Tacky and world-class: Hsieh Jin yen, Taiwan EDM, and the reinvigoration of tai

Working in a context where Tai’s inferior connotations were being replaced by postmodern identities and new cultural economies, opened up the meanings and practices of tai. Tsai Eva verbal inventiveness and use of the vernacular allow her to articulate “tacky” with “world-class, " thereby generating new cultural resonances. The albums followed a producer-led process, which resulted in standard dance pop songs that fit an existing format. Kuang-ping Hsieh’s smart, polished presentation in this period proposes a very different idea of femininity in Taiyu pop. The move to dance music genres gave Hsieh a unique place in the Taiyu pop industry. The hybrid and cosmopolitan sounds in Hsieh’s Taiyu pop albums of first period were informed by border-crossing creative networks and engagement with global and regional music styles. From the presentation of a feminine persona to the particular aesthetics of Taiyu lyrics, the musical and cultural character of Hsieh’s albums from 2002 to 2010 is a product of the producer-led.