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From Left to Right: Ashin, Guan You, Monster, Masa, and Stone

Mayday (Chinese: 五月天 Wǔ Yuè Tīan)is one of Taiwan's most famous bands and one of the most popular bands in the Sinophone world. A Taiwanese rock band that was formed in the Late-1990's, members consist of Ashin (Lead Vocals), Monster (Lead Guitarist and Band Leader), Stone (Rhythm Guitarist), Masa (Bass), and Guan You (Drums).

Originally performing under the name "So Band", the band was formed during their High School years with Ashin, Monster, and Qian You Da who was the first drummer. They were eventually joined by Masa and Stone at the same school. During these years, they were active in the burgeoning Taiwanese Rock scene.

Songs incorporate themes ranging from the literary (Sun Wukong), to the fictional (Superman and Mickey Mouse), to capturing the sentiments of the youth. Most of their songs are in Mandarin with a number of songs sung in Taiwanese Hokkien. In recent years, they've also released Japanese covers of their songs.

Members:

  • Ashin(阿信): Lead vocalist of the band. Claims he was selected as the lead singer because he was the worst instrumentalist of the five of them. Originally the sole songwriter and composer of the band until the fifth album.
  • Monster(怪獸): Lead guitarist and Band Leader. Composer for a number of songs, including Mickey Mouse and Sun Wukong.
  • Stone(石頭): Rhythm guitarist
  • Masa(瑪莎): Bass Guitarist
  • Guan You(冠佑): Drummer. The fourth drummer of the band, joining shortly before the release of the first studio album.

Studio Discography

  • Mayday's First Album(五月天第一張創作專輯)(1999)
  • Viva Love(愛情萬歲)(2000)
  • People Life, Ocean Wild(人生海海)(2001)
  • Time Machine(時光機)(2003)
  • All God's Children Can Dance(神的孩子都在跳舞)(2004)
  • Born to Love(為愛而生)(2006)
  • Poetry of the Day After(後青春期的詩)(2008)
  • The Second Round(第二人生)(2011)
  • History of Tomorrow(自傳)(2016)

This band contains examples of:

  • Album Title Drop: In the album "History of Tomorrow"(自傳), none of the songs are actually share the name with the album itself. However, a lyric in the song "What if We Had Never Met" references the title as the song talks about one's life story.
  • Audience Participation Song: Many of the songs are turned into this in concerts, pausing to allow the audience a chance to sing the song.
  • Be Yourself: Stubbornness(倔強), which talks about firmly being yourself even when you're different from other people.
  • Concept Album: They released two versions of their album “The Second Round"(第二人生)("Tomorrow" and "Right Now is Forever") based on the theme of the world ending in 2012. Based on song order, each album can either be seen as pessimistic or optimistic.
  • Everyone Went to School Together: Ashin, Monster, Stone and Masa were studying in the same high school when they formed So Band in 1995.
  • Long Runner Lineup: Type 2. The band has the same line-up since 1999, when current drummer Guan You joined.
  • Ode to Youth: "Cheers"(乾杯), reminiscing about the youth that has past
  • Pep-Talk Song: OAOA(Right Now is forever), a song about embracing struggles and bitterness in addition to the purity of love.
  • Spiritual Successor: Among other influences, they've been open about their inspiration from The Beatles. They have even expressed the ambition to become "The Beatles of the Chinese-Speaking World", most notably in the aptly named song "John Lennon".

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