Taipei: Singer-songwriter Waa Wei claimed her second Golden Melody Award on Saturday, emerging victorious in the competition for best female Mandarin singer. Wei was nominated in the tightly contested category for her 2024 album “Ordeal by Pearls,” which she described as a reflection on bittersweet heartbreaks and the realization that “pain and beauty often go hand in hand.”

According to Focus Taiwan, despite the album’s title, it is not about punishment; rather, it aims to convey that “some courage and warmth are discovered in pain,” Wei said after accepting the award. She added that the hardest part of making music is not perfect pitch or timing, but staying persistent through moments of self-doubt.

She expressed gratitude to the GMA organizers, her music collaborators, and her fans, as well as the babysitters and neighbors who cared for her son, allowing her to attend the ceremony. The album features a kaleidoscope of music styles, from the grunge opener “Baroque Pearl” to the dream pop of “AI” and the retro electronica of “Rose Is Not A Rose Is Not A Rose Is Not A Rose.”

A prominent member of Taiwan’s indie music scene, Wei began her music career in the early 2000s as lead singer of the indie band Natural Q. She left the band in 2006 and started pursuing a solo career the following year. Wei’s songs are at times lighthearted and humorous, and other times wistful and poignant. She won her first GMA in 2020 for best female Mandarin singer with her album “Hidden, Not Forgotten.”