Popu Lady

Popu Lady is a five-member Taiwanese girl group based in Taiwan. The group was formed in 2012 and is managed by HIM International Music. The name of the group stands for "popular lady", which expresses the desire of the group to gain popularity through its songs and to give a girly and mature look at the same time.^[1][2]

Since its debut in 2012, Popu Lady has much been criticized for lacking real talent and ability to sing as well as for having been put together just because of the beauty of its members.^[3]

History

After training for a year in singing and dancing, Popu Lady debuted on 14 December 2012 with an extended play, Keep Keep Loving, and a homonymous song, being a cover of "Pretty Boy", originally recorded by the Norwegian female group M2M.^[1][4] Keep Keep Loving entered the top 10 best-selling chart in Taiwan when it hit the stores,^[1] and the title track's music video reached 200,000 views in six days and more than 800,000 after one month.^[5] In 2012, Popu Lady also sang "Feel Me" with Jiro Wang for TV series KO One Return soundtrack.

The group released a second EP, Popu Future, on 13 September 2013,^[6] and a third one titled More on 22 August 2014. It also sang "Honey" (Chinese: 蜜糖) for the soundtrack of a TV series, Say I Love You. Popu Lady hosted a number of variety shows, including East Network Pop U Show (Chinese: 東網 Pop U秀) from 11 August 2014 to 17 July 2015,^[7] and occasionally Love Blog (Chinese: 初戀誌).^[8] Many of its songs were featured in TV series, as Spring Love, Fall in Love with Me, and Go, Single Lady.

On 7 August 2015, the group released a digital single, "All About Him" (Chinese: 妳說他), for the official soundtrack of a 2015 feature film, Our Times.^[9][10] The lyrics edition of the music video was released three days later, while the official version was uploaded to the label official YouTube channel on 20 October. "All About Him" debuted at number 43 on KKBOX Chinese Singles Daily Chart on 15 October, at number 54 on KKBOX Chinese Singles Weekly Chart on 17 October, and at number 10 on KKBOX Chinese Singles Monthly Chart on 31 October. The song peaked at number 2 on the Daily and Monthly Charts on 19 and 24 October respectively, and at number 3 on the Monthly Chart on 30 November.^[11][12][13] It also ranked 24 in Billboard's China V Chart on 12 December 2015.^[14]

On 23 September 2015, HIM International Music launched the campaign "Get Out of Popu Lady" to eliminate a member of the group and make it more competitive on the market. For this purpose, an online poll was held from 2 October to 20 November 2015 to allow the public to vote one of the five members of the group out. At the same time, a reality called Get Out of Popu Lady Knockout (Chinese: Get Out Of Popu Lady淘汰賽) was launched, in which the girls displayed their skills in a series of challenges to survive.^[15] Netizens believed the poll was merely a viral marketing technique to promote the group and called for its cessation, using the symbol "5-1 = 0";^[16] furthermore, on 15 October 2015, the poll website was hacked and voting was temporarily blocked.^[17] The result of the poll was announced on 22 November during a promotional activity of the group's fourth extended play, Gossip Girls, previously released on 20 November.^[18] According to the announcement, as Dayuan and Yushan tied, none of the five members was removed from the group. The activity has heavily been criticized by the public as being a fraud, saying such a result was predictable and unsurprising.^[19][20][21] On the other hand, Bao'er won the survival show and got the chance to release a solo EP.^[22]

In the meantime, four songs from Gossip Girls were released as singles: "Excuse Me" was released on 28 September 2015,^[23] "Popu OK Boom" (Chinese: POPU OK繃) on 12 October,^[24] "Don't Say Goodbye" (Chinese: 我不要) on 27 October,^[25] with its music video the following day, and "Gossip Girls" on 16 November. For its fourth extended play, Popu Lady changed their concept from cute and cheerful to sexy and dark;^[26] this reflects in the lead title track, a cover of German duo Symphobia's "I Do", which samples the Dance of the Little Swans from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.^[27] The music video was released on 18 December and the dance version on 29. In November the group also featured in the soundtrack of Marry Me, or Not? with "Conquered Love" (Chinese: 愛.接招).

