Top 5 nominees for Taiwan Golden Melody Awards

The 20th Taiwan Golden Melody Awards has announced its nominations for this year. The event will take place next month, so in today's Count Down, we take a look at five of the nominees who are the most likely to grab prizes at the Chinese-language Grammys.

No.5: Lee-Hom Wang

American Chinese singer and songwriter Lee-Hom Wang has won the Golden Melody Awards four times. He is highly recognized in the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and throughout Southeast Asia. He coined the term "chinked-out" to describe his music, which is heavily influenced by traditional Chinese music. This time, he was nominated in the categories of Best Mandarin male singer, as well as the Best Single.

No.4: Khalil Fong

American-born and Hong Kong-based soul singer/songwriter Khalil Fong was nominated for three awards at the Golden Melody Awards this year. He will be vying for the trophies of the Best Mandarin Male Singer, Best Composer, and Best Music Arrangement. Khalil released his first album "Soul Boy" in 2005. Previously, he has won a number of awards, including a silver award for New Male Artist at Commercial Radio.

No.3: Eason Chan

Hong Kong singer Eason Chan has been praised by critics and fellow musicians alike as one of the top singers of his generation. Since the very beginning of his career, Eason has been one of the favorites to lead the new generation of Cantopop. He has been described as a breath of fresh air in the Hong Kong music scene. Over the last ten years, Eason Chan has been a frequent winner of Asia's music awards. This year, he is up for Best Mandarin Album and Best Mandarin Male Singer.

No.2: May Day

Taiwan's rock band May Day was nominated for Best Band and Best Song of the Year. The five-member band was formed in the late 1990s, and officially came to be known as May Day in 1997. They have gone on to sell more than one-million albums. Vocalist Ah-Xin was also nominated for the Best Lyrics Writer prize at this year's Golden Melody Awards.

No.1: Jay Chou

The powerful and unstoppable Jay Chou was nominated for six awards this year, including Best Song of the Year, Best Mandarin Album, Best Mandarin Male Singer, Best Composer, Best Lyrics Writer, and Best Album Producer. The Taiwan singer and songwriter is known for his combination of Chinese and Western music styles to produce songs that fuse R&B, rock, and pop genres. Jay has released one album per year since 2000, selling several million copies each. His music has gained recognition throughout Asia, winning more than 20 awards each year.