Whether you consider them to be great talents or simply a commercial gimmick, you cannot deny the fact 12 Girls Band are a huge success.
They are perhaps the first Chinese music act to create a storm outside the mainland since the late songstress Teresa Teng. In Japan, their album Beautiful Energy has sold more than 1.5 million copies.
These girls are China's answer to Vanessa Mae and Bond. Adopting a similar formula, in 2001 legendary Chinese music manager Wang Xiaojing gathered together 12 girls with training in classical Chinese music to play a variety of compositions from traditional Chinese tunes to Western classical and even Japanese pop over mild electro beats.
The outcome is that not only have 12 Girls Band helped to revive an ancient musical form with their contemporary twist, but they have taken this long-forgotten genre to the world stage.
Beautiful Energy has now been repackaged for sale as a DVD and CD combo.
The DVD documents the group's sell-out live concert in Japan last August. The concert was surprisingly down-to-earth and does not rely on gimmicky sets or fancy stage design to capture attention.
