Local songbird Kit Chan said that she is “not playing to win” when she took part in famous Chinese singing competition I Am A Singer. On her elimination from the competition after consecutively receiving the lowest scores in two episodes, Kit said she viewed the competition as a platform to showcase herself as a person and a performer, as her performances are hardly competitive in nature.
The 43-year-old competed against famous singers like Sun Nan, Leo Ku and A-Lin in the new season, displaying her powerful vocals with heart wrenching ballads of Jacky Cheung and Shino Lin. However, Kit entered and lost the elimination round after receiving the least number of votes in both performances.
Though Kit was once against the participation in such programmes, she deeply cherished this opportunity for her to be better known in China.
“I am well aware that I have no established fan base in China, so I really had nothing to prove. Starting at ground zero, every new person I make a connection with through my performance is one more music fan won,” Kit said.
Kit had since gained a huge following on her Weibo after the show aired on television. When news of her imminent departure from the show was announced, many netizens also acknowledged her singing abilities and felt that it was a pity to see her leave.
When asked on her feelings about her song choices, Kit Chan said she had no regrets for her decisions. “I wanted to perform a range of things I can do, and want to do,” she said with confidence. Kit added that she shares the strong sentiments with the show’s producer that ‘good singing is not only about belting high and loud notes’.
However, rumours are swirling that the well-loved singer was not able to reach her notes when she performed Jacky Cheung’s famous ballad on the second episode, according to a reporter said to be present at the recording of the show.
The reporter also commented that Kit’s fellow competitor on the show, Taiwanese songstress A-Lin, also sang a note wrongly on the show. He joked about a pay raise for the show’s editing team as both singers’ performances, which appeared stable and fine on television, were corrected prior to their broadcast.
Addressing the rumours that had sparked a backlash by Chinese netizens, the show’s producers admitted that several performances had previously been edited before as they needed to respect and maintain the image of distinguished and renowned singers invited on the show.
Despite the malicious hearsay on Kit’s performance, the well-loved singer shared that being on the show is a humbling experience she is grateful for.
“It is quite an experience and eye-opener to be part of this huge and impressive TV show. I was quite overwhelmed by its scale and reach. What surprised me was how it brought me back to the basics and how it purified me as a performer and a person,” she recounted.