Huawei 鈥榩rincess鈥 sees her music debut backfire
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Annabel Yao, the youngest daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, on Monday released her first single 鈥淏ackfire鈥 but her showbiz debut quickly backfired amid criticism over lack of talent and privileged background.
The 23-year-old dropped her song days after a self-promotional documentary announced her foray into the entertainment industry. The 17-minute film was released last week by Beijing TH Entertainment Co, the label that signed her, and has been met with ridicule and scorn online with many saying that Yao鈥檚 showbiz endeavor has only been made possible because of her family鈥檚 wealth.
The documentary presents the aspiring star as a 鈥渞ule-breaking princess鈥 and royalty is a common thread in the singer鈥檚 publicity materials and her debut single. In a poster that accompanied the track, Yao is photographed seated with a crown under one foot, while one line in the lyrics says 鈥淪uch a princess, don鈥檛 make me man up.鈥
But Yao insists that her wealth hasn鈥檛 made her life easier than others.
鈥淚 never saw myself as a princess,鈥 she said in the documentary, which shows her preparations ahead of the debut and touches on her childhood and family life.
鈥淛ust like most people my age, I needed to put a lot of effort into studying to get into a good school. Yao attended Harvard University and has a degree in computer science.
鈥淚 also felt lost after college, but I kept trying different things before I found what I was passionate about.鈥
The song debuted to mixed reactions. It amassed more than 130,000 likes since Monday. But it also drew criticism, with many saying she lacks voice and moves.
鈥淗er singing and dancing abilities are not enough to make her a star,鈥 said one Weibo user.
鈥淏ased on your talent, was it possible for you to become an artist without your family background?鈥 asked another.
鈥淐hina is a socialist country led by the working class based on an alliance of workers and farmers. There are no princesses,鈥 a third stated.
Others however expressed opposition to attempts to discredit Yao because of her family鈥檚 fortune and pointed out that many big names in the entertainment industry rely on strong family support.
Yao is Ren鈥檚 daughter from his second marriage, and her stepping into the spotlight comes at a time when her half-sister and Huawei鈥檚 Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou is under house arrest in Canada in an extradition case that has been underway since 2018.
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