Amit2
A-mei
It seems that someone has been watching American Horror Story.
In the music video for Freak Show, Taiwanese diva A-mei, well, gets her freak on as she appears with creepy pinpoint irises and pale make-up.
Then again, her alter ego Amit has always been her licence to wander into the darker corners of her mind. The moniker is both a reference to her Puyuma aboriginal name, Amit Kulilay, and an acronym, which stands for A-mei: Music Is Transformed.
Her 2009 record as Amit was a revelation.
Freed from the expectations of what an A-mei album should sound like, she tore into rockers such as the brash Minnan scorcher Come On If You Dare and the thrillingly fastpaced Black Eat Black. And in a body of work filled with classic ballads, she delivered some of her most moving work on titles such as Alter Ego and Fallen.
On Amit2, she continues to rock out and lash out.
She seethes with anger on Matriarchy: “I smile gently but my heart is tougher than steel/Men proclaim themselves kings while women have to bear the weight of the world.”
Her voice drips with disdain on What D’ya Want?: “You’re despicable/I despise you.”
Best not to get on the wrong side of Amit.
Perfectly in keeping with the darker gothic vibe here is the hypnotic A Bloody Love Song as she offers: “Let me write you a horror novel.”
Amit also seems to be more open to experimentation. Jamaican Betel Nut by producer-songwriter Adia is an unusual marriage of reggae, electronica and Taiwan’s betel nut-chewing culture.
The singer is now wowing audiences in Taipei with live versions of these songs and more at her Utopia concert and one can only hope she makes her way here soon.
With the stellar Faces Of Paranoia released just nine months ago, A-mei – or should it be Amit? – is clearly on a roll.
(ST)