Often referred to as ‘Asia’s number one girl band’, Taiwanese girl group S.H.E recently rocked the CotaiArena in June, wowing their fans on their Macau debut.

For those who missed their meteoric rise, S.H.E. formed via a reality TV show in 2000, have released ten albums, and toured internationally. The girls, Sabrina, Hebe and Ella (initials S, H and E, see what they did there?) believe their appeal centres on their obvious real friendship combined with their differing personalities. Feisty women identify with courageous Ella; those who are more girly can relate to gentle Sabrina; while multi-talented Hebe is the poster girl for anyone who’s crazy about music. They feel that this widens their appeal; Hebe stresses that they feel lucky to have a diverse fan base; “Crazy, calm, shy fans, fans who have plenty of lively imagination... no matter what kind of fans, we want to thank them for their support.”

The band’s first four albums met with success, but it was their huge hit ‘Super Star’ from their fifth album, which catapulted them into the international big time. Ringing out on mobiles around Asia throughout 2003, the catchy pop/rock song won four awards, including best song at the TVB8 awards in Hong Kong. Since then, the girls have won further accolades, notching up another five albums and six more awards for their 2007 hit ‘Don’t Wanna Grow Up’.

But of course, with such success comes strong competition from other girl groups such as ‘Walkie Talkie’, ‘7 Flowers’ and their main rivals, Hong Kong duo ‘Twins’. Do they feel under pressure? “Not really” Ella explains “We concentrate on being ourselves and doing our job well, the only thing that stresses us is the worry of not performing well enough, because we respect our fans, so we don't want to let down the people who come to our concerts.”

The girls have also ventured into a dizzying number of extra activities including acting, TV presenting, studying, product endorsement, and writing (Sabrina’s book on craft was published in 2006) However, when asked if they would permanently give up music the answer is a firm ‘absolutely not’. Do they instead see themselves moving forward with solo careers? “I hope one day when I become a mum, I can release an album for children”Sabrinaenthuses, while Hebe hopes“to have opportunities to try different music styles – like jazz, electronic rock, folk metal and so on.” Ella’s aim as to do all the production on an album of her own.

And what of their dreams for the distant future? Will the girls still be rocking at 80? While many of us might sit in the office dreaming of the pop star life, S.H.E.’s plans are a little more mundane “Other than music, we all have dream sideline jobs” they explain “Selina wants to run a boutique, selling little accessories made by herself; Hebe wants to learn floristry and have her own flower shop; and Ella wants to open a guest house in south Taiwan.” 

For now, S.H.E are concentrating on giving their fans great shows, such as the one held at The Venetian’s CotaiArena on June 20, and promise that they will continue to showcase the very best that Taiwanese pop has to offer.

Mel Coghlan

www.him.com.tw/artist/artist-mini-she.php