Fans sending off their idols at airports have always been part of the fan culture.
While some celebrities are against it as it could result in disruption to airport operations, there are others who treat it as a small runway for them to see and be seen, and the amount of fans present represents their popularity.
But does popularity also determine their treatment and welfare behind the scenes?
Former Taiwanese singer Toro (Kuo Wei-Yun), who was from the boy band Energy, was recently invited to band mate Milk’s (Nick Yeh) podcast BiggerBoss. Apart from discussing investments in the entertainment industry, he also reminisced on some hilarious memories.
“Do we understand how much the company invests in us at that point in time? I think we only know how to make requests,” said the 42-year-old, who commented on the high costs of investing in a boy band.
He spoke about an interesting experience that they had at Changi Airport during their heyday. Besides Toro and Milk, Energy also included Ady (Edy Hsiao), Chang Shu-Wei and Hsieh Kun-Da.
Toro shared: “I remember we were at the airport in Singapore and met Vanness Wu of F4, and we greeted each other although we were not familiar.”
Energy debuted in 2002, while F4 — comprising Jerry Yan, Vic Chou, Ken Chu and Vanness — debuted in 2001.
He added that they felt a bit elated then.
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“I thought we were super famous because we had hundreds of fans sending us off and Vanness only had two, quite weak. I thought we had won then,” he said.
However, things took a turn when they boarded the same plane.
He shared: “I remember the five of us were in economy class. Vanness came and said, ‘Oh, you are sitting here?’ and went into business class.”
Toro added that after returning to Taiwan, they gave feedback to their management company, comparing their popularity to their treatment.
He also recounted another occasion relating to meals while they were recording their albums.
Toro shared: “When we recorded our first and second album, we had bento meals. One day when we were recording our third album, I remember I was hungry, so I waited near the lift doors for our meal to arrive.”
He added that when the lift door opened, he saw a service staff pushing a cart with a silver lid and a bottle of red wine. Toro ran back to the recording studio immediately.
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“I told Kun-Da, ‘We made it. We would never have bento again from this day on. I saw a meal cart from a five-star hotel coming in our direction.’ We were so happy,” Toro said.
He waited for the cart in their studio and was excited to see it pushed towards him — and past him to the next room.
“I went to check the sign next door and realised that A-mei was recording there,” he said, laughing together with Milk, 44.
Toro left Energy in 2003 due to management disputes and joined another boy band Typhoon, which disbanded in 2006. He established his own company Toro Production in 2008 and debuted rock band Overdose.
Milk left Energy in 2005 to focus on his dance career and formed his own artiste management company later.
In April, all five members performed at Mayday’s concert in Kaohsiung and Milk posted photos of them on Facebook in June, sparking discussions of their comeback.
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