Uncle cool

Taiwan-born star singer Fei Xiang examines traditional gender roles in his latest song, I'll Be Your Man, he tells Xu Fan.

In a 2012 New Yorker magazine issue, he was tagged "the most handsome Chinese man I've ever seen". Kris Phillips, the 54-year-old Chinese-American singer and heartthrob of millions of Chinese women, however, appears to care less about his appearance and more about what he really has to say.

It is a bright autumn afternoon in a fashion photographer's studio, and Phillips - who is better known on the mainland by his Chinese name, Fei Xiang - expresses his appreciation of the crew after a grueling three-hour shoot, even though his eyes betray his fatigue.

"It's his style. He's always nice to every person he works with," says his assistant, Luo Qian, who refers to Fei by the nickname "Uncle Fei".

She says the Taiwan-born star has only 24 hours to promote his new song in Beijing, before flying to Shanghai for a related round of media interviews.

Phillips, who has been a household name since his mainland debut in 1987 during that year's CCTV Spring Festival gala, examines traditional gender roles in his latest song I'll Be Your Man.

The music video features a man and woman in a romantic drama, but it is revealed in the end that the two lead actors appear in reversed genders.

"Human beings are free to choose who they want to be, regardless of traditional expectations," says Phillips, adding that he was inspired by the song's lyrics - Whose body is this? Whose face? Who cares?

The philosophy in his song is also reflected in his general attitude.

Jokingly referring to himself as "an old man", Phillips tells China Daily: "Aging is a natural process. I'll do my best to look good, but I also want to look my age."

In an industry where aging is a taboo topic, Phillips' confidence springs from the belief that his fans, many of whom are in their 30s and 40s today, have come to admire him in a "mature way".

"The relationship between a celebrity and the audience is like a love affair," he says. "It starts with a period of intense infatuation, but over time it settles into a feeling of mutual regard and affection, much like that of an old married couple."

The Stanford-educated singer leads an intensely private life and rarely grants interviews.

Phillips, who was the first Taiwan-based singer to perform on the mainland via TV, made his journey to Beijing in 1987, when his mother was reunited with his grandmother here after four decades.

It was also a sensitive time in cross-Straits relations.

"I grew up in Taiwan and was constantly told that the mainland people were miserable and hopeless, but I found that wasn't true," he says.

His decision to cross the Straits was regarded as courageous by fans as many Taiwan stars at the time weren't willing to risk their careers over political issues.

"I knew what would happen if I chose to go to the mainland. Yes, it was a big gamble, but I have never looked back," he says.

Phillips' career in Taiwan was seemingly cut short as a result of his coming to the mainland as it was considered "an act of betrayal" in Taiwan at the time. But he found recognition on the mainland after his songs Winter Flame and Clouds Of My Homeland, presented at the CCTV gala, became instant hits.

Subsequently, his first album released on the mainland sold a staggering 20 million copies.

Very few were as successful as Phillips in the mainland pop music market back then. In 1990, his life took another turn when he moved to New York to pursue his professional development at musical theaters.

Starting again as a nobody in the United States, within a year of going there, he appeared in a Broadway production as a member in the core cast of Miss Saigon.

Phillips eventually became one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's designated soloists, touring the world with Sarah Brightman and Elaine Paige, and performing highlights from The Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar and Sunset Boulevard.

He says he doesn't regret his decision to go to Broadway, setting aside the fame and income from his pop music career in China.

"I was confident that my audience would remember me whenever I came back, and it was important for me to keep learning and improving as a performer," he says. "I wouldn't still be here if I didn't keep moving forward."

In a recent concert in eastern China's Jiangxi province, thousands of fans called out his name, with tears welling in their eyes.

Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 10/22/2014 page10)