The 35th Golden Melody Awards will be held at the Taipei Arena on June 29th. This year’s ceremony will include a special segment dedicated to remembering CoCo Lee. It was announced on June 13th that CoCo Lee’s former good friend, Wang Leehom, will be performing as a guest at the event. However, this news has sparked criticism from many netizens who believe that the choice of performer is inappropriate.
The decision for Wang Leehom to be a guest performer was made after discussions between the Golden Melody Awards production team and CoCo Lee’s family.
Wang Leehom has known CoCo Lee for 30 years, and their friendship is well known. CoCo Lee’s family stated, “Leehom and CoCo both returned from the United States around the same time to develop their careers. They know and respect each other, and having Leehom perform is something that we believe CoCo would be deeply moved by.”
Wang Leehom expressed mixed emotions upon receiving the invitation, saying, “I am deeply honored to pay tribute to my dear friend CoCo on such an important stage. At the same time, thinking of her leaving us fills my heart with sadness.” This performance also marks Wang Leehom’s return to the Golden Melody Awards stage after many years.
However, in recent years, Wang Leehom’s public image suffered due to personal ethics issues. His ex-wife, Li Jinglei, accused him of infidelity, leading to a tarnished reputation. It was only last year when he resumed his concert tour and returned to the entertainment industry.
Regarding Wang Leehom being chosen as a guest performer to remember CoCo Lee, many netizens expressed their dissatisfaction on the official Golden Melody Awards Facebook page. Comments such as “Are you sure about this?”, “Is this a whitewashing event? There are many other artists to choose from,” and “Isn’t Elva Hsiao a more suitable choice? Why pick Wang Leehom?” were prevalent.
One netizen, “Accomplishing Nothing,” stated, “The Golden Melody Awards should carefully evaluate this decision. It’s not something that can be easily accepted based on discussions between the production team and CoCo Lee’s family.” They believe that there could have been a more suitable choice to pay tribute to CoCo Lee.
On the other hand, there were netizens who expressed positive expectations, saying, “Can’t wait!,” “Go Leehom, wish you all the best!,” “This is hilarious! When CoCo Lee’s family agrees and supports it, what are these outsiders fussing about? There’s no need for others to feel offended on behalf of someone else!,” and “Looking forward to Wang Leehom’s performance!”