Taiwanese band Mayday investigated by Chinese authorities for lip syncing

'Mayday' again for Taiwanese band Mayday
China's anti-lip sync laws
Who are Mayday?
Early beginnings
Name change
Influences
Hustling hard in demo tapes
Tenacity paid off
First album
Plagued by drummer changes
Striking it big
Impact of ‘Viva Love’
Hitting rockstar status
Sudden hiatus
Activities during hiatus
A film during their break
Return to music
Breaking multiple records
One of the top C-music bands
Mayday's success in the UK and US
How the allegations started
Became top trending topic in Chinese media
Attempt to refute rumors with Paris 'live'
Under threat of being banned in China
Mayday accused of mistreating workers... again
2023 scandal
What happened?
Allegations of mistreatment
Reminiscent of scandal a year before
Do stellar performances come at a price?
Irony in Mayday’s sellout status
Inconsistent treatment of volunteers
'Mayday' again for Taiwanese band Mayday

The Taiwanese band Mayday is embroiled in yet another scandal, this time for allegedly violating Chinese concert laws... for the crime of lip syncing during concerts.

China's anti-lip sync laws

According to the BBC, lip syncing in concerts is illegal in China because it is "deceptive" to paying concertgoers. Despite being one of C-Entertainment's top bands, Mayday is currently being singled out and investigated for this.

Image: B'in Music

Who are Mayday?

Mayday is a Taiwanese rock band that formed in 1999. The band, which consists of five members, Ashin, Monster, Stone, Masa, and Guan You, has achieved enormous success and is considered one of the best-selling rock bands in the Chinese music world.

Early beginnings

The members of Mayday first met while they were still in university. They began performing in local pubs and quickly developed a small fan base. During this period, they began to develop their own sound and style, which was initially influenced by legends such as The Beatles.

Name change

From ET Today, although originally known as ‘So Band’, the group changed their name to Mayday in 1999, inspired by the distress call ‘Mayday’.

Image: B'in Music

Influences

The sound of Mayday is inspired by a variety of musical genres, including rock, pop, and folk. As previously stated, The Beatles, U2, Oasis, and the Japanese rock band Mr. Children are among their major influences.

Hustling hard in demo tapes

Cheers Magazine reports that before gaining widespread recognition in 1997, Mayday relentlessly promoted their music by distributing demo tapes to record companies in hopes of getting a signed deal.

Tenacity paid off

Their tenacity and hustle paid off when they caught the attention of Rock Records' Jonathan Lee, who immediately signed Mayday to the label after hearing their potential. According to Sina, Jonathan Lee thought the band had "the sound of the future," and he was correct when the band eventually became one of Taiwan's best rock bands.

Image: B'in Music

First album

Under Rock Records, Mayday's first album, titled 'Mayday's First Album' was released in 1999. Although it was not a commercial success, it helped establish their presence in the music scene, laid the groundwork for their future achievements, and represented their first step toward becoming a top hit.

Image: Rock Records

Plagued by drummer changes

Did you know?: Mayday's drummer position changed several times over the course of their career. Despite the lineup changes, they were able to keep their musical cohesion and continue to produce chart-topping hits.

Image: B'in Music

Striking it big

Not daunted by the lacklustre reception to their first album, Mayday's breakthrough finally came with the release of their second album, ‘Viva Love’ in 2001.

Image: Rock Records

Impact of ‘Viva Love’

The album was a massive success and solidified their position as one of Taiwan's most beloved bands, as Mayday was awarded the Best Band award at the 12th Golden Melody Awards for the album.

Hitting rockstar status

Subsequent album releases like ‘People Life, Ocean Wild’ and ‘Time Machine’ was as big of a success as ‘Viva Love’. With that, Mayday achieved rockstar status and became a household name.

Sudden hiatus

At the end of 2001, Mayday surprised their fans by announcing a hiatus from the music industry.

