Singer season 8

Singer 2020
Company type	Television program season
Industry	Entertainment, Television
Founded	February 7, 2020; 6 years ago
Founder	Hunan Television
Key people	Hong Tao (producer), Kubert Leung (music director), Jam Hsiao (host, replaced mid-season by Eliza Liang), He Jiong (finale host)
Products	Singing competition television series
Parent	Hunan Television

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Singer season 8, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 10 August 2025

The eighth installment of the Chinese television program Singer was broadcast on Hunan Television from February through April 2020. Overseen by producer Hong Tao with Kubert Leung as music director, this season debuted on February 7, 2020, following a recording session held on January 3. Known as Year of the Hits (歌手:當打之年), it marked the second occasion to feature returning participants, though it notably omitted any return performances during the competition.

Hua Chenyu, a contestant from season six, claimed victory, becoming the first returning singer to win the title. The runners-up were Tia Ray and Jam Hsiao, both having previously competed in season five, finishing second and third respectively. Significantly, no new singers who began the competition advanced to the final stage. Ray’s second-place achievement represented the highest finish ever attained by a singer who progressed via the Breakout round, surpassing former finalists such as Aska Yang and Gary Chaw.

Although the program was officially announced to conclude in September 2020, Mango TV revealed in November 2023 that after nearly four years off-air, the series would resume.

Competition rules

The contest preserves its structure of five rounds divided into two phases—Qualifier and Knockout—where seven singers perform weekly before an audience of 500 members. Electronic voting, which became a permanent feature starting from season seven, permits up to three votes per performance and accounts for half of the final score. Combined scores from both weeks decide eliminations; however, separate tallies for paper and electronic votes are no longer published.

This season reverted to the pre-season three format by eliminating Challenge rounds and introducing a Surprise round akin to Substituted singers. At the onset of each Qualifier round, three new contestants join alongside managers. Behind the scenes, current singers observe performances and may secretly activate a lever to issue a challenge, unknown to other contestants until after the performance concludes. An immediate electronic vote follows the challenger’s act to disclose results instantly. Surprise challenges can extend over several episodes but must occur within the ongoing elimination round. If at least one challenger succeeds, one existing contestant is removed at the end of the Knockout round; if multiple challengers prevail, a re-vote determines which challenger replaces the eliminated singer, while all successful challengers secure entry into the Breakout round. Should no challengers succeed, all seven incumbents remain safe. In the final round, Challengers are limited to two with no re-votes permitted; successful challengers advance directly while eliminations proceed normally. Comparable twists apply during Breakout and Grand Finals rounds where duel losers are eliminated regardless of overall outcomes.

Under its subtitle Year of the Hits, this edition focuses on emerging talent aged between 18 and 35 years. Contestants face no limitations on song choices and may perform original compositions or works by other songwriters.

Postponement of premiere and COVID-19 pandemic

Filming commenced on January 3, 2020, with an initial premiere date set for January 10 but postponed to January 31 to avoid overlap with Chinese New Year festivities. On January 29, Mango TV further delayed the premiere to February 7 due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak and halted production indefinitely.

Following completion of the first Knockout round, performers returned to their respective home cities—including Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo—to record their acts remotely through "cloud recording." Host Jam Hsiao was replaced by his manager Eliza Liang for the remainder of this season. Only surprise singers, the studio band, and host Hong Tao remained present onsite. Performances were either pre-recorded or live-streamed remotely; results were announced via video conferencing.

Production resumed on February 17 with staggered filming schedules and without a live audience; instead, voting was conducted by a virtual audience of 500 members through Mango TV’s livestream platform. Mao Buyi’s anticipated return performance was canceled—marking a first where eliminated contestants did not perform again. Mainland Chinese singers returned to studio recordings by the third Knockout round while others continued remote participation until season conclusion.

The finale on April 24 saw a return of live audiences under strict health protocols. Host He Jiong revealed that out of 500 attendees, 251 underwent DNA testing and health screenings before admission; remaining participants joined virtually. Most episodes aired later than scheduled due to extended news coverage by Xinwen Lianbo.

Contestants

Below is an alphabetical list of participants in Singer 2020. Contestants without a final ranking are considered finalists, while those who exited the competition voluntarily are indicated as withdrawn.

Key:

– Champion

– Second place

– Third place

– Other finalists

– Eliminated (ineligible for Breakouts)

Participants in surprise challenges were matched with temporary musical collaborators—Jeffery G during rounds 2 and 3, or Kuo Tao in rounds 4 or 5. If no partner was assigned, the Music Partner column displays N/A.

New singers

This section includes successful Surprise Challengers alongside other qualified contestants.

