Overview
Initially formed under the name “So Band”, Mayday rose from Affiliated Senior High School. The band members, Ashin and Chian Yu-ta were classmates, and having similar passion for music, they decided to form a band in 1995. Later on, Stone and Masa joined in as well, who also belonged to the same school. However, once they were done with their studies, their paths diverged and they went to different universities. This didn’t fade their passion for music and after graduating, they got together from where they had left off, initially performing at pubs.
Soon, the band became an important part of growing Taiwan’s rock music scene. The band changed its title from “So Band” to its now famous, “Mayday” in 1997, based on the online nickname used by Masa when he participated in a music festival. After a long struggle of passing on their demo tape to several labels, their talents were finally recognized by Rock Records. Following that, Mayday got busy working on their debut album.
Mayday’s Success Story
The band’s debut album came out in June of 1999 and was, even to the members’ own surprise, a grand hit. It managed to sell around 300,000 copies, which was quite shocking for Taiwan’s receding music industry. The same year, they were nominated for a Golden Melody Award in the category of “Best Band” and they also held their very first large-scale concert, which sold out with 10,000 recorded attendance. The following year, they released their sophomore album titled “Viva Love”, this time around gaining even more commercial success than before. This album went on to sell 350,000 copies.
Singing for a Purpose
Mayday has been able to find great success as people can easily relate to their music. They have become a sensation among the Asians. However, their fame isn’t restricted to the region as their sold out shows across the US and UK are evidence that their fan base goes far and beyond Asia. Like majority of the rock bands of the day, the band’s music doesn’t revolve around emo-ish, aggressive themes.
Their music has endless energy and gives positive vibes. The band has labeled The Beatles as their idols and believes in playing music to serve a cause. Their cause is for their music to pass on the message of positivity to the world. They want people to know that the world is a good place to live in. Apart from that, many of their songs revolve around the themes of social injustice and war. All of this passion is portrayed to its maximum when the five men embark the stage for a live performance.