Once bitten, twice shy for singer G.E.M. when it comes to talking politics
Singer G.E.M. is used to media attention, but the young idol got more than she bargained for after one interview
As a bestselling recording artist used to performing in front of thousands, Gloria Tang Zhi-kei is no stranger to the pressures of being in the media spotlight. But amid rigorous training for her upcoming world tour, the singer has been unexpectedly feeling the heat from something unrelated to showbiz.
Earlier this month, the young diva, better known as G.E.M., offered a few words of encouragement to beleaguered chief executive Leung Chun-ying during an interview with a think tank, saying, "Please carry on."
The local media and netizens quickly jumped on her comment, with some fans expressing "disappointment" at her "lack of logic" and "blind support" for the government. Parodies proliferated, mocking her perceived pro-Communist stance, with some likening her to the peasant women who became Communist fighters in the Mao-era propaganda movie .
The singer has been "upset" by the incident and was feeling "under pressure" ahead of her Guangzhou concert next Monday, according to her manager Tan Chang, who spoke to the .
"G.E.M. is unhappy as she felt she was misunderstood and taken out of context," said Chang, the chief executive of Hummingbird Music, the label and music production company Tang is signed to. "We cannot afford to let her risk talking more, as her vocal cords are very delicate."
Equally sensitive is the issue of politics. The interview that landed the 22-year-old in hot water was for a project by the Ideas Centre, a self-proclaimed "independent, apolitical non-profit organisation", that featured 11 youngsters born in the 1990s offering their thoughts.