Contestant	Country	Music Partner	Status	Week Entered	Week Exited	Result
Template:Sort cell	Japan	Template:Sort cell^{[lower-alpha 1]}	Initial Singer	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell
Template:Sort cell	China	Template:Sort cell^{[lower-alpha 2]}	Initial Singer	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell
Template:Sort cell	China	N/A	Surprise Challenger	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell
Template:Sort cell	China	Template:Sort cell	Initial Singer	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell
Template:Sort cell	China	Template:Sort cell	Surprise Challenger	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell
Template:Sort cell	China	N/A	Surprise Challenger	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell
Template:Sort cell	China	N/A	Surprise Challenger	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell
Template:Sort cell	China	Shen Mengchen	Surprise Challenger	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cellWeek9(Qualifier round5) Week12(Finals)	Template:Sort cell4th Place
{ {sort cell	LJ	Life Journey }}	China	N/A	Surprise Challenger	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell

Returning Performers

This season includes four artists rejoining from earlier I Am a Singer editions, each entering as Initial singers.

Performer	Nation	Musical Collaborator	Past IAaS Achievement	Week Joined	Week Departed	Final Standing
Template:Sort cell	Taiwan	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell	Week 1 (Qualifier Round 1)	Week 12 (Finals)	Template:Sort cell
Template:Sort cell^{[lower-alpha 3]}	Taiwan	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell^{[lower-alpha 3]}	Week 1 (Qualifier Round 1)	Week 12 (Finals)	Template:Sort cell
Template:Sort cell	China	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell	Week 1 (Qualifier Round 1) Week 11 (Breakout Round)	Week 8 (Knockout Round 4) Week 12 (Finals)	Template:Sort cell
Template:Sort cell	China	Template:Sort cell	Template:Sort cell	Week 1 (Qualifier Round 1)	Week 12 (Finals)	Template:Sort cell

Guest Performers

Several vocalists appeared exclusively during their designated Surprise Challenge episodes, exiting immediately upon defeat and thus were not eligible for the breakout stages.

Performer	Nation	Musical Collaborator	Week Joined/Departed
Template:Sort cell	Malaysia	Template:Sort cell	Week 1 (Qualifier Round 1)
Template:Sort cell	China	Template:Sort cell	Week 2 (Knockout Round 1)
Template:Sort cell	China	N/A	Week3 (Qualifier Round2)
Template:Sort cell	China	N/A	Week3 (Qualifier Round2)
Template:Sort cell	China	N/A	Week4 (Knockout Round2)
Template:Sort cell	China	N/A	Week5 (Qualifier Round3)
Template:Sort cell	China	N/A	Week7 (Qualifier Round4)
Template:Sort cell	China	N/A	Week10 (Knockout Round5)

Competition Outcomes

First Place	Safe	Bottom Group	Eliminated	Surprise Challenger	Surprise Challenge Winner
Surprise Challenge Passed	Surprise Challenge Failed	Breakout Passed	Breakout Failed	Champion	Runner-up

	rowspan="4" width="30"	Performer	Broadcast Dates (2020)		7 Feb	14 Feb	21 Feb	28 Feb	6 Mar	13 Mar	20 Mar	27 Mar	3 Apr	10 Apr	17 Apr	24 Apr			Round One		Round Two		Round Three		Round Four		Round Five		Breakouts	Finals			Qualifying	Knockout	Qualifying	Knockout	Qualifying	Knockout	Qualifying	Knockout	Qualifying	Knockout	First Round	Second Round
1	[[Singer2018/Template:Color:black/S6]] Hua Chenyu		style ="background:blue;color:white"\|1	style ="background:blue;color:white"\|1	style ="background:pink;color:black"\|2	style ="background:pink;color:black"\|3	style ="background:blue;color:white"\|1	style ="background:pink;color:black"\|5	style ="background:pink;color:black"\|6	style ="background:pink;color:black"\|3	style ="background:pink;color:black"\|2	style ="background:blue;color:white"\|1	style ="background:pink;color:black"\|—	style ="background:blue;color:white"\|1	style ="background:lime;color:black"\|1														Breakouts

Qualifier

Recorded on: January 3, 2020
Broadcast on: February 7, 2020

This episode marked the debut of Surprise Challengers Jeryl Lee and Huang Xiaoyun.

