Some people call her innovative, others say she’s simply a copycat--- a Chinese version of US singer Lady Gaga---or just an attention seeker who tries too hard. But whatever labels fans and critics pin on her, Shang Wenjie, whose English name is Laure, keeps herself cool.
As she sings in her song The way I am: “Whether you like it or not, it has nothing to do with me.”
Shang, 30, first rose to fame in 2006 as the champion of Hunan TV’s talent contest Supergirls. However, she didn’t enjoy much popularity until she changed her girl-next–door image into a more shocking style four years later.
While her fashion taste caught public attention, criticism came just as quickly, with many saying her rebellious look was only meant to get more media exposure.
“My styling goes with the music,” Shang told Yancheng Evening News. “I don’t need to be known as the Chinese Lady Gaga. I just want to be known as Laure Shang.”
She’s recently made that a reality thanks to I’m a Singer, another talent show produced by Hunan TV, which gathers famous singers to compete and an audience of 500 to decide who goes to the next round,
The show gave Shang an opportunity to display her musical abilities. She tried out a wide range of styles including pop, hip-hop, rock’n’roll, punk and electro. The highlights of her time on the show were when she chose tunes which are lesser-known than other contestants’ choices. For example, she sang her own versions of American pop star Michael Jackson’s Man in the“Shang has shown an international flavor which is just as inspiring as her fashion sense,” commented Sina.com. “She has become a trail blazer on the Mandopop scene, creating a music style bearing her own mark.”
Shang was eliminated (淘汰) on March 8, but “thanks to the show, her popularity has grown rapidly,” People’s Daily wrote.
“I love Shang, the youngest singer on the show,” said 16-year-old Guo Chen, a Senior 1 student from Daqing Shiyan High School in Heilongjiang. “Shang is quite international. She not only introduces European and US fashion, but also creatively combines Western music with Mandopop.”
Shang owes her international style to her educational background. She graduated from Fudan University as a French major. “The advantage of learning foreign languages is intangible. For example, it helps me communicate well with foreign musicians and broaden my horizons of music styles,” she said.
Topic: Shang Wenjie
| Her小题1:________
| She first rose to 小题2: _______in 2006 as the champion of Hunan TV’s Supergirls; After she changed her girl-next-door image into a 小题3: _____style, she started to enjoy 小题4: ______; She wanted to be known as Laure Shang and made it a reality thanks to I’m a singer 小题5:_______she was eliminated on March 8.
| Others’ comments about her
| Some say she’s simply a copycat, others consider her a(n) 小题6: _______seeker---her rebellious look was only 小题7:________to get more media exposure; Supporters say she is international and introduces European and US fashion and 小题8: _________ combines Western music with Mandopop.
| Her responses
| She keeps herself cool no matter how fans and critics comment on her; she thinks her styling 小题9:________ with her music; She owes her international style to her educational background because learning a foreign language helps her 小题10: ________ well with foreign musicians and broaden her horizons of music styles.
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