WEAR a revealing top? No problem for pop princess Rainie Yang.
But just don’t make her wear leggings, she toldTheNewPaper in a recent interview. Here last weekend to promote her upcoming concert, the 26-year-old Taiwanese described her unusual fashion don’ts.
“I’m okay if I have to wear an outfit that reveals half of my breasts,”Yang said with a straight face. “But I absolutely dislike showing my legs, and that includes wearing leggings. I’m uncomfortable if people can see the shape of my legs...I’m not confident of them.”
She’s also fine wearing cropped tops, she said, because she is proud of her well-defined abs. Yang, who entered showbiz as part of the girl group 4 In Love in 2000, found fame on her own after she co-hosted the popular Taiwanese variety show, Guess Guess Guess, with Jacky Wu and A-Ya in 2002.
But she hit the heights of fame only in 2005 when she acted in the idol drama Devil Beside You.
The drama’s theme song Ambivalence, which she sang, became a huge hit in Asia. Yang released a Japanese version of the song earlier this year.
She followed up with other hit songs like Door To Anywhere and Out Of Oxygen, and cutesy roles in more idol dramas like Why Why Love, To Get Her, Miss No Good and Hi My Sweetheart.
Because her dramas are such a big hit with fans here, the singer added that she’ll perform a medley of theme songs from her dramas especially for her concert here later this month.
Staying tough
She also promises a visual spectacle, in line with the Chinese name for her concert, which translates as fantastical.
Her costumes include a dress with a long pink wig and another dress with an acrylic chandelier attached to it.
Of the latter, she said: “The dress is so heavy that it requires three men to carry it. “It’s difficult to have to carry the weight and sing at the same time, but I do forget how heavy it is during the performance.” She isn’t sure exactly how heavy the dress is, but puts it at more than 10kg.
And for someone who doesn’t have even one short skirt in her personal wardrobe, she added that she’s pushing her limits when it comes to her performance outfits.
She is actually showing her legs at her concerts now.
All in the name of the performance. For her show here, she told us she has to wear a skirt so short that most of her thighs are revealed. “I also have to execute gymnastic moves and my skirt will fly up. It’s a big step forward for me,” she confessed.
“One day, I hope I’ll dare myself to wear a body suit on stage.”
There’s another problem: she can’t tape the costumes to her skin, like female stars often do, to prevent any wardrobe malfunctions. That’s because she wants to keep the pace of the concert tight and will have less than two minutes to change out of her costumes.
It leaves her no time to tape the garments, she said.
Even though she worries about her clothes slipping, Yang added that once she’s on stage, she’s only intent on getting the job done quickly. Her costume designer also bought pretty bras for her to wear so that if her top slips, her innerwear will look like it’s supposed to match the costume.
Does she have to stick to some sartorial restrictions too,we asked?
After all, she’s labelled the Princess of Cutesy in Taiwanese pop.
To that, she replied us: “That title was given to me about five years ago. It’s not a name I gave myself. So it will not affect or stop me from doing what I want to do.”
Indeed, it felt like the star has outgrown her cute babydoll image. Throughout our entire interview, she was quiet and subdued, a far cry from the ditzy and cheery Yang we saw on TV when she still hosted variety shows.
Does she still feel the need to be cute then? “I think every girl has her cute side at whatever age, just that they show it in certain situations only,” said the singer.
“I’m cute when I’m with my family and close friends, but when I’m working, I’m mature.
“People think I’ve changed but I think I’m normal and what a 26-year-old should be. Some days I’m sexy, other days I’m cute or mature.”
She added she’s not a “safe” and predictable person because she can do many different things.
On the day of this interview though, she said she felt plump. She admitted she had indulged in too much seafood at the food centre at Newton Circus the night before.
Her food jaunt has derailed her plans to lose weight before her concert here, but she added she isn’t too worried.
The concert rehearsals will burn off a lot of energy, she said.
She also has to practise for her gymnastics segment, so much so that her muscles ache and her legs are now bruised. Said Yang with a shudder: “I’ve been busy filming my new drama (Sunshine Angel opposite idol singer/actor Wu Chun) and now I have 15 days to practise doing splits in high heels. It’s so tough.”
WHAT: Rainie Yang World Tour 2010
WHERE: Singapore Indoor Stadium
WHEN: Oct 16, 8pm TICKETS: $178, $148, $118, $88 available from Sistic at 6348 5555 or www.sistic.com.sg
This article was first published in The New Paper.
