TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tanya Chua (蔡健雅) won four major awards at the Golden Melody Awards (GMA) on Saturday night (July 2), while veteran Chinese rocker Cui Jian (崔健) was named best male Mandarin singer.

After 17 years, GMA — Asia's version of the Grammys — returned to south Taiwan and announced its winners at Kaohsiung Arena. The Taipei-based, Singaporean singer Chua was nominated for eight categories and won half of them.

She was honored as best female Mandarin singer, while her album “Depart” won three major awards: Album of the Year, Best Mandarin Album, and Best Vocal Album.

The diva said she was ready for a big, ugly cry because there was a period of time when she had just started her music career in Taiwan that she wanted to give it all up. Winning her first GMA trophy in 2016 inspired her to carry on, she said.

Chua said she recorded “Depart" in a room with a guitar because she wanted to deliver something pure and simple amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “We will survive and be better,” she shouted out to her fans and her mother who was sitting in the audience.

Lauded as the father of Chinese rock, Beijing-based Cui Jian was named Best Mandarin Male Singer for his seventh album, “A Flying Dog.” He is the first Chinese musician to receive this particular GMA award.

Barbie Hsu’s (徐熙媛) new husband Koo Jun-yup, aka DJ Koo, surprised the audience when he presented the Song of the Year award for, “Oh Love, You Are Much Greater Than I Imagined,” performed by EggPlantEgg.

The Best New Artist award went to Collage, founded in 2019 by vocalist Natsuko Lariyod and guitarist Hunter Wang (王家權). Heavy metal band Flesh Juicer was judged to be the Best Band.

Meanwhile, 31-year-old rapper Xiong Xin-kuan (熊信寬), aka "Bear," was named Best Lyricist for his tune “88BARS.” It was his first time to receive a nomination.

For the full list of winners and more information, visit the GMA website or Facebook page.