Bringing love to heel
By Chen Nan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-21 09:06
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Taiwan singer-actress Rene Liu will hit the Beijing stage with a concert and says that she has never stopped pursuing love. Chen Nan reports
"Take off your high heels," declares Ren Liu at a press conference for her upcoming concert in Beijing.
That is the name of the show, but it is also her attitude to love.
"Every concert reflects my current mood," the 40-year-old singer-actress says. "I see love as a pair of beautiful high heels, which make you look stunning, yet are nevertheless painful. Love it or hate it, I hope everyone can feel relaxed and comfortable about love, including myself."
Liu says that besides the classic songs that her fans can sing along to, she will also perform new songs such as We Are Not Together and I Don't Miss You.
In 1995, Liu released her debut album, which sold millions of copies, partly on the strength of the hit song, Crazy for Love. The song soon became a karaoke favorite, and since then, each of her albums has contained love ballads, such as Love You More and Hearsay.
"I know lots of things about love, though I am still single," Liu says. "Love requires courage, tolerance and understanding, but you cannot control or plan it. I have never stopped pursuing love."
Dressed in a yellow silk blouse, black mini skirt and a pair of black high heels, Liu adds, "Though I am single, I am not afraid of being alone. I enjoy it, but I also look forward to love at the same time."
However, she believes that modern love is more complicated than it used to be. "I long for the love of my grandparents' generation which was simple and determined," she says.
Born in Taiwan into a military family, Liu received piano training in her childhood and studied classical music at California State University. After graduating she joined the Taiwan record company, Rock Records, as an assistant to veteran music producer Bobby Chen.
She didn't become a singer until three years later because the company did not consider her beautiful enough.
Her successful acting career began in 1995 when director Sylvia Chang made her the lead actress in the movie Young Girl, Xiao Yu. Her performance won the Best Actress award at the Asia Pacific Movie Festival in 1995.
Nicknamed naicha, milk tea, Liu says that being a celebrity has taken away her privacy and she finds it hard to be the person she wants to be. She says the lack of privacy can make relationships difficult.
"If I find the one, I will respect him and not reveal him to the public if it makes him uncomfortable," she says.