'I started out in Taiwan': Stefanie Sun makes emotional concert return

Singapore pop diva Stefanie Sun made an emotional return to the Taiwan stage on Aug 16.

It was where she made her debut 25 years ago and a place filled with memories for her.

Her two sold-out concerts at Kaohsiung Arena were part of her Aut Nihilo tour, her first headline gigs on the island in 11 years.

On the first night, the 47-year-old made several references to her time in Taiwan, tearing up twice as she walked down memory lane.

As she started on the opening lines of The Moment, she suddenly stopped to wipe away her tears and let the fans take over the singing for a while.

The song was from her 2003 compilation album of the same name. It was released shortly before she made the difficult decision to take a one-year break from the music industry, even as she was enjoying immense success.

Sun was overcome with emotion once more in a segment where she acknowledged some of her old industry partners who had been with her at the start of her career.

"I started out in Taiwan. Many of my old colleagues and friends who share these deep connections with me are here today," she said onstage, choking back tears.

"I've never said this before. Thank you for walking this journey with me, I miss those days dearly."

Here are some other highlights from a show that evoked strong feelings of nostalgia, both for her and her fans.

1. Reason for Kaohsiung venue

Many fans had hoped that Sun would mark her Taiwan comeback by performing in the capital Taipei, where she used to be based. But as The Straits Times previously reported, the Taipei Arena venue has been in such high demand that her team's bid for a spot was unsuccessful.

Still, Sun made the most of her debut in Kaohsiung Arena, and spoke of how the southern Taiwanese city was also of personal significance.

"It's here that I won the Golden Melody Award for Best Newcomer, and the Golden Melody Award for Best Female Singer," she said. "We met many times back then, although now we may be a little older."

2. Taiwanese celeb friends

Some of Sun's Taiwanese celebrity friends showed up - in voice messages, at least. Pop star Jolin Tsai and singer-songwriter Wu Ching-feng shared fond memories of their long-time friendships with Sun in audio recordings.

"In my eyes, Stefanie Sun is someone who dares to be herself and is very straightforward," Tsai said.

She added that she often spent time with Sun in Singapore when she flew to the Lion City for her own recording sessions.

"Her smile is so powerful and instantly draws anyone in. I find her very approachable."

Wu let on that Sun, on top of being kind and genuine, has a surprising "hip-hop soul" in her.

"One time when I was singing karaoke with Stefanie Sun, a hip-hop song suddenly came on. I was still wondering who had requested it when she suddenly started rapping wildly," he said.

3. Bonus KTV song

Like Sun's comeback shows held earlier in Singapore, the Kaohsiung concert featured a mock karaoke session where audience members were given the chance to request two songs from a list.

However, Sun decided to sing a third track as a bonus. The same song - Sculpted Eyebrow - was requested twice earlier but had failed to be picked as it did not get the loudest cheers from the crowd.

"This is a gift for you," she said, before leading the audience on a mass sing-along of the song. The gift was well appreciated.