Going gaga over Gaga

A nightclub in Beijing held a Lady Gaga imitation competition last weekend that drew hundreds of "Gagas" dancing to Poker Face and Bad Romance. It marked the culmination of a series of events that show the American pop craze's growing influence on Chinese showbiz.

Shang Wenjie, winner of the talent show Happy Girl 2006, who released her album Time Lady in mid-October, appears in it with a UFO-like hairstyle and pink eyeshades, in drastic contrast to her innocent image of earlier years.

Last month, Shang held a concert at the Forbidden City Concert Hall and wowed the audience with her feather hats, silver masks and a pair of 10-cm high-heeled shoes.

Ignoring criticism that hers was a bad Gaga imitation, Shang appeared to enjoy the show. She said in an interview with Netease that Lady Gaga was her idol, and she didn't care a hoot what anyone said about her looks.

On Nov 6, singer Sun Yue was quite the attraction at Guo Pei's fashion show at the National Stadium. Although there were many stars, Sun stole the show with her vintage sunglasses, gray, over-sized Balmain coat with copper buttons and a pair of tight leather trousers.

Sun walked the red carpet poker-faced, just like Gaga does in her music video Poker Face. The media was quick to dub her the second "Fake Gaga" after Shang.

Meanwhile, as actress Zhao Wei began promoting her new film Hua Mulan, a series of her Gaga-look photos were widely circulated online. In one of them, Zhao sports a Gaga-like, Minnie-Mouse hairstyle and her signature hand-in-front-of-mouth gesture. The only difference? Zhao's hair is black and messy, while Gaga's is golden and smooth.

Netizens commented that while Gaga appeared sexy and tough, Zhao came across as innocent.

Gillian Chung, member of the Hong Kong pop duet Twins, showed up at her friend's birthday party on Nov 22, with her hair dyed golden, and tied into a butterfly knot. Chung told the media that she was wearing a Gaga look to entertain people.

Earlier on, performer Stefanie Sun threw a concert on Aug 8 at which she wore a golden dress decorated with metal pieces and a white dress shaped like a gourd - in an imitation of Gaga's dresses.

Male singers too seem to have taken to the iconic singer. When funky band The Flowers held a farewell concert on Nov 14 at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing, vocalist Zhang Wei put on a green frog costume, which Gaga wore in an interview with a German television channel. Zhang kneeled down and danced just like Gaga does in Poker Face.

More Gaga imitators mean more individualistic and creative local performers, says Zeng Pengyu, executive editor-in-chief of the Culture and Entertainment Section of Beijing Youth Daily.

"Traditionally, the Chinese showbiz industry has expected entertainers to dress and speak properly, but with the Internet's development, more weird cultures, like Gaga's, have come in. Local entertainers have learnt from it quickly and become more individualized and creative," Zeng says.

Bo Ning, Shang Wenjie's manager, admits that the singer's new image is aimed at showing Shang's rebelliousness.

"Showbiz had become too boring we wanted to create something modern. Shang was a white-collar worker but became a performer. She did not want to compromise with the present situation and so went for the Gaga look," Bo says.

Some local performance agencies are now trying to get Lady Gaga to Beijing for a concert next year.

Keep your fingers crossed, and watch this space!