Nowadays, "white, thin" has become people's aesthetic standard, and so have female stars in the entertainment industry. In order to lose weight, they compete one by one.
But there was once a person who frequently attracted attention because he gained weight in middle age.
She is the music queen Zhang Huimei .
In 2012, Zhang Huimei made a surprise appearance in the first season of " The Voice of China ". After the show was broadcast, people's jaws dropped:
The girl on the screen had long curly hair, a bloated figure, and wore a loose black robe. , and his voice seemed a lot tired.
Why did Amei become like this? What has she experienced these years?
However, in the face of questions from reporters and attacks on the Internet, Amei always laughs it off. She once said generously on the show: "What's the point of being fat? Confidence is the most beautiful."
Haruki Murakami said: No matter everything No matter what everyone in the world says, I think my own feelings about are correct. No matter what others think, I will never disrupt my own rhythm.
Zhang Huimei tells us with her generosity and enthusiasm: A truly confident person will always follow his or her heart.
①
In 1972, Zhang Huimei was born in an aboriginal tribe in Taitung. In the Pinan tribe, almost everyone can sing and dance. Singing is as normal as eating and sleeping.
Zhang Huimei is no exception. She has been able to sing and dance since she was a child, and she is always invited by her relatives to perform on stage during festivals.
When she was in high school, she used her spare time to lead more than a hundred children to practice singing together. Two months later, they participated in the Harvest Festival in Taitung City , which left a deep impression on everyone present.
At that time, singing was the happiest thing for Zhang Huimei. She never thought that one day singing would become a burden.
In 1992, Zhang Huimei's father fell ill and was hospitalized. All her brothers and sisters at home had gone to work, so the task of taking care of her father fell on Zhang Huimei's shoulders.
When he was in the hospital, Zhang’s father’s favorite program was “Fifth Prize”, which was similar to the current singing talent show. One day he looked at his daughter beside him and said, "Dad, I think you can sing much better than them. If you go to the competition, you will definitely win the championship."
Looking at her seriously ill father, Zhang Huimei couldn't help but feel a burst of bitterness in her heart. To comfort her father, Zhang Huimei mustered up the courage to sign up for the fifth prize.
thought that she would just sing a few songs live, but who knew that she survived all the way and persisted until the end.
During this period, Zhang Huimei was also under pressure from all sides. On the one hand, she had to learn many pop songs for the competition. On the other hand, people in her hometown had great expectations for her and hoped that she would be popular.
At this time, singing became a burden for her.
On the day of the competition, after enduring many days of stress, she forgot her lyrics because of a cold, and ultimately missed the championship.
Zhang Huimei returned to her hometown feeling disheartened. She did not sing again for a long time.
At this time, her father encouraged her again: "Believe in yourself, you can do it if you try again."
couldn't bear to see her father disappointed, so she regrouped and continued to participate in the competition. However, just when she was about to succeed, her father passed away.
After that, A-mei brought the trophy to her father's tomb and said to him: "Look, I did it. I achieved your goal."
After participating in the competition, Zhang Huimei joined her cousin's band and became a band. Famous bar singer.
At that time, she would never have imagined that it was this small decision that would change her life.
②
At that time in Taiwan, many senior musicians and singers would go to bars to listen to people singing and discover good talents.
At this time, A-mei also gradually became popular as a singer in major bars. As long as she sang, the audience was always full.
Music talent Zhang Yusheng also heard about Zhang Huimei's fame and came to the bar to listen to her singing. When Zhang Huimei was preparing backstage, her cousin ran in and said to her: "Zhang Yusheng is here, you have to sing well tonight!" "
That night, Zhang Huimei specially chose Whitney Houston 's "I will always love you". She sang hard and hit the high notes all night just to attract Zhang Yusheng's attention, but after the singing, Zhang Yusheng I didn't go backstage to look for her.
For the next few days, Zhang Yusheng would go to the bar to listen to her singing, but never met her. When Zhang Huimei was about to lose confidence, Zhang Yusheng found her.
When the two met, it was like friends reunited after not seeing each other for many years. They hit it off and talked a lot.
Zhang Yusheng introduced Zhang Huimei to famous Taiwanese music composers Chen Zhiyuan , Chen Fuming, and Fenghua Records proprietress Zhang Xiaoyan.
In March 1996, Zhang Huimei successfully signed a contract with Fenghua Records.
Before the official release of the film, Zhang Yusheng invited Zhang Huimei to sing a duet with him, " The person I love most hurts me the most. ". He went into the recording studio and started recording the song. It went well at first, but then he saw the veins on Zhang Huimei's neck bulging. She got up and her face turned red from holding it in. Zhang Yusheng asked her what was wrong. She was frightened and said, "I dare not breathe for fear of making noise."
The staff present laughed non-stop. Zhang Yusheng explained: "These sounds will Filter it out and sing it boldly."
Later, during constant interactions and chats, Zhang Yusheng figured out the music style that belonged to Zhang Huimei. Amei had lived in the mountains and forests since she was a child. Coupled with her high and clear voice, she could not Perfect for a sweet style, but go the wild route.
In December 1996, the album "Sisters" tailor-made by Zhang Yusheng for Zhang Huimei came out. After the new album was released, it sold 1.08 million copies. It can be said that it was the peak of their debut. The title song "Sisters" is still regarded as a classic.
