Controversy Erupts After A Blind Singer Performs With His Back To The Audience
Netizens have been engaged in some heated discussions after Ricky Hsiao, a famous blind singer in Taiwan, performed on stage with his back turned toward the audience.
Ricky was born with cataracts. Although he gained some eyesight through surgery when he was a child, he became completely blind during his teenage years.
Ricky made his debut in 2002 as a singer-songwriter. His song, “You’re My Eyes,” gained immense popularity and is still well-known by the general public two decades later.
Recently, a clip of Ricky performing at a university with his back turned toward the audience went viral. In the video, the singer can be seen facing the backdrop while singing, seemingly with no idea that he’s not facing the audience.
@qwpiiiii 今天去看偶像唱歌 沒想到連看都不看我一眼😆 #蕭煌奇
The clip was reposted on various social media platforms and attracted the attention of thousands of netizens. Some netizens provided a serious take on the situation.
- “Someone needs to be there to help him recognize the right direction! This is inhumane.”
- “If the assistant rushes onto the stage mid-performance, the singer could get scared, and the performance could be disrupted (stopped).“
- “Actually, I’m blind as well. When I’m singing, I focus on my emotions and whether I’m singing accurately. There are things we can’t express, and we can’t tell which way faces the audience. We focus on what we need to focus on. Sorry.“
On the other hand, there were netizens who made jokes about the situation, with some suggesting that the singer did it on purpose. Ricky had joked about his condition previously and is known for being a bit of a prankster.
- “Someone mistakenly placed him backward, that’s all.“
- “What if he forgets his lyrics, is there a teleprompter for him to read?“
- “He’s been really humorous lately.“
- “Must have been done on purpose.“
As netizens continued commenting on the incident, Ricky provided his own thoughts and explained what really happened.
Thank you for all the attention and support for my performance.
Let me tell you what happened that day. On that day, my assistant took me up to the stage and brought me to stand in the correct position. However, the university students were so enthusiastic that their voices filled the whole venue.
So I made the wrong call, thought there were students on all four sides, and performed accordingly. I caused a misunderstanding. The staff didn’t do anything wrong; my ears heard wrong. It goes to show that the students really went crazy cheering that day, and they misled my ears.
After singing the first song, my assistant came up and told me the audience was only at the front and not on the other sides. The venue was too small, and all the noises filled up the entire venue, so I ended up performing the way I did. This is what happened. I hope everyone understands my answer. I’ll be more careful for my next performance and ask before going up on the stage.
– Ricky Hsiao
Besides explaining the situation, Ricky also expressed his gratitude, despite what happened.
Thank you for being so concerned. Please continue to support my music and my songs. I’ll do my best to perform.
Also, please give the biggest encouragement to my staff and assistant. Thank you, everyone.
Have a happy May 20 [Valentine’s Day equivalent]. I love you.
– Ricky Hsiao
