September 25, 2012
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"If you believe, then you can do it." - David Tao
On Sunday night, I found out that the father of my favourite singer, David Tao, passed away. I was overwhelmed with sadness. I suppressed my grief and went to bed, but last night, I was hit with the cold hard facts, and I found it extremely difficult to ignore.
Those who have known me since secondary school would know how obsessed I am with David Tao. I don't talk about it often, neither do I have giant posters of him plastered on my bedroom wall, but this man has impacted my life greatly. Honestly, I don't even know what kind of a person I would be if it weren't for him. It might seem silly, ridiculous even, to give so much credit to someone who doesn't even know I exist. But the fact is this, his music has helped me and touched me in ways I never thought possible.
For those who don't know, David Tao is an American-Chinese singer from Taiwan. He used to be a hit songwriter, writing for many veteran Chinese singers, before he released his own album in 1997. He is known to have brought the R&B genre of music into the Chinese music industry, thus being known as the Godfather of Chinese R&B.
When I entered secondary school, I was lost. I could not get used to the transition, and I found myself mixing with the wrong company. I got into some trouble in school because of that, and caused quite a bit of grief with my parents. I did not get along with my mother, fighting with her every other day because I thought she didn't know what I was 'going through'. When I entered secondary 2, I came across David Tao. At that time, he had just released his 3rd studio album 'Black Tangerine', which was a major hoo-ha back then because he had a 3-year hiatus.
'Black Tangerine' spoke to me like a beam of light. David Tao wrote that album mainly as a response to the September 11 attacks. It was an attack on his home and he felt strongly about it. I eventually bought that album, one of the very first Chinese albums I have ever bought in my entire life. When I went home and listened to that album, I remembered searching the Chinese dictionary because I wanted to understand the lyrics, and my grasp of the language at that time was not very good. When I finally understood the words, I broke down in tears. His songs spoke about hope, faith, and most importantly love. I realised how stupid and immature I was living in self-pity and thinking that the world revolved around me.David Tao brought me back to church. His songs made me want to become a better person. I mended my relationship with God, as well as my mother. I left my bad company and found new friends. I wanted to improve. David Tao also gave me a passion for film. I have been to every single one of his concerts in Singapore, and I own every single one of his albums. His views on Christianity, life, love and hope has changed me for the better.
Needless to say, David Tao has a special place in my heart. I am confidently and firmly admit that he is my idol - someone I want to emulate, and someone who inspires me deeply.
I know how much David Tao loves his father. And Uncle Tao is an amazing man. Apart from being a singer/songwriter, he also created children's programmes and used to be an animator at Walt Disney in America. He is a loving father and a doting husband. I have seen his numerous interviews and his sense of humour is so inspiring. He has brought up a wonderful son in every way and form. I respect Uncle Tao, and I am so sad that he is no longer here.
Most of all, I feel pain because I cannot imagine what David Tao might be going through right now.... losing his father. I wish I could somehow be there for him. I know this sounds so silly, and I can't really articulate how I feel either.
Rest in peace, Uncle Tao. You were an incredible person. And I know you've done all that you could on earth, so now you're back where you belong, in heaven with God.
RIP Uncle Tao.