In the second year, the master and apprentice pursued the victory. Zhang Huimei released her second album "Bad Boy". The sales volume once again set a new record, with 1.38 million copies sold. It topped the Taiwan IFPI chart for nine weeks, breaking the song god . Jacky Cheung’s sales myth.
During that period, Zhang Huimei's songs were playing in the streets and alleys, and she became completely popular.
However, just when the public was looking forward to the new work of A-mei , a sudden news made Zhang Huimei's fans explode.
③
On October 20, 1997, Zhang Yusheng had a car accident on his way home. He passed away after being in a coma for 20 days.
Zhang Huimei suffered a severe blow. To her, Zhang Yusheng was both a teacher and a friend. He was the mentor who brought her to the music scene and treated her as her own sister.
Later, at a concert to commemorate Zhang Yusheng, A-mei sang a song called "Hindsight". The lyrics read: You comfort me, but I don't know how to be decadent; you are tolerant and compassionate, and I can fly high.
She couldn't help but shed tears and couldn't continue singing.
At the 28th Golden Melody Awards, Zhang Huimei specially sang Zhang Yusheng’s golden songs to pay tribute to her mentor.
During the period when Zhang Yusheng just left, she was questioned by the outside world. The media and fans were worried about her. Without Zhang Yusheng, how could she continue her music career?
Faced with all this, Zhang Huimei did not make any response, because her actions had already said everything.
In 1998, Zhang Huimei announced her first solo concert. She was the first among few singers to hold a concert less than two years after their debut.
This concert was unprecedented and unprecedented, setting a record for the fastest ticket sales in Taiwan in decades. The audience's craziness that night was second only to Michael Jackson 's concert. After
, she released the albums " Holding Hands " and "Can I Hug You?" " also received unanimous praise, and many of the songs in it are still must-have hits in KTV.
However, the overloaded workload once overwhelmed Zhang Huimei. Her throat developed problems and she became hoarse and tired. Some people even suspected that she had a tumor in her throat.
's agent responded: "Her work schedule is very full, and she is singing with her life at risk. How can she sing in that way without straining her voice?"
Zhang Huimei's career has reached its lowest point. In 2004, she released the album " " maybe tomorrow " will only sell more than 60,000 copies, which is less than a fraction of "bad boy".
Her relationship journey was not smooth either. After breaking up with her ex-boyfriend Zhou Lijing, her husband still took care of their joint company. In 2004, Amei made up her mind to break away from the cooperative relationship between the two. Unexpectedly, Zhou Lijing asked for 10 million Hong Kong dollars.
Zhang Huimei, who was having a hard time in career and love, privately became less fond of smiling and would lock herself in the house whenever she was not working. Sometimes when she left the room, her family members would be startled, thinking she was working.
After a period of time, A-Mei made a bold decision: she wanted to study abroad in Boston, USA alone.
At that time, the record company and her family did not agree with her doing this and hoped that she would consider it carefully.
But A-mei still insisted on her own idea and traveled across the ocean to a foreign country.
She needs a period of time to get along with herself, to get in touch with some different people and things, so that she can slowly get out of the trough in front of her.
④
Zhang Huimei rented a house online in advance, but when she first arrived, the sight in front of her stunned her.
An empty house with no furniture. She could only sleep on the cold floor at night.
Even so, she never thought about leaving, and slowly settled down in a foreign country where she was unfamiliar.
Before leaving, she also applied to hold a small concert as her graduation homework. After
completed this journey, Amei started over again, continuing her original "girly love song" style, and released the album " I want to be happy ", which received wide acclaim upon release.
The gentle and energetic Zhang Huimei from before is back, and this time, she will not back down anymore.
In 2008, Zhang Huimei entered the Japanese market and performed the large-scale musical "Turandot".
met fans in 2009 with a new music brand Amit . This music form was unique at the time. People around her did not approve of her doing this. Zhang Huimei felt that she should make a breakthrough.
's album "Amit" implements rock to the end and won six awards including Best Mandarin Album and Best Mandarin Female Singer at the Golden Melody Awards.
Zhang Huimei's career has returned to its peak. At that time, she was mature and feminine, and sang on stage very relaxedly.
After turning 40, Amei began to put on weight. She often wore a loose black robe with a tall figure. Netizens complained about her: Why did she become fat and ugly!
But A-mei doesn't care about this at all. She thinks health and happiness are the most important. She doesn't need to lose weight deliberately. Every time she attends an event, her figure remains the same.
At this time, Zhang Huimei not only slowed down in life, but also in career.
Since the release of the album "Story Stealer" in 2017, Zhang Huimei has only released two singles so far. She said that she has no inspiration yet and should follow her own feelings when singing.
Amei rarely appears in public now. She is in love with the bartender, stays with her mother at home, and occasionally goes out to sing.
I am enjoying life every time I relax.
Zhang Huimei never deliberately caters to the public, she only does what she thinks is right and what she feels is right. When
's career was at a low point, she temporarily gave up her career and reorganized herself;
faced doubts from people around her, but she still insisted on making her own music;
didn't care about so-called aesthetic standards, and her own comfort was the most important thing.
You cannot rely on others to arrange your life, you have to make your own life.
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Author: Xingyue
