Singer songwriter Emil Wakin Chau is one of the four tutors on Sing My Song. Photo: Courtesy of Sing My Song

The Singaporean singer Ling Kai was well known to many on the Internet. In 2008, Ling shot to fame when her original song "Larkin Step" garnered millions of hits on YouTube, and on music sites such as yinyuetai.com she has a loyal and solid fan base.

Recently more Chinese audiences were given a chance to recognize her talent thanks to a new music reality show. Still in the simple outfit that she wore in her YouTube videos, and still wearing her canvas shoes, she has taken to the stage on Sing My Song on China Central Television (CCTV).

The Voice of China's record breaking viewing figures created a nationwide craze, and the program discovered many amazing singers such as Jike Junyi, Wu Mochou and Li Daimo, who took the level of singing on reality TV shows to new heights.

While other programs look to find ways to produce similar shows, the production team behind The Voice of China decided to shift their targets - instead of producing big stars, they focused on finding new songs created by talented musicians. The pay off came in a brand new music reality show, Sing My Song, which began airing on CCTV on January 3.

Ambitious plan



When Ling auditioned for the second season of The Voice of China, the director told her that she would be perfect for the new program instead.

"I never thought there would actually be a program like this, so I was keen to join it," said Ling. "I hope more people will listen to my songs."

The idea of making a program about talented songwriters had been bandied about while the team were still producing The Voice of China. Director Jin Lei reckons that creativity is the driving force behind the music industry. "We have been waiting for a program like this for 10 years. You could even say the two seasons of The Voice of China were just a warm up for this," he said.

Four famous singer-composer tutors are also crucial in making the program. Liu Huan and Yang Kun, two influential singers in the Chinese mainland are joined by Tanya Chua from Singapore and Emil Wakin Chau from Taiwan.

Stories of singers



For Liu Huan, the idea behind the TV program is in accordance with his values. As a musician he has dedicated himself to finding and supporting other talented people who are unknown to the public.

Ling is one of the impressive contestants on the program. Taking to the stage Ling sang a self-penned song called "Yigeren" (one person), which touched a large group of people.

When she got her first guitar at the age of 17 she immersed herself in the world of music, and during her college years she sang in clubs. Following this a music company helped her release an EP, but it did not sell well. Now however, her music is known by a wide audience.   

This is not just a show about singers, but a show about musicians, and Ling is not the only one who follows her dreams of stardom. Although only two episodes of Sing My Song have been aired so far, the program will continue on Chinese TV screens for another three months. As Ling has shown talent can take a person a long way, many more amazing musicians will surely be unearthed during the course of the coming months.