Image: Rock Records

Activities during hiatus

While apart, Mayday worked on individual projects. Stone and Guan-You went abroad to further hone their musical skills, while Ashin, Monster, and Masa had to complete their mandatory military service.

Image: B'in Music

A film during their break

Still, the band released an autobiographical film titled ‘The Wings of Dream’ to accompany fans during the band’s absence.

Image: Rock Records

Return to music

Mayday made a triumphant comeback in 2003 when they unexpectedly announced a surprise concert for fans in August. 'Time Machine,' the band's new album, was released later that year. The album's release marked the band's return to the music scene.

Breaking multiple records

‘Time Machine’ also won Mayday another Golden Melody Award for Best Band. Mayday continued to top chart after chart with other album releases which further won them multiple music awards and nominations.

One of the top C-music bands

Mayday's popularity has spread beyond Taiwan, with their concerts regularly selling out in other Chinese markets like Mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.

Image: B'in Music

Mayday's success in the UK and US

Mayday has also found success in the Western markets of the United Kingdom and the United States, and in 2013 they broke through in Japan.

Image: B'in Music

How the allegations started

The BBC reports that the allegations against Mayday for illegally lip syncing started with a viral video where a user analysed the band's live performances with their studio-recorded tracks and determined that "nearly half of the songs were lip synced at their own concert".

Image: B'in Music

Became top trending topic in Chinese media

CNN added that the video went viral, and the question of whether Mayday was lip syncing became a top trending topic on Chinese social media, with many people taking different sides. Given that this was also a matter of Chinese law, the authorities responded by launching an official investigation into the matter.

Image: B'in Music

Attempt to refute rumors with Paris 'live'

According to Today, Mayday held a three-hour livestream of their performance in Paris to disprove rumours, during which lead singer Ashin can be heard taking breaths and singing in a less than perfect tune -- implying that he sang with his'real voice' to disprove the lip syncing allegations.

Image: B'in Music

Under threat of being banned in China

Despite their attempt to refute the rumors, Today reports that Mayday is still under threat of being banned from performing in China if the investigation proves that they indeed lip synced in their concerts on Chinese soil.

Image: B'in Music

Mayday accused of mistreating workers... again

This is not Mayday's first scandal. They have previously been involved in several worker mistreatment scandals, raising concerns about the group's ethics, overall manpower management, and workplace abuses.

2023 scandal

According to 8days, Mayday was the subject of accusations in early 2023 over how the band treated concert volunteers.

Image: B'in Music

What happened?

According to the 8days report, allegations surfaced during their Beijing concerts that the volunteers were given subpar meals and faced unfavorable working conditions.

Image: B'in Music

Allegations of mistreatment

Allegedly, volunteers were fed only rice and fermented vegetables, and they had a strict time limit to finish each meal. Some of the volunteers also complained of sore feet and blisters from all their hard work.

Image: B'in Music

Reminiscent of scandal a year before

The Star claims that this latest incident is reminiscent of a scandal Mayday faced in 2022, when extras in one of their music videos were allegedly forced to stand in the rain for hours without proper protection or consideration for their well-being. One of them took to social media to complain about not being adequately compensated monetarily for his work and for the inconvenience.

Image: B'in Music

Do stellar performances come at a price?

These allegations of mistreatment raise questions about whether the band's dedication to great performances compromises employee well-being. Since then, Mayday has been under scrutiny for these incidents, their involvement, and their alleged mistreatment of volunteers and staff.

Image: B'in Music

Irony in Mayday’s sellout status

Given that Mayday is a top-selling band with the financial means to provide adequate workplace treatment to its employees and volunteers, it is ironic that this incident occurred.

Inconsistent treatment of volunteers

According to 8days, some fans and Mayday's agency have stated that the problem is the fault of the concert organisers, not the band, as some netizens have stated that they received much better treatment as a working volunteer, at a previous concert held in Beijing's Bird Nest Stadium.

Image: B'in Music

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