On 29 February 2016, it performed the closing act of Taipei's Lantern Festival;^[28] the members then embarked in some solo activities: Hongshi, Bao'er and Tingxuan took part in musical Double-sided Dancing Queen with AISA troupe,^[29] and Hongshi e Yushan starred in a web series. On 29 September, Popu Lady released its first photobook, titled Thai HOT! (Chinese: 泰HOT！).^[30][31] Hongshi and Tingxuan starred in television series Behind Your Smile, a Taiwanese melodrama which aired from November 13 on TTV, in a main and supporting role, respectively, while, on October 14, Dayuan, Tingxuan and Bao'er started shooting for movie A Tale Of Two-Timer with SpeXial's Sam.^[32]

Members

• Hongshi (born 7 January 1988 as 洪詩涵 Hóng Shīhán) graduated in hotel management from Jinwen University of Science and Technology. She entered the entertainment industry in 2005 hosting music programs and being part of the talk show Blackie's Teenage Club.^[1] She signed with HIM International Music in 2011. In 2014, she appeared in the music video for Ben Wu's "Don't Cry" and starred in Taiwanese TV series Say I Love You. In 2015 she made a cameo on Love Cuisine as Maggie.
• Dayuan (大元, born 14 November 1989 as 林盈臻 Lín Yíngzhēn), the group leader,^[33] studied law at Fu Jen Catholic University, but left before graduating. She debuted in 2010 on the talk show University.^[1] In 2011, she published a personal photobook, Girl Friend - Vitality Girlfriend (Chinese: Girl Friend~元氣女友). She debuted as an actress in 2012, starring in TV series Spring Love in 2013 and Love or Spend in 2015.
• Bao'er (寶兒, born 7 January 1990 as 吳昀廷 Wú Yúntíng) graduated from the University of Kang Ning. She was a swimsuit model spotted during the show Unbeatable Youth in 2008.^[1]
• Tingxuan (born 19 March 1990 as 陳庭萱 Chén Tíngxuān) graduated from the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism in aeronautics and transportation service management system. In 2016 she appeared in the music video for Tian Yahuo's "Our Valentine's Day" (Chinese: 我們的情人節).^[34]
• Yushan (born 8 June 1991 as 劉宇珊 Liú Yǔshān) studied business at Chung Yuan Christian University. After appearing in Juksy's Street Watch, she debuted on the variety show University in 2011 and joined HIM International Music in 2012.^[1] In 2013, she appeared in the music video for Aaron Yan's "Taipei Dreamin'" (Chinese: 台北沉睡了). In 2014, she sang "Marching Forward (Retro Version)" (Chinese: 向前走 (穿越復古版) for a feature film, Dadaocheng.

