The world of polished Mandopop, with its carefully crafted personas and pristine love songs, never quite reflected who Tia Lee truly was. For years, she played the part—first as one-third of pop group Dream Girls, then as a rising solo star navigating an industry where image often mattered more than the message.
But in December 2022, she shattered that illusion with her song "Goodbye Princess", a cyberpunk farewell anthem to everything she once was. The gown, the fairytale, the girl the world expected her to be—she discarded them—at least according to the lyrics.
“Goodbye Princess is my attempt to tell my personal journey through music and visual art,” she explains. “This song was inspired by my past experiences, growth, and vision for the future.”
That vision broke all records and has now amassed over 174 million views on YouTube alone. The song became a movement, launching the #EmpowerHer campaign for women’s rights organisations worldwide. In an industry where artists build empires of influence for self-expression or business, Tia Lee is doing something more—using hers to uplift, challenge, and inspire.
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The Unexpected Path to Stardom
Long before she was breaking records in C-pop, Tia was a teenager in New Taipei City, dreaming of a career in modelling. Music wasn’t part of the plan. That changed when she entered a singing competition, altering the course of her life.
“When I first started out, I just wanted to be a model and didn’t have any plans to explore other fields,” she recalls. “Later, I developed an interest in music and singing. Although the process was quite frustrating, the experience motivated me to put in more effort and try harder in singing and music.”
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Her big break came in 2011 as part of Dream Girls, a Taiwanese girl group known for its infectious pop melodies and polished performances. Songs like "I’m Your Dream Girl" and "Don’t Stop the Music" made them industry darlings, but for Tia, the experience felt restrictive. She was part of something big, but she wasn’t fully herself.
“After the group disbanded, apart from exploring acting, I still hoped to continue challenging myself in music creation,” she says. The problem? Reinvention is never easy.
Going Solo
It was 2016 and breaking away brought new hurdles. Tia faced the pressures, mentally, physically and emotionally of proving herself as an individual artist.
“I kept improving myself by taking dance classes every day, scheduling singing practice, writing lyrics, and learning English,” she says. These challenges became the foundation for her growth, shaping her into an artist who values authenticity and perseverance.
That same year, she released "Not Good Enough", a ballad drenched in heartbreak and self-doubt. The lyrics read like a confession, questioning her worthiness and grappling with rejection. It hinted at an artist trying to find her place, a reflection of the person she was searching to be.
In that period, she starred in several acting roles. She played Yeh Hsin in the 2016 thriller film The Perfect Girl, showcasing her ability to tackle psychologically complex characters. In 2017, she acted as Jojo Lin Chun-jiao in the Taiwanese drama Jojo’s World, cementing her versatility in television. Her most recent major role came in 2019, when she played Fei, an optimistic free spirit, in the romantic musical road movie One Headlight.
In between, she kept up pursuing the musical track and worked on what would be her biggest hit yet.
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Then, in December 2022, she launched Goodbye Princess, a project that smashed the mould of traditional C-pop releases. Instead of a standard music video rollout, Tia unveiled an elaborate six-part animated pre-release series. It was an ambitious move that blurred the lines between music, visual art, and storytelling.
Each animation depicted a different phase of her transformation, reinterpreting classic princess narratives and subverting fairytale tropes. The final music video—produced by the avant-garde Los Angeles-based studio Actual Objects—pulled these themes into a futuristic, cyberpunk-inspired world.
The song itself, produced by Grammy-winning producer Swizz Beatz was rife with lyrics like, “farewell to my gown and fairytale” and “goodbye... throwing away my princess ways.”
It signalled her departure from an image she no longer identifies with, embracing a new chapter of strength, and authenticity. That was when Tia Lee, the artist, became Tia Lee the changemaker.
Goodbye Princess, Hello Changemaker
The song became the foundation for something bigger—namely the #EmpowerHer campaign, a global initiative aimed at supporting women’s independence and self-actualisation.
“What resonated with me most during the creative process was the realisation that women often must endure the impact of societal judgment,” she says. “However, with the strength within ourselves and the support and encouragement we give each other, we can overcome these biases.”
For Lee, fashion was another form of empowerment—an avenue to challenge stereotypes and break barriers. Her presence at numerous fashion weeks signalled her entry into the global fashion scene—not just as an observer, but as a muse.
Julien Macdonald, known for his high-octane glamour, personally selected Tia to wear a couture lace dress and cape from his fall/winter 2023 collection, long before its official debut. Beyond the runway, she became a fixture in fashion media, gracing multiple covers and becoming one of the most widely featured Asian artists in fashion publications in 2023.
These efforts raised her profile and electrified her advocacy. The #EmpowerHerDance challenge went viral on TikTok, reaching 158 million followers worldwide. More than just another dance trend, it played a crucial role in the fundraising mechanism of the #EmpowerHer campaign—with donations pledged each time the Goodbye Princess music video hit new view count milestones.
Since its launch, #EmpowerHer has raised over HKD3.8 million (about S$660,390) for women’s rights organisations—such as Beats By Girlz, Women in Music, Daughters of Tomorrow, and Teen’s Key—extending its impact far beyond the digital space.
Tia envisions a world where women are no longer bound by expectations, and she’s using fashion, music, and philanthropy to create those spaces. “I hope the #EmpowerHer initiative can continue to help more women around the world build confidence and create better opportunities for themselves,” she says. “I also hope that women should not be confined by societal limitations.”
Her transformation—from Mandopop idol to changemaker—proves that sometimes, saying goodbye is the most powerful thing a woman can do.
Photographer KARL LAM
Stylist CAMILLA LEE
Hairstylist LI JIASU
Make-Up Artist LEE HSIAO WEN
Producer KAREN T
Photography Assistant JOHN YAN & NELSON NG
Make-Up Artist's Assistant YEN