Pop band denies lip-syncing allegations as investigation commences

Mayday, a pop-rock band in China's Taiwan region, has refuted accusations of lip-syncing during their recent tour in Shanghai. 

They released a statement through their management company on Monday, saying the accusations on the internet were "malicious attacks," and the band has been cooperating with local authorities in the investigation. 

Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism has confirmed that they have acquired audio and video footage of the band's contested live performances in November, and will inform the public about the result of the probe.

Reports and posts about this scandal have reached the top of the "most-searched" list on Chinese social media platform Weibo and garnered significant attention among the band's 4.8 million followers. Social media analytics indicate that the controversy surrounding Mayday's performances has dominated China's entertainment headlines in the past week.

The controversy ignited following Mayday's November 16 live concert in Shanghai, where some fans questioned the authenticity of the vocals of the lead singer Chen Hsin-hung, known as Ashin. Lip-syncing has long been considered unethical by audiences.

The controversy gained momentum following a video uploaded to Bilibili.com on November 30, showcasing software analysis of audio recordings from the concert. The analysis revealed that the vocalist's performance was extremely precise in five songs but exhibited inconsistencies in others.

The video's uploader, known as "Maitian Nongfu" (farmer in a wheat field), asserted that Ashin lip-synced to pre-recorded vocals in the songs where the voice was "too accurate to be a live performance." The video amassed over 1.8 million views on the website, accompanied by nearly 14,000 comments.

On December 1, a Weibo user named "Shenglixue" claimed to have reported the potential lip-syncing incident to China's largest consumer rights organization, the China Consumers Association (CCA).

The China Association of Performing Arts (CAPA) informed domestic media that they were closely monitoring the situation. CAPA has regulations prohibiting members from deceiving audiences through "fake-singing" or "fake-playing."

Chinese government regulations mirror CAPA's stance. Deceptive practices such as fake singing can result in fines ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 yuan ($7,000 to $14,000). Individuals knowingly facilitating such behavior may also face penalties.

But the fine could be too little compared to the potential revenue of the live tour. Mayday had eight concerts during their Shanghai tour in November, with the tickets priced between 355 and 1,855 yuan ($50-262), with 360,000 people attending the concerts, according to a CMG report.