1 || Zhou Shen || Enti Jin || "大鱼" || Charlie Zhou || Yi Yue || Qian Ray || Baby Chung || Second Place 2 || Tia Ray || Wang Qiao || "我爱" || Tia Ray || Malay, Trey Cambell, Tia Ray, Li Cong || Malay, Trey Cambell, Tia Ray || Michael Ning, Julian Waterfall Pollack || Sixth Place 3 || Jeryl Lee || Wei Yan || "I Wanna Be Free" || Jeryl Lee || Hurng-Yi Wang || — || Dennis Lau || Surprise Challenge Lost 4 || Mao Buyi || JZ Zhou || "借”|| Mao Buyi || — || — || Daridan || Seventh Place 5|| Huang Xiaoyun|| Kuo Tao|| "History of Tomorrow"|少年他的奇幻漂流|| Mayday|| Ashin|| Stone|| Nick Pyo|| Surprise Challenge Won 6|| Lala Hsu|| Leo Li|| "一样的月光"/ "城里的月光"|| Lala Hsu / Jam Hsiao / Mavis Hee|| — / Tan Kah Beng|| — / Tan Kah Beng|| Steven Lai|| Fifth Place 7|| Misia|| Huang Tingting|| "Just Ballade逢いたくていま (Missing You Now)" (Japanese)|| Misia|| —|| —|| Jun Sasaki|| Third Place 8|| Jam Hsiao|| Eliza Liang|| "皮囊"|| Jam Hsiao|| —|| —|| Ah Huo, Presto'C|| Fourth Place 9|| Hua Chenyu|| Li Weijia|| "寒鸦少年"|| Hua Chenyu|| Ding Yanxue|| Hua Chenyu|| Zheng Nan, Hua Chenyu|| First Place

" colspan=9 " Singer 2020 Qualifier Round One February 7, 2020 Host: Jam Hsiao

Knockout

Recorded on: January 10, 2020
Broadcast on: February 14, 2020

Lexie Liu joined as a Surprise Challenger this round. Following Huang Xiaoyun's prior challenge success, one contestant faced elimination this episode.

1|| Tia Ray || Wang Qiao || "不亏不欠" || Tia Ray || Cheung Cho Kiu || Khris Riddick-Tynes, Leon Thomas III, Debbie Aramide || Huang Yun Xun, Zhang Yiyu || Third Place 2|| Misia || Hao Tan || "Love Letter (Miyuki Nakajima album)銀の龍の背に乗って(Ride on the Silver Dragon's Back)" (Japanese) / "最初的梦想" 3|| Mao Buyi || JZ Zhou || "一荤一素" 4|| Zhou Shen || Enti Jin || "在水一方"/ "愿得一心人" 5|| Lala Hsu || Leo Li || "对的时间点"/ "遇见" 6|| Hua Chenyu || Li Weijia || "斗牛" 7|| Lexie Liu || Jeffery G || "Manta" 8|| Jam Hsiao || Eliza Liang || "那女孩对我说"

" colspan=9 " Singer 2020 Knockout Round One February 14, 2020 Host: Jam Hsiao
	Miyuki Nakajima / FanFan / Daryl Yao	Nick Pyo	Fourth Place
	Mao Buyi	Zhao Zhao	Seventh Place
	Kang Lui / Charlie Zhou	Chiung Yao / Yi Yue	Baby Chung, Yiyang	Fifth Place
	JJ Lin / Stefanie Sun	Xiaohan / Kevin Yi	Howe Chen, Tian Ya Xin	Sixth Place
	Hua Chenyu	Pei Yu	Hua Chenyu	Zheng Nan, Hua Chenyu	First Place
	Lexie Liu	Lexie Liu et al.	Surprise Challenge Lost
	Rachel Liang, Yida Huang	Kevin Yi	Lee Shih Shiong	Ludwig Lim et al.	Second Place

Surprise Challenge Outcomes

Tie for First Position)|| Jeryl Lee / Tia Ray ||239/247 (total486)|| Challenge Failed Tie for Second Position)|| Huang Xiaoyun / Mao Buyi ||289/206 (total495)|| Challenge Passed / Failed respectively Tie for Third Position)|| Lexie Liu / Hua Chenyu ||90/409 (total499)|| Challenge Lost / Won respectively

Cumulative Ranking

Owing to Huang Xiaoyun’s triumph in the challenge round, Mao Buyi as the lowest-ranked contestant was eliminated.

1|| Hua Chenyu||22.24% (Ranked first)||24.45% (Ranked first)||23.345% 2|| Zhou Shen||20.98% (Second)||13.63% (Fifth)||17.305% 3|| Misia||17.50% (Third)||13.76% (Fourth)||15.635% 4|| Jam Hsiao||15.70% (Fourth)||15.43% (Second)||15.565% 5|| Lala Hsu||11.89% (Fifth)||10.82% (Sixth)||11.355% 6|| Tia Ray||6.55% (Sixth)||14.36% (Third)||10.455% 7|| Mao Buyi||5.14% (Seventh)||7.55% (Seventh)||6.345%