China concert organisers rejected Jocie Guo Mei Mei because of her name
Singaporean singer Jocie Guo Mei Mei, known for her hit songs “Mouse Loves Rice” (Lao Shu Ai Da Mi) and “No More Panic” (Bu Pa Bu Pa) from the mid-2000s, once had plans to make it in China.
But she was thwarted by something she had little control over – an internet celebrity with the same name and a string of scandals.
As “No More Panic”, the title song of her debut album, was such a hit in mainland China, Guo signed on to a Chinese management company and sought to perform actively there.
Unfortunately, her plans hit a snag when she was mistaken for Chinese internet celebrity Guo Meimei, who flaunted and lied about her wealth while using the term “Red Cross” in her title without being associated with the actual Red Cross Society.
The Chinese Guo was also jailed over organising illegal betting sessions and implied to have traded sexual favours to fund her extravagant lifestyle.
“Once, Chinese concert organisers didn’t want anything to do with this name. I’m not her, but they still told me, ‘You have this name, so we cannot have you perform’. So okay lor, what can I do?” the 35-year-old Jocie said in an interview with the press.
“I was still recovering then, so I just let her ‘take over’ with that name while I healed from my operation,” she added with a laugh.
Jocie underwent an operation to remove a blood cyst which formed in her uterus due to endometriosis, a condition she was diagnosed with in 2011. (Endometriosis is a painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus grows outside of it instead.)
But despite all the problems caused by being mistaken for China’s Guo, Jocie vehemently rejected the idea of changing her stage name, saying she “loves this name so much”.
The singer marked her return to the music scene after a six-year hiatus because of her condition on 23 March, performing a medley of five songs from her latest album during a “veranda live” session at dal.komm COFFEE, and also celebrated her birthday at the event.
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