Then, thanks to her producer, the late singer-songwriter Chang Yu-sheng, A Mei became a star after releasing her debut album, Red Passion, in 1996.

Her second album, Bad Boy, continued to firm her position as one of the most popular female singers in Taiwan.

In 1997, Chang died in a car accident.

Calling Chang her mentor, A Mei dedicated a song, titled Ting Ni Ting Wo, to Chang at her Utopia 2.0 Carnival concert in August. The concert was part of her tour which will conclude in Shanghai on Dec 31.

A Mei, who has a wide vocal range, released her 12th album, under her name Amit in 2009, hoping to create a new identity.

So far, the singer has released two albums and done two world tours as Amit.

Speaking about the "re-invention", she says: "For fans, I am best known for my love ballads. But I wanted to try something different."

So far, she has tried rock and electronic music as Amit.

chennan@chinadailly.com.cn