Ruth Kueo (魏妙如) from Singapore, participated in a Taiwanese singing show in 2021 and set a record of 20 successive titles, becoming the champion of the show. This is one of the milestones in her singing career.
During the pandemic, Ruth stayed at home and was overwhelmed by the sentiments. Therefore, she composed the song “Taipei Dreams”. Lyrics state “Being immersed in the dark at night, feeling lonely and exhausted, longing for someone’s company.” This is a multilingual song that includes Chinese, English, and Taiwanese Hokkien, and has conveyed the feelings of the individuals who moved northbound to Taipei.
Taipei Dreams
Although Ruth has only been residing in Taiwan for two years, she traveled back and forth between Singapore and Taiwan for eight years. Besides, she also sang demo tapes for Lin Jun Jie (林俊傑), Xian Zi (弦子), and others. As a music lover, she joined many singing competitions before. She unfortunately failed many times, but she still perseveres and her belief in herself is unwavering. “I still seize the day in the company of music, so that I won’t feel that lonely.”
Ruth travels back and forth between Singapore and Taiwan for eight years. (Photo / Authorized & Provided by Ruth Kueo)
“Too much disturbance and noise.” Ruth, 31, has devoted herself to making music for 10 years. She frankly said that she met people who don’t understand her on the journey of chasing her dreams, and she began to doubt if she could achieve her goals. “When I reached a certain age, friends around me started having children and I felt like we’re not as close as before,” Ruth said. “I also had doubts about myself while having a conversation with my friends.”
Not only that, after being the defending champion many times, the online comments brought by the exposure in the media are also a source of disturbance and noise. Facing these challenges, Ruth tried to tell herself that this has nothing to do with the essence of music, so don't get too distracted.
Set a record of 20 successive titles, became the champion of the singing show
In fact, Ruth had to overcome her mental barriers to joining contests again. Everything must start all over again, including looking for songs to practice, having limited song selection, dealing with the pressures of others’ expectations, etc. In the beginning, Ruth was very nervous and restrained when she stood on the stage again.
Ruth wins the championship of the popular singing show “Taiwan NO.1”. (Photo / Authorized & Provided by Ruth Kueo)
Fortunately, during the ten-month competition, she did not give up on herself or felt too relaxed. In the end, she defended her title for 20 consecutive weeks and won the championship of the popular singing show “Taiwan NO.1”.
Preparing for the competition each time, Ruth wasn’t afraid of not being able to defend her title and often challenged herself by singing songs in different genres and even in Taiwanese Hokkien. To be fully prepared, she would listen to the melody first and then use Pinyin to make it easier for her to memorize. After she got familiar with the singing, she passed the recording file to her friend – a music producer in Tainan to check.
“I make myself get up every morning, and it’s just like what I did to prepare for exams in school.” As a self-disciplined person, she tried to stop eating spicy food to protect her voice. Sometimes, she also rejected her friend’s invitation to go for a drink.
Kindness of Taiwanese
Ruth came to Taiwan for the round island trip in 2015 and met a proprietor of an izakaya in Taichung. In 2017, she returned to Taiwan to make her indie debut with subsidies from the Singapore government. Surprisingly, the proprietor arranged performance stages and assisted in Ruth’s music promotion on his own initiative. Besides, he also prepared all dishes shown on the menu for the band members to enjoy. “I only met him once, and it’s really impressive that he made an effort to help me that much.”
In addition, Ruth was also impressed by the friendliness of food stall owners when she traveled to Changhua last year. Her fans in Taiwan also showed their support by sending a carton of mangos or recommending Hokkien songs to her. For instance, Ricky Hsiao’s song “The Most Beautiful Flower” recommended by fans enabled her to win judges’ favor.
Future plan and dreams
Speaking of her dream, Ruth wants to integrate music into her life. “It would be a blessed life.” In the long run, she hopes to find a stronger sense of belonging in Taiwan as she has built connections with friends, and she likes the lifestyle here too. Moreover, she expressed her gratitude to friends in Taiwan for inviting her to have reunions during festivals, so that she wouldn’t feel lonely overseas.
During holidays, Ruth travel light with Taiwanese friends. (Photo / Authorized & Provided by Ruth Kueo)
In terms of music, Ruth plans to challenge herself by integrating more cultures into her songs as she grew up in a multicultural society – Singapore. “I want to add Malay in my songs too.”
Music is part of her life
Besides participating in competitions, Ruth also created a YouTube channel “Ruth’s good night songs” to share her singing voice, daily life, language and cultural differences, and light trips in Taiwan.
Ruth also created a YouTube channel “Ruth’s good night songs” to share her singing voice. (Photo / Authorized & Provided by Ruth Kueo)
To Ruth, music is already integrated into her life just like eating and drinking. She also mentioned that she has the most confidence whenever she is singing or talking about music. Lastly, she shared one of her mottos – “no matter what other people’s expectations are, no matter what the future holds, the most important thing is to be who you are!”
Readers are welcome to check Ruth Kueo’s Facebook, Instagram, Website, YouTube
