The Taiwanese First Band formed by 5 students from the Department of Popular Music Industry, STUST, went to Taoyuan to compete in the Taoyuan Iron Rose International Music Festival. Under the leadership of its leader, Yun-Heng Zhuang, it successfully outdistanced the other 20 groups in the campus group and eventually advanced to the finals. The competition time for the campus group of the Taoyuan Iron Rose International Music Festival finals will start at 13:00 on December 11.

[Taiwanese First Band formed by 5 students from the Department of Popular Music Industry, STUST, advanced to the campus group finals of the Taoyuan Iron Rose International Music Festival.]

The 2021 Taoyuan Iron Rose Hot Music Awards has been upgraded and expanded. The competition system was not limited to nationality, style, and number of participants. The participating groups were divided into campus groups and social groups. The total prize money was up to 1.5 million NTD. The top three in each group will be able to record their single hits. Many outstanding rookies in the music industry achieved the goal of encouraging Taiwan's diverse creations and improving the quality of music.

Taoyuan Iron Rose Music Festival is a series of popular music events organized by the Taoyuan Exhibition Center. Taoyuan Iron Rose Music Festival started from the Taoyuan Exhibition Center in 2012 before it was transformed and upgraded to Taoyuan Iron Rose Music Festival in 2019. The music festival invited the founders and curators of foreign music festivals to come to Taiwan and serve as lecturers in the Master Hall and judges in the finals of the competition. It recommends the winning teams of the competition to perform at overseas music festivals, showing the diverse appearance of Taiwan's popular music. At the same time, it also introduces well-known foreign bands to the Iron Rose Music Festival to exchange and sing to enhance the brand image and international vision of the Iron Rose Music, all through Taiwan music and international music trends. The festival was closed due to the pandemic in 2020 before it was separately organized into two competitions in 2021—Taoyuan Iron Rose Hot Music Appreciation and Taoyuan Iron Rose Music Festival.

Yun-Heng Zhuang, Leader of the team, said that he was often very nervous on stage. Before the competition this time, he used a small secret recipe to make himself bold before the game. Without his knowing, his performance on stage exceeded expectations and his band successfully entered the finals, but the finalists meant only the first step. They are very confident that Taiwanese First Band can achieve excellent results in the finals, and they hope that the teachers, students, and fans can come to help out in the finals and experience the band's dedication to pop music.

Hui-Ru Chen, Chair of the Department of Popular Music Industry, STUST, said that many professional instructors in the department has given their best resources to students, and the school also tries its best to give students the best support, hoping that students can shine on their own stage. This time, it is awesome that Taiwanese First Band of the Department of Popular Music Industry could advance to the finals. The teachers and students of the department were very happy for them. Before the finals come, the teachers of the department will help students from a more professional perspective, making the students better in their performances.