Performance offers singer catharsis from pressures of fame

To the outsider, A-list entertainer Alec Su's life probably seems like it has been quite plain sailing - since he was 15 years old, the Taiwan-born star has garnered a huge number of loyal followers with his good-as-gold image after getting his break as a key member of a boy band Little Tigers in 1988. After the trio disbanded in 1997, he embarked on a solo career, with his charm carrying him to wider audience and even greater heights as he successfully, and seamlessly, transitioned from the role of pop singer to the world of acting, and even film direction.

He impressed TV audiences with roles in many hit series, such as My Fair Princess, Romance in the Rain, and The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. As well as winning over TV viewers, he has also won acclaim from veteran artists and critics. He won the Hundred Flowers Film Award for best supporting actor in the movie The Message in 2009, and his directorial debut The Left Ear earned him a nomination for best new director at the 52nd Golden Horse Awards in 2015.

However, in the recent TV program, titled Let's Show Together, Su adapted one of his old tracks and rapped about his own perception of his fame and his vanity, how he has struggled to maintain a pristine public image under the scrutiny of fans and the media, all the while reflecting on his seemingly perfect career.