Taiwanese actor-singer Xiao Gang admits he was "unhappy" as a member of former idol group Energy

Taiwanese idol group Energy, consisting of members Milk, Ady, Toro, Penny and Joe debuted in 2002 to much fanfare. The group was popular from the start, but had its fair share of ups and downs as Toro and Milk left the group in 2003 and 2005 respectively.

The group continued with the remaining three members for two years, until Xiao Gang joined them in 2007.

His addition to the group was met with mixed reactions, with some hailing it as a new start for the band, while others questioned why it was necessary to add another member when they were doing fine. Energy ultimately disbanded in 2009.

In an interview with Taiwanese media earlier this month, Xiao Gang, who now goes by his real name Tang Zhen Gang, confessed that he had a hard time adapting to life as an Energy member when he first joined.

While the other three were used to the idol life by the time he made his debut, he struggled. Xiao Gang resorted to sticking close to his bandmates during fan events as he was unable to meet any of the fans in the eye.

Part of the reason was the large amount of anti-fans that were against him joining the group, and demanded that he show them why his inclusion was necessary. This caused him to be under a huge amount of stress, and have problems sleeping well at night.

“I was unhappy, and I doubted myself because I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to perform to everyone’s standards,“ he said. In hindsight, however, he calls being part of Energy “an interesting life experience”, and that he still keeps in touch with Ady, Penny and Joe despite not being colleagues any longer.

Photos: PBE Media