Taiwanese band Mayday investigated by Chinese authorities for lip syncing

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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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.

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.

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.

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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

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.

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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

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.

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.

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

Image: Rock Records

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.

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

Image: Rock Records

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.

‘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.

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.

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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.

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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".

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

Image: B'in Music

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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