KB's Carman Makes Waves In Taiwan
By Jex Lim

Photos above show Brunei's very own Carman Tao

When you look at Carman Tao, do you find her familiar? She could be your neighbour, you never know! Is she prettier than you last remembered her? To be a singer, looking pretty isn't enough because it is the talent that counts. Well, Carman Tao has both. She is pretty and has a gifted voice. For some Bruneians, Carman might be a total stranger but for some, she is their friend and relative. Her current Bruneian fans might have known her either through Internet, magazine or newspaper. One of her fans said she actually knew her through one of the game shows in Taiwan when she rented it in one of the video store.

During an exclusive interview with the Sunday Bulletin recently, Carman said, "When I was still young, I really love to sing. But I never think that I will become a singer, let alone stepping into the singing industry. This is really a dream comes true."

Carman, however said to become a singer, luck plays a very important role. She admitted that she is lucky and her songs are well accepted in the Taiwan music/entertainment industry. This singer in her 20's was born in Brunei and is a permanent resident here. She was spotted by Venus E. production company in Brunei. Later her demo was sent to various recording companies in Taiwan. In her demo, she recorded the track sang by Celine Dion, 'Because You Loved Me'.

With the combination of her voice, look and luck, she was spotted by a well-known producer in Taiwan, who is an expert in marketing new artist.

Carman went to Taiwan some time end of 1998 and signed a few years contract with Decca Records in Taiwan, which is a sub-company under Universal Record as of today. A very well-known singer from Hong Kong, William So is also signed under the same company as Carman.

When interviewed by the Sunday Bulletin, Carman recalled that it took her one and half years to break into the entertainment industry in Taiwan as it is very competitive over there. She launched her first album on April 12, 2000 entitled 'Long To Listen One More Time' (a direct translation from Chinese).

In the second edition of her only album, launched end of 1999, she was the only singer in Taiwan to be given the opportunity to sing the Mandarin version of Jennifer Lopez's 'Waiting For Tonight'.

It took her less than six months to promote her first album in Taiwan, Malaysia and China. Her album had sold up to an estimate of more than 120,000 copies but the latest figure is not available yet. The official from Venus said it is very hard to really count the number of copies sold because many pirated copies are being sold in the market. Carman said, it is not easy to produce an album. It took her eight months just to complete her title track, 'Long To Listen One More Time'.

People should be more appreciate of their hard work and effort to compile an album. When asked by the Sunday Bulletin what her future plans were, Carman said she is currently working on her second album and is now trying to compose and collect songs for recording. If everything goes well, her album would be released some time in September this year. She also wishes her album would be officially launched in Brunei.

Courtesy of Sunday Bulletin