Mixed responses follow Little Apple at AMA

China's song Little Apple by duo Chopsticks Brothers win the award for international song of the year at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, Nov 23, 2014. Chopsticks Brothers consists of director Xiao Yang and musician Wang Taili. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's Internet singing sensation Chopsticks Brothers won the international song of the year award at the American Music Awards on Nov 24.

After South Korea's Psy, whose performed Gangnam Style two years ago, Chopsticks Brothers is the second musicial group from Asia to perform on the stage of AMA.

Fans and YouKu, who introduced Chopsticks Brothers to the world, were celebrating. On the contrary, many are skeptical about the entire event.

Did they lip-sync?

Many internet users criticized Chopsticks Brothers for lip-synching at the AMAs and called it a "shame."

Xiao Yang, a member of Chopsticks Brothers, did not deny the rumor.

"Little Apple is a dance number so we must dance and sing at the same time. If we did it live, we would run out of breath, as we are not professional singers."

"Our dancing skills are limited and the moves were changed quite a lot in the rehearsals to fit the timing schedules of the show. So we decided it's better to lip-sync," Wang said.

Still an event worth celebrating

The duo performed the song not during the live broadcast but during the commercials. They also didn't receive their awards onstage and instead got them backstage when they finished performing.

"Even if it's a fill-in performance during the commercials, and even if they did not receive their awards in front of the audience, this is still the first time for Chinese musicians to attend the AMA, and that's exciting," reviewer Liang Huan said.

Criticisms and praises

User FanKe: "Old Boy, another song by Chopsticks Brothers, had more content and resonated with listeners. Where is that resonance in Little Apple?"

Music reviewer Qiu Yu: "Going international is definitely progress, but I hope they don't aim for instant success before creating excellence. Winning awards abroad cannot compare to winning the hearts of listeners for 10, or 20 years. If such songs continue to go abroad, it is a disaster for music."

User YuanZhe: "I support them. If Gangnam Style can, why can't Little Apple?"