Lo Ta-yu rose to superstardom in the 1980s and continues to influence Mandopop and Taiwanese music to this day.
The News Lens
Date: 2018/10/02
By Eric Scheihagen
Credit: Reuters / TPG
Whenever Taiwanese popular music of the 1980s, Taiwanese singer-songwriters or indeed the history of Mandopop in Taiwan in general is being discussed, one name that’s almost sure to come up is Lo Ta-yu (羅大佑), also known as Luo Dayou.
Often taking a critical look at society, his songs resonated with many from the 1980s to the 21st century. Though the political views he has expressed in recent years have upset some of his old fans in Taiwan, Lo Ta-yu remains very popular in China and is still viewed with nostalgia by many in Taiwan. His albums from the 1980s have been frequently cited by many later songwriters as a source of inspiration. Not only are his songs still heard on the radio, his influence is also heard in the songs of many talented Taiwanese artists of today.
In late 1977, Lo got his first job as a songwriter, composing songs for the movie “Golden Days” (閃亮的日子) starring the popular singer Liu Wen-cheng (劉文正) and actress/singer Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉). Lo also wrote other songs for Sylvia Chang, who eventually became his lover. [FULL STORY]