Discography

Extended plays

Digital singles

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Taiwan Mandopop girl group Popu Lady out to please". February 27, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2015. 
2. ↑ "New Taiwanese girl group Popu Lady wants to follow in label mate S.H.E's footsteps". February 24, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2015. 
3. ↑ "Popu Lady impresses with a cover of "First Dream"". July 12, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015. 
4. ↑ Popu Lady床垫魔鬼特训 纯爱少女情歌梦幻登场 [Popu Lady debuts with a song about pure girls love] (in Chinese). December 14, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2015. 
5. ↑ "Waterfall's thirteen year old "Pretty Boy" goes Chinese". January 23, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2015. 
6. ↑ Popu Lady 小未來 [Popy Lady "Popu Future"] (in Chinese). November 2, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2015. 
7. ↑ "Interview with Popu Lady in Singapore" (in Chinese). January 22, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015. 
8. ↑ Popu Lady 今年要更努力！ [Popu Lady: "This year we'll work harder!"] (in Chinese). January 26, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2015. 
9. ↑ 數位單曲 - 為｢我的少女時代｣獻唱插曲｢妳說他｣ Popu Lady陪你一起回憶初戀 [Digital singles - With song "All About Him" for Our Times, Popu Lady takes you to recall your first love] (in Chinese). August 7, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015. 
10. ↑ Popu Lady - 妳說他 [Popu Lady - All About Him] (in Chinese). Retrieved August 14, 2015. 
11. ↑ 華語單曲日榜 Top 100 [Chinese Singles Daily Chart Top 100] (in Chinese). Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016. 
12. ↑ 華語單曲週榜 Top 100 [Chinese Singles Weekly Chart Top 100] (in Chinese). Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016. 
13. ↑ 華語單曲月榜 Top 100 [Chinese Singles Monthly Chart Top 100] (in Chinese). Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016. 
14. ↑ "Popu Lady - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2016. 
15. ↑ 淘汰賽開跑 Popu Lady團員由歌迷決定 [Knockout starts running, Popu Lady members will be decided by fans] (in Chinese). September 23, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015. 
16. ↑ 暗黑Popu Lady超性感　淘汰賽挨轟5-1=0 [Dark Popu Lady are super sexy; knockout endures bombers 5-1=0] (in Chinese). September 23, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015. 
17. ↑ Popu Lady淘汰賽惹怒駭客　網站遭入侵粉絲狂讚英明！ [Popu Lady knockout angered hackers, website compromised, crazy fans praise] (in Chinese). September 15, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015. 
18. ↑ 淘汰賽開跑 Popu Lady團員由歌迷決定 [Knockout starts running, Popu Lady members will be decided by fans] (in Chinese). September 23, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015. 
19. ↑ Popu Lady淘汰賽挨批「超爛行銷」 華研解釋 [Popu Lady knockout criticized as "super bad marketing", China Institute explains...] (in Chinese). November 22, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015. 
20. ↑ Popu Lady淘汰賽 被疑苦肉計炒作宣傳 [Popu Lady knockout suspected of being a desperate publicity campaign] (in Chinese). November 29, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015. 
21. ↑ "'Get Out Of Popu Lady' elimination campaign accused of being rigged". November 24, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015. 
22. ↑ Popu Lady驟死賽　結果出爐竟是... [Popu Lady sudden-death playoff, the result actually was...] (in Chinese). November 22, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015. 
23. ↑ 《Excuse Me》搶先聽 ["Excuse Me", first listening] (in Chinese). September 28, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015. 
24. ↑ 《POPU OK繃》搶先聽 ["Popu OK Boom", first listening] (in Chinese). October 12, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015. 
25. ↑ 《我不要》搶先聽 ["I Don't Want", first listening] (in Chinese). October 27, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015. 
26. ↑ Popu Lady新歌不再“甜美”(图) [Popu Lady's songs are no longer "sweet"] (in Chinese). March 24, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016. 
27. ↑ Popu Lady耍心機爭第一 大元愛裝無辜成箭靶被宇珊狂射 [Popu Lady playing jokes in the first fight] (in Chinese). November 19, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015. 
28. ↑ "2016 Taipei Lantern Festival Program". Retrieved March 12, 2016. 
29. ↑ Popu Lady寶兒認與嘎嘎見面！新歌「很酷」先給她聽 [Popu Lady's Bao'er admits she met Gaga!] (in Chinese). April 25, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016. 
30. ↑ Popu Lady月底出寫真 [Popu Lady at the end of a photo] (in Chinese). CyberCTM. September 21, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016. 
31. ↑ 【好兇喔】Popu Lady洩閨房樂　內衣私密全都露 [Popu Lady boudoir music: Underwear secrets all exposed] (in Chinese). Apple Daily. September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016. 
32. ↑ SpeXial林子閎齊人之福 劈腿Populady大元與庭萱 (in Chinese). October 14, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016. 
33. ↑ 大元領軍Popu Lady 闖歌壇甜美帶暖意 [Popu Lady releases sweet music with warmth] (in Chinese). December 6, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2015. 
34. ↑ 田亞霍自爆2段情 Popu Lady庭萱獻聲 (in Chinese). January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016. 
35. ↑ “下载率最高金曲奖”最后冲刺　9月30日截止 ["Most Downloaded Song" final spring. Deadline on September 30] (in Chinese). Retrieved August 1, 2015. 
36. ↑ 2013年第18届金曲奖得奖名单 [2013 18th Singapore Hit Awards Winners] (in Chinese). Retrieved August 1, 2015. 
37. ↑ 2013年度蒙牛酸酸乳MusicRadio中国TOP排行榜 入围/获奖名单 [2013 MusicRadio China TOP ranking - Nominees and winners] (in Chinese). Retrieved August 1, 2015. 
38. ↑ "Singapore E-Awards 2014 - Most Popular Group". Retrieved May 12, 2015. 
39. ↑ "Singapore E-Awards 2014 / Most Popular MV - C-pop". Retrieved May 12, 2015. 
40. ↑ "Popu Lady waiting for love". January 25, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2015. 
41. ↑ hito/Popu Lady美腿發威　三太子頭成笑點 [hito/Popu Lady legs shout] (in Chinese). May 31, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015. 
42. ↑ Popu Lady三太子包頭髮型成笑點 大元坦言傳訊息祝賀鼓鼓入圍金曲 (in Chinese). June 1, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015. 
43. ↑ MILK AWARDS 炎亞綸大贏家 [Milk Awards, Aaron Yan wins] (in Chinese). July 31, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2015. 
44. ↑ 2014年度蒙牛酸酸乳MusicRadio中国TOP排行榜入围名单 入围&获奖 [2014 MusicRadio China TOP ranking nominees] (in Chinese). Retrieved July 31, 2015. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Popu Lady.

• (Chinese) Official website