On a rain-soaked evening of May 3 that felt almost cinematic, legendary Taiwan singer Tsai Chin returned to the stage of Strawberry Music Festival after an eight-year absence, bringing with her waves of nostalgia, reverence, and a deeply personal announcement: she will retire from the music industry by the end of next year.
"Friends in Dongguan (Guangdong province), hello! I am the genuine Tsai Chin," the 68-year-old singer told a crowd that spanned generations. "Seeing you tonight is deeply moving. I have already decided: by the end of next year, Tsai Chin will bid farewell to the stage."
The audience, mostly young festival-goers, sang along to nine of her hits, creating a moment suspended between memory and music. When she performed Tender as You as the final song, emotion swept across the venue, a testament to the enduring power of her artistry.
Later, Tsai reflected on the announcement in a social media post, offering a rare insight into the mind of a performer preparing for her farewell. "Next year will mark the 48th year I have held a microphone," she wrote. "I've thought about this for a long time. I should thank my audience and say goodbye under the best possible circumstances."
Recalling the youthful crowd at the festival, she added: "That day, the audience was very young; I thought they might not know me, yet they stayed in the rain and listened until the final song. It had been eight years since my last festival appearance. Meeting again was rare and deeply touching, so I told everyone I would sing until the end of next year before leaving the music scene."
Looking back on her decades-long career, Tsai reflected on what she owes her fans: "After so many years, having performed for four generations and with concerts nearly always sold out, I shouldn't leave quietly or announce at the very last song that it's my final show. That would feel unfair to my audience. I want to say goodbye properly, farewell after farewell, meeting my audience in person, and thanking them from the bottom of my heart."
Even her 2025 tour, titled No Farewell, had been, in her view, a kind of farewell concert. "After the shows, people didn't realize it, but that was exactly the atmosphere I wanted. I didn't want to leave behind only sadness. I wanted people to feel fulfilled, comforted, and moved after listening. That is the kind of farewell concert I wanted."
For Shen Lihui, founder of Modern Sky, the organizer of the Strawberry Music Festival, Tsai has always been "the coolest diva of the Chinese-language music scene".
Her career has spanned decades and genres: from her early days as a campus folk singer to founding one of Taiwan's first independent labels; from hosting a popular radio program to studying musical theater on Broadway in New York. Throughout it all, Tsai has remained steadfast in her mission to preserve the classics of Mandarin music while continually reinventing herself.
When she first performed at the Strawberry Music Festival in 2018 at the age of 60, Tsai told the crowd, "Today I want to be a newcomer." Her performance, filled with humor, warmth and audience interaction alongside beloved classics, proved that her music transcends generations.
