Michael Tao’s Viral Off-Key Performance Bags Him Internet Popularity Award; His First Award In 29 Years
Last year, former TVB actor Michael Tao's off-key performance of Andy Lau's hit song 'Dao Zhuan Di Qiu' at an event in China went viral.
For some reason, his popularity skyrocketed after that fiasco, so much so that the 59-year-old even won an internet celebrity popularity award at a ceremony organised by Hong Kong entertainment company AEG Promotion Limited.
It also just happened to be his first award in 29 years.
Michael at the award ceremony
So how does Michael feel about the win?
"This is really a huge surprise. I hope [I] won't have to wait too long for the next one. This award taught me that no matter what you're doing, the most important thing is to be happy."
He continued: "I want to thank the netizens who voted for me, as well as those who mocked me initially but learned to accept me later on."
And now that there's a resurgence in Michael's popularity, has he received a lot of acting offers?
Well, no.
According to Michael, he doesn't know why his acting jobs have dried up. It's also why he started singing.
Michael in upcoming drama Forensic JD
But for those who've been longing to see Michael on your screens again, here's something you can look forward to: his upcoming drama Forensic JD, which also stars Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung.
Michael, who's back in Hong Kong to spend time with his mother, shared that it was the early days of the pandemic when they started filming the drama, and they "were constantly travelling from Hong Kong to Malaysia to film."
When the lockdown happened, they had to stop production for about eight to 10 months.
"In the end we did the remaining scenes in a studio in Hong Kong and we couldn't even remember the plot. Now that the show is finally airing after three to four years, I'm very happy and excited to see the end product," said Michael.
Michael performing Andy Lau's 'Dao Zhuan Di Qiu' at an event
As for Michael's singing, does he plan to release new music?
According to Michael, he had already "given [his] all" in his previous performance and needs more time to think about what he can do next.
So he must have earned big bucks since going viral, right?
Sadly, the actor said that's not the case.
"The pandemic affected [my income] a lot, I'm already very happy to have jobs. My workload has decreased a lot, hopefully when the restrictions are relaxed, I can go out and make more money," he shared.
Photos: sinchew, The Standard
Watch Michael’s viral performance below:
