Veteran singer not yet over the hill

Veteran singer Jonathan Lee performs. Photo provided to China Daily

"In today's music industry, singers are considered entertainers, who are not supposed to be too serious. I am glad when I sing something serious, people are all ears," he says.

"It's worthwhile to wait such a long time," says Chen Yung-chi, chief executive officer of Taiwan music label B'in Music, which released the single on its website. "Lee has many life experiences to share and what matters to him is how far his song could go, rather how big it is at the moment."

Chen says when a singer releases a new song, the record company usually pulls out all the stops trying to promote it. It is unusual for a song only released online to achieve huge popularity.

Lee's longtime friend, Taiwan actress-director-singer Sylvia Chang, who rose to fame with the hit song Cost of Love, which was written by Lee, once said, "Lee has a song for everyone."

"In the music world, he is a star behind many stars," Chang says. "He is a son of a gas worker, who did not do very well in his studies and did not have a college degree. He got married twice, divorced twice and has three daughters. He is shy, humorous and always lets music do the talking."

Lee was once a producer at Taiwan's Rolling Stone Records, Asia's biggest independent record label and home to many popular singers such as Karen Mok, Jeff Chang and Sandy Lam. He helped the label discover many talents and made albums that were commercial and critical successes during his 17 years working there.

His decision to go back to the basics of music, making guitars, came from his desire to spot new talents. With 30 to 40 guitars made a year, Lee says he doesn't approach it as a business, but a way to keep him close to the most fundamental part of music.

"The music industry has changed from producer-dominated to market-dominated," Lee says.

"But now the record companies are facing a bad time. They have to cooperate with website companies and telecommunication companies to make money," Lee says.

"I strongly recommend to artists who sell big: Write and sing serious songs with serious lyrics. Because no matter what you sing, you sell. Why not sing something meaningful?"