Tam weighs in for arrested producer

J-pop music producer Tetsuya Komuro, arrested this week in a fraud case, is 'a very caring boss', says local star Zoie Tam Hoi-kei, who had a contract with him.

'We haven't talked for a long time, but he was a very caring boss - especially to his artists. He was really nice in person. He always gave us a lot of useful comments on how to develop our careers in showbiz and music,' said Tam (below).

Tam signed a deal with Komuro in 2000, along with four other local talents aged 15 to 21, including television actress and host Sharon Chan Man-chi, to kick-start her music career. She was 18 when she signed the contract. Now a travel host for Cable TV, Tam says that she has not been in touch with the producer since her contract with Komuro ended.

Komuro, the founder of The TK Family music empire, is known for successfully bringing such faces as Namie Amuro to stardom in the 1990s, when he was dubbed Japan's 'Godfather of Music'.

On Tuesday, Komuro was arrested in Osaka on fraud charges. He had allegedly defrauded an investor of 500 million yen (HK$39.5 million) in a case involving the sale of copyrights to 806 songs in 2006.

'It's unbelievable. I can't picture how he got involved with the case,' Tam said. 'I think it's very likely he was being set up or something.