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Jane Zhang Liangying's no plain Jane

By Han Bingbin and Qin Zhongwei (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-22 09:13

But there is still some distance between what the public wants and what Zhang wants and this song falls by the wayside in favor of more upbeat, conventional hits in the same compilation.

"Hopefully, I can contribute more of my own thoughts to the making of future albums," she says with more than a hint of wistfulness

It is a measure of the singer's maturity and patience that she is prepared to wait for what she really wants to do. She knows full well, for now, that her immediate task is to cement her popularity.

One of the hardest lessons for Zhang was to reconcile the sexuality in her voice with her image on stage. Over the years, she has argued with designers over stage costumes that she thought were too sexy - although even this resistance has faded recently.

For her world tour, Zhang is ready to present a revamped wardrobe and revamped choreography, a signal that she is ready to shed her old image and move on.

"Sexiness is just a performance on stage, it has no real relation to my inner self," she says.

For her followers, it is a harder reconciliation. Many remember Zhang in a pink qipao (traditional Chinese dress) demurely singing the love songs of the 1980s. Now they see her in sophisticated costumes making even more sophisticated dance moves. Which is the real Jane?

Zhang has a ready reply, possibly crafted after much heart-searching.

"Many years from now, what you will remember of me are ultimately the songs. My plan for now is just simply to sing my best," she says.

She may be right. Already she has proven that a super diva in the making needs talent, courage and most of all, the brains to plot a successful career and an enduring place in the music industry.