"Diva Godmother" A-Mei storms into Thailand — singing in Thai and performing with ladyboys at Songkran

▲ A-Mei is heading to Thailand to perform during Songkran Festival ! (Left photo / VISION THAI; Right photo / Provided by Tourism Authority of Thailand)

Reported by Lin Yuling / Comprehensive report

The annual Songkran Festival is highly anticipated, and superstar A-Mei (阿妹) is set to hold a concert tour stop in Bangkok on April 16. Dubbed the “Godmother of the LGBTQ+ community,” she has also included ladyboy shows, muscular hunks, nail dances, and peacock dances in her performance list, and plans to learn a Thai song to embrace the local culture. It’s reported that the Thai organizers were not initially aware of A-Mei’s prominence in the Chinese music scene, but after watching her performance videos, they immediately said, “We definitely have to do this!” The concert is expected to draw a large crowd of LGBTQ+ fans from across Asia.

A-Mei will be holding her Utopia World Tour, with the “Bangkok stop” specially scheduled during Thailand’s traditional New Year — the Songkran Festival. On April 16, the concert will take place at the Royal Paragon Hall on the 5th floor of Siam Paragon Mall in Bangkok. Fans will not only get to enjoy A-Mei’s amazing performance but also experience the fun of Songkran.

The Thai Songkran Festival takes place from April 13 to 15 and is also the country’s traditional New Year. The Thai word “Songkran” originates from the Sanskrit word meaning “passage,” signifying the transition into a new astrological phase and the start of a new year. For Thai people, Songkran is the most joyful traditional New Year festival of the year. Many city dwellers return to their hometowns to reunite with family and celebrate. In the hottest month of April, people pray for good luck in the coming year. Young people splash water on each other to collect blessings for the year ahead. Getting drenched doesn’t cause offense — instead, it’s seen as festive fun, because water symbolizes blessings and helps beat the heat.

Although A-Mei has never experienced Songkran herself, she has traveled to Thailand many times. This will be her first concert tour in the country, and she has decided to embrace local customs by incorporating several “Thai-style” elements into her show, including muscular hunks, ladyboy performances, nail dances, and peacock dances — all traditional acts under consideration. She has also learned some Thai greetings and a Thai song, showing great sincerity. Many fans reacted to the concert news by exclaiming, “I have to go!” “Please, is there a fan tour group? We want to sign up!!!” Fans from Malaysia and Cambodia are also asking, “When are you coming?” The event is expected to attract a large number of LGBTQ+ travelers from the Chinese-speaking world.

▲ Songkran Festival attracts travelers from all over the world every year ! (Photo / Provided by Tourism Authority of Thailand)