Chinese pop band "The Flowers" or "Hua'er" are back in the
spotlight after a video emerged on a web site apparently showing
members fighting in a Beijing restaurant.
The video was shot last week and features lead Da Zhang Wei and a
second member, Star Daily reported on Thursday citing a netizen who
claimed they shot the footage.
The incident took place in a small restaurant, where the netizen
and his girlfriend were eating dinner, near Chaoyang park.
What began as loud talking descended into a fight when lyricist
Zhang Wei beat a band member and also another man who tried to stop
the quarrel, the report said.
EMI, the band's label, admitted the dispute, claiming that it
was all because they had different views on their newest music
album.
A senior official from the record company, Zhang Yi, said the
band had been working on a new album and the quarrel began as Da
Zhang Wei and fellow band member Xiao Yu expressed differences on
its sound.
After being involved in a plagiarizing scandal last year, the
band feel very pressured during the recording, Zhang added.
Some netizens have questioned if the blurred video is actually a
stunt promoting the upcoming album due out in autumn, but EMI's
Zhang Yi said they were too busy to do so.
The band were involved in one of the biggest scandals in
Mandarin pop history last year after they were accused of
plagiarizing 12 songs from overseas and China, including their hit,
Xishuashua.
(CRI.cn June 15, 2007)