The finals of the Golden Melody Awards took place from 6pm on May 6 in the Student Activity Center. After four hours of intense competition Lu Kuang-chung (sophomore, Electrical Engineering) emerged as the biggest winner, bagging three prizes for best solo singing, best original music, and best arrangement.

The contest opened with hot dance by spice girls of the Guitar Club; their skimpy dresses and expressive body language created a sensation among the audience, who shrieked with laughter. Lu Kuang-chung sang “Fluttering Heart” by the pop singer Tao Che, perfectly imitating the singer’s voice. Lu’s excellent singing skills and beautiful voice won him thunderous applause. Yet he was very modest: “When I heard that I was the winner, I was overjoyed, as if I was dreaming.”

The prize for the best quartet went to Tien Yi-che (senior, Mass Communication), Tsai Sheng-shin (senior, Information Engineering), Wu Cheng-yuan (senior, Aerospace Engineering), and Liao Kuan-deng (postgraduate, Computer Science). Their unique performance style had already impressed the audience during the first round of competition. In the final they were equally outstanding. Many spectators commented on their unique voices and their innovative style of singing quartet. Tien Yi-che had also won the best quartet last year.

Chen Po-wei won the second place for original music, his second of this award. His song “Their Guilt?” highlighted how the media distorted the truth and how the society fell into turmoil. A devoted music lover and songwriter, Chen hoped to work in the music business in the future. Winner of the third place for original music, Chen Jiun-bin plays in a band and often tours with his band members. Although he had not expected to win any prize, he was still delighted that the judges liked his “How I Want to Go Back to Kindergarten”, a song about his nostalgia for childhood.

The youngest winner was Jiang Po-chen (freshman, Information and Communication), who won the second place for solo singing. Because of her skills in singing, she is known as the “music wonder girl” in the department of Information and Communication. She said: “I will participate in this contest again and hope to win the first prize.” (~ Hui-chuan Wang )