Heart Hitting

Rising Taiwanese singer Eric Chou tells it like it is – his first heartbreak, not loving piano lessons, and being a new Justin Bieber fan – in the most earnest and charming way possible.

- Ian Lee

At the tender age of 21, this emerging Taiwanese singer-songwriter has two bestselling albums, a string of self-penned hits, and a reputation for being the new prince of ballads. Not too shabby for one who was talent spotted at 17 while singing at a wedding. The Distance Of Love, Chou’s signature tune (and a ballad from the idol drama, The Way We Were), has racked up over 75 million views on YouTube. More recently, the crooner released his sophomore set What Love Has Taught Us – which he promoted in Singapore with what he calls his first full-scale concert.

A love for music runs in his family. His elder brother Alex, 22, is also a singer, and it was their mother who enrolled the younger sibling for piano classes when he was a child. Having spent six years studying in Boston as a teenager (which explains Chou’s fluent English and accent), he has also developed a love for English love songs. Although he professes to be a fan of Tanya Chua and JJ Lin, he says: “to be honest, I don’t listen so much to Mandarin songs – I feel like the music in Taiwan can sound too similar. I want to absorb as many different sounds and genres as I can.”

It’s been about two years since you came into the music scene. What are some of the most memorable moments so far?

One of them would be my first time on stage in Taiwan – I was doing school concerts, going to different colleges and doing performances for the students there. It was pretty crazy with people screaming, and it was hard to adjust to all of that at first. But now I see it as a way to connect with fans. The other moment for me was performing at this particular arena in Taiwan, because I went to this place to watch concerts as a kid.

What will you be busy with after your concert here?