a Taiwanese artist or pop band. A case in point is the King of Mandopop, Jay Chou, whose popularity in Malaysia transcended ethnic barriers. In his 2024 Carnival World Tour in Kuala Lumpur, the show drew an estimated crowd of 60,000 people, with one pregnant fan giving birth while waiting in line to enter the stadium for the concert. Besides that, the lyrics of the songs in this era tend to be more poetic and tend to resonate with the growth and heartbreak of those who grew up during this time. In other words, it was part of what defined their youths.
Third, beyond the music scene, the film industry, particularly in the horror genre, is another avenue that will continue to have a strong presence among the Malaysian audience and vice versa. For example, in 2022, Taiwan released the horror film in Netflix, Incantation, and it quickly became the highest-grossing Taiwanese horror film, gaining popularity worldwide, including Malaysia. More recently, the highly anticipated Netflix series, The Resurrected, is another production that is likely to draw fans of the horror genre.
Notwithstanding the Taiwanese pop culture’s longstanding popularity, it is essential to increase its competitive edge among its East Asian competitors. As such, stakeholders of the Taiwanese media pop culture need to leverage its current strength while exploring further avenues for cooperation and collaboration. For instance, its vibrant indie music scene is a genre that stood out. Paradoxical as it may be, mainstreaming the indie scene will likely help rebrand the Taiwanese pop culture scene. Concrete ways to do so would include partnering with local radio stations to popularize such music or organizing indie music festivals and shows within and outside of Taiwan.
Relatedly, there is a need to debunk that Mandopop is exclusive to Chinese-speaking Malaysians. The example of Jay Chou, whose fandom transcends all language and ethnic barriers, demonstrates that what matters is whether the production can truly resonate with the audience. And this applies to production beyond music. In other words, the key is the quality of the production.
Beyond that, collaboration and cooperation are crucial to drive creativity. Just as there has been a long history of Malaysians launching their music career in Taiwan, there has also been a long legacy of Taiwanese and Malaysian cooperation in filmmaking with some of these movies having won awards. Retaining such cooperation is essential. More than that, it can be propelled to further heights by exploring different types of genres. Leveraging Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming platforms such as Netflix or Disney+ would be another way to increase its audience outreach.
In short, Taiwanese pop culture is unlikely to fade out among the Malaysian audience, but innovation is necessary in the face of growing challenges.
Dr Choong Pui Yee is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, while Dr Nurliana Kamaruddin is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of East Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya