DT forward to 2012

DT rehearsing for the Hunan TV New Year show in Quangzhou & looking scrumptious! This show is probably one of the biggest in China tonite as it features lots of big names like Faye Wong & Jolin Tsai both of whom rumored to receive big bucks for their appearances. I don't know but I think if all they can write abt your participation is your fee ... oh Faye is supposed to sing another new song yet again with a Buddhist theme. Anyway back to DT who is rumored to be singing 7 songs including Black Tangerine with new arrangements. Here's a lovely rehearsal vid where he surreptiously peeped at his latest version of iPhone most probably to check on the lyrics altho of cos he still managed to forget most of them *roll eyes* More delicious pixs here. So as 2011 comes to a close, it's reassuring at least in my blog that some things remain the same: DT wearing cap, specs, muscle tee, IWC watch, using iPhone, forgetting lyrics ... in all my life, I never have such a constant as David Tao doing what he does best in the most adorable ways. But DT is going places as well. He launched The Mushroom album on 12/26 & going digital with it by using Tencent QQ, the largest & most popular online music platform in China. That would explain why he's now using Tencent Weibo instead of Sina. I do quite like the way he is managing his talents with vry little fanfare just letting their music do the talking. He has done well with PB33 whose songs had appeared in a popular online game as well as teenage fantasy movie. Yes, 2011 had been quite a satisfactory year for DT's music journey - new song, new duet, fabulous live performances, first-time music judge, indie producer role. I have a feeling next year is going to be even more DT spectacular. Happy 2012!

Featuring DT

(Photo & vid credit courtesy of 陶吧)
相信有一天 mv already out & online & YEAH we get to see DT & Atsushi singing together. It's interesting that EXILE is always attached to Atsushi probably to reassure fans that he is not going solo. The mv is not really the full song more fan service with footage of DT & Atsushi meeting, greeting, shaking hands, singing & embracing. Also DT was shown playing keyboard so I think he was also responsible for the music. In fact he seemed to be very much in control of the recording, arranging & producing. Also from his easy manner of greeting Atsushi, the recording & production may even be in his own studio. Anyway I enjoy the mv as much as I enjoy the song. It's been a long time since I seen so much of David! By the by, vid below was put up obviously by DT fan so it has 陶喆 featuring Atsushi for the title rather than the other way around. It's a bit disrespectful but actually most DT fans are usually not so childish.

DT & Atsushi redux

(Photo credit: Yahoo News TW)
Ooh la la 2 cuties together. Some Taiwan news on this collaboration as i-radio would be broadcasting the song as new song introduction from Dec 5-7 & the mv on MTV from Dec 8-10 ... wait a minute there's a mv?!? Do we get to see DT & Atsushi singing together? I can't wait, hope it will be online soon. I really love their co-operation, in fact it's my fave DT duet so far. Their voices really blend together so well & it's just fabulous to hear DT going back to his r&b roots. David even said that he hopes to collaborate with Atsushi again in his own album. It seemed they really worked hard on recording & production of this song with producer Mark Lui. They tried different methods of singing & both of them expressed their passion for music. Also arigato to Mika for clearing up abt Rising Sun error below:

Hi just FYI, "Itsuka Kitto （いつかきっと・・・）" is already released on 14/Sep/11 as a single CD coupling with "Rising Sun". "Itsuka Kitto" is the theme song of TV drama "Hi Wa Mata Noboru （陽はまた昇る）" and "Rising Sun" is the charity song for Japan earthquake. No song called "Hi Wa Mata Noboru" of EXILE/ATSUSHI. 12/06/2011 2:10 PM

Atsushi too had said in the news that Itsuka Kitto was released along with Rising Sun for the Japan earthquake charity. He was vry pleased to release this Chinese/Japanese version with David. It seemed that some EXILE/Atsushi fans are landing here from searches so I will do my bit to introduce David Tao to these newcomers. I myself enjoy EXILE music like their big hit Choo Choo Train & personally think that Atsushi is a very passionate r&b singer. It's not the first time that David sang in Japanese actually. In his 3rd studio album Black Tangerine released in 2002 he had a song called My Anata where he sang a few words of Japanese:

Then in his 6th studio album 69 David Tao released in 2009 he wrote a song called Zero to Hero which had some reference to the Japanese anime Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman & the song too had some Japanese words:

From these 2 songs, you will see that David is not just r&b singer. In fact even though he has been straddled with the honorific 'Godfather of Chinese r&b', there is a wide range of musical genre in his 6 studio albums. Even when singing live, DT tends to be more natural than r&b. He is a very honest, sincere singer/songwriter who doesn't always uses his talents to earn a lot of money or gain a lot of fame. He will rather infuse his listeners with his love & passion for music or influence them to think abt social issues. He is a very rare breed in the Chinese music/entertainment world.

DT branching out

DT came back to Taipei last weekend to attend Luo Dayu's concert & during the encore was invited to sing his fav Luo's song 之乎者也 with his idol. Here's the complete version at youtube -- vry enjoyable. It was just so wonderful to see both of them on stage together. I love how supportive DT was from presenting gifts personally at Luo's press conference to attending the concert & finally singing with him. He is certainly not the sort to claim someone as his idol & then could not even bother to attend his concert. Not only that, it's rare that he sing someone else song as a guest. Normally he would sing his own songs but for Luo Dayu, he even memorised the lyrics backstage but of cos he did forget some lines :P

Come to think of it, it's also rare that he sang in a song released that is not his own like 相信有一天. The above version recorded I think in Taiwan is clearer than the HK one with less voiceover. As usual with juvenile fans, they each claimed their idol's voice is superior. How can you compare? It's like comparing apples & oranges, like DT said. I prefer oranges but I still eat apples cos both are good for me. However as a DT fan, I just love the sharp clarity of his voice even when singing falsetto. He is one of the few r&b singers in Asia who can sing falsetto without sounding 'girly'. His voice is always his own even when singing Luo Dayu's songs. By the by, Rising Sun was a completely different song released by EXILE and not the theme song for 'Hi Wa Mata Noboru'. However there was a song called 'Hi Wa Mata Noboru' released to help raise funds for the Japan earthquake to add to the confusion. Atsushi did not release 'Itsuka Kitto' officially but there is a solo Japanese version available on youtube if anyone is interested. I really like to hear a solo DT version.

DT lost in translation

Okay while looking up for the lyrics of Atsushi/DT duet as requested by dtindo below, discovered some confusing details abt this song. It was also the theme song for a Japanese TV series called Hi Wa Mata Noboru aka The Sun Also Rises which of cos has nothing at all to do with Ernest Hemingway to add to the confusion. The song sung by Atsushi & called Rising Sun was then released as a single by EXILE. This TV series abt the going-ons in a police academy was screened during July this year. So was this the second time the song was released? Cos Atsushi said that he wrote the song which was actually the lyrics during the earthquake in Japan which was in March. So did he set his lyrics to the melody then or maybe the melody was written for the TV series & Atsushi decided to use the lyrics he has written a few months ago? Or did Rising Sun had different lyrics & then Atsushi decided to change the lyrics to his own for the duet with DT? The mind boggles ... also considering this song was not really a hit when it was first released since even Atsushi's fans did not know abt it, why release it again as a duet? The only answer I can think of is that maybe the Japanese TV series will soon be screened in Hong Kong & this will be the theme song again. Anyway here are the lyrics with the Japanese translated to Chinese - I don't know by who so I can't give any credits very sorry.

ATSUSHI & 陶喆 - 相信有一天
いつか悲しい思いに (有一天　懷抱著悲傷感覺)
向き合えずに 一人だけで (卻獨自一個人　無法去面對)
不安になるそんな夜は (於是感到不安的夜裡時分)
慢慢地　把手心貼近胸前
有種莫名感覺　從心的最裡面
漸漸甦醒　重新回到身邊
我知道　有一天　不怕再多試煉
誰かが光失って (因為有人失去了希望的光線)
涙がそっと溢れて (臉頰就悄悄多了兩行淚)
自分の無力さを感じて (發現自己的無力有多狼狽)
就算這樣　依然願意付出一切
分享自己　成全別人的心願
凝結成一股暖流 在身體流動　一點點蔓延
那一天　剎那間一道光線
明明隱約看見　卻曇花一現
於是又拼命追逐它的腳步
我的歌　這條路　不會有休止符
もしもすべてを失って (如果說失去了現在的一切)
涙で前が見えなくて (因為眼淚模糊了眼前的視線)
ひとりの孤独さを感じて (一個人獨自去承受孤單的感覺)
心灰意冷對一切感到厭倦
為什麼而活　為什麼盲目地追
就算困在重重迷霧不見來時路
相信有一天… いつかきっと…
あの空の彼方 (那片天的遙遠邊界)
見え始める日が (能夠看到的那一天)
必ず 来るはず (一定會來到我身邊)
幸せの意味探して (尋尋覓覓幸福的真正意念)
何度も明日を信じて (有多少次相信會有明天)
それでもくじけそうになるけど (即便這樣依然覺得被挫折包圍)
直到我心裡面背負的一切
被宣告終點的日子來臨以前
絕不會輕易去放手　此刻我願承諾
相信有一天…直到那一天…