Mayday, a popular rock band from Taiwan, donated S$4 million to charity in its home country.

Dubbed as the "Chinese Beatles," the quintet held its third annual series of charity concerts in July to benefit the underprivileged in Taiwan. The group, led by vocalist Ashin, made its first stop in Kaohsiung, and then moved to Beijing and Shenzhen before wrapping up the concert series in Yilan.

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The Kaohsiung performance, which was held on July 27, and Mayday's last concert stage and auction in Yilan last Friday raised a total of S$2.33 million. The sum, however, fell short of Mayday's goal to raise $2.337 million, which prompted the members to goad drummer Guan You to shell out the remaining S$2,000 out of his own pocket.

Aside from Mayday, several Taiwanese celebrities also made donations to help those who were affected by the crises - including the recent Kaohsiung gas explosions and TransAsia Airways crash - that recently hit their home country. The celebrities' actions, however, were met with criticism after they chose not to disclose the amount of money they shelled out for donation.

Ashin responded to the controversy by saying that it is always "the thought that counts."

To make the donation effort transparent, Ashin requested a photograph of Guan You holding the certificate of donation, which he asked Mayday's fans to spread on social media sites such as Facebook and Weibo.

Aside from the amount Mayday has raised, B'in Music, which organized the charity concerts, also donated about S$20,000 worth of celebrity goods and charity bags for sale.

Formed in the 1990s, Mayday is an alternative rock band composed of vocalist Ashin, lead guitarists Monster and Stone, bass guitarist Masa and drummer Guan You.

TagsTaiwan, Music, Mayday, rock band, Charity, charity concert, donation