Chinese band Mayday based on the island of Taiwan livestream a concert Photo: Courtesy of TME Live
Shanghai authorities have concluded their investigation into allegations of lip-syncing and pre-recorded performances during concerts held by pop band Mayday in November 2023, saying they found no evidence to support such claims across all eight Shanghai concerts by the Taiwan band, according to a report by the state broadcaster CCTV on Sunday.
The announcement comes after months of speculation and controversy surrounding the authenticity of Mayday's performances. In November, the renowned band held eight consecutive concerts in Shanghai. Subsequently, a blogger released videos claiming that, after using professional software for analysis, nearly half of the audio from 12 songs performed at the November 16 Mayday concert in Shanghai were lip-synced.
This sparked a public outcry regarding allegations of lip-syncing surrounding Mayday, prompting Shanghai authorities to investigate the case. Mayday's management company denied the allegations on China's X-like platform Sina Weibo in December, labeling them as "malicious attacks" and "rumors." They also stated they were cooperating with the authorities' investigation.
In accordance with relevant regulations, authorities define lip-syncing as the "use of pre-recorded songs or music to replace live performances during the concerts." However, after analysis of the audio and video data of the performance that they obtained, and consultations with experts, local authorities concluded that Mayday's performances did not violate these regulations.
On April 24, Mayday announced plans to hold 10 concerts at the National Stadium in Beijing, which reignited discussions surrounding the unresolved investigation into allegations, which had been ongoing for nearly five months.
The news of the concerts quickly became a trending topic online, sparking debates among netizens. Questions arose as to why the Beijing concerts could proceed despite the lack of resolution regarding the investigation in Shanghai.
On April 25, when the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper inquired into the status of Mayday's lip-syncing investigation, staff members from the enforcement team of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism stated that “the assessment was still ongoing.”
Meanwhile, when approached for comment about the upcoming Beijing concerts, representatives from Beijing's relevant departments said that personnel would be deployed to oversee the events.
Global Times
URL: https://www.seeglobalnews.com/read-3613.html
