With the popularization of MTV, performing and dancing skills have become increasingly important parts of our pop singers' repertoire.
Taiwan pop star Jolin Tsai, or Cai Yilin, is a singer with outstanding dancing and singing skills.
She breaks out new dance moves with every new release and her ability to move gives her endless charisma on stage.
Now with her latest release Dancing Diva, offers her fans an exotic music flavor as well as the chance to check out her new dance moves.
Up-tempo tunes have always been the selling point of Jolin's albums, winning the hearts of many young fans.
Dancing Diva is no exception.
Released just two months ago, it's the first album Jolin has produced since she left Sony music and joined Capitol.
While it stays true to her usual style, she sounds more mature and uses a few exotic sounds.
The leading track Pulchritude is a very listenable exotic upbeat number, singing about what modern Chinese urban girls think about love and fashion.
They enjoy more freedom than their mothers, so they're more confident in themselves and in relations with boys.
Jolin appears very relaxed in this song. Backed up with a strong drum beat, she says "Ladies and gentlemen welcome" like she's master of the era.
This confidence and beautiful melody meant the song was snapped up for a new bath milk ad and you can hear it on every street corner.
The title track Dancing Diva is the best representative of Jolin Tsai's singing style—lively and fast, with easy to follow melodies and lyrics.
But Dancing Diva amazed listeners who watched the music video.
Jolin paired the Middle Eastern rhythms with extremely difficult rhythmic gymnastic dance moves as well as hip-hop.
Prepare yourself for some excitement before you check out the video.
Jolin put a lot of extra hours in to get her dance moves right for this track.
She says no one is born talented and she practiced for months. She even got some bruises from her non-stop training sessions.
Dancing Diva has 10 new tracks carefully selected from a pool of no less than 1000 songs. A Wonder in Madrid may be the cutest and sweetest song within this album. In fact, it's the sweetest song Jolin's sung so far in her career.
This European style track describes the naivety of a young girl who longs for pure love.
The clear xylophone and sweet aria brings out Jolin's younger side.
If Jolin was just a pretty girl who sang songs for school kids when she first rose to fame, today she's a mega star.
But she's about more than just fashion, dazzling dance moves and a gorgeous looks, Jolin's also mastered a wide range of musical styles, though she's still at her strongest on the fast songs.
She's even tried her hand at composing on her latest album.
People say it's about how she got over her break-up with megastar Jay Chow. But you can judge for yourself
(CRI July 24, 2006)
