Kenji Wu
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Kenji Wu | |
---|---|
Chinese name | 吳克群 (Traditional) |
Pinyin | Wú Kèqún (Mandarin) |
Origin | Republic of China (Taiwan) |
Occupation | Singer, actor |
Genre(s) | Mandopop |
Label(s) | Seed Music 2004- |
Years active | 2000 - Present |
Kenji Wu Ke Qun (born 18 October 1979) is a singer-actor from Taiwan.
[edit] Biography
Wu made his debut in 2000 with his album Tomorrow, Alone. Despite the involvement of top producers, the album only received lukewarm response. However, this gave him opportunities to act in idol dramas such as Peach Girl and Moonlight Forest.
However, with an intense passion for music, Kenji made a comeback to the music industry in November 2004 with a self-titled album, released by Seed Music. All ten songs in the album were written by him. Critics around Asia gave highly positive reviews. The hit song Wu Ke Qun cleverly incorporated the impersonations of well-known singers such as A-do, Lee-Hom Wang, David Tao, Jay Chou, Fei Yu Ching, Emil Chau and The Shins. The song demonstrated Kenji's determination to be a unique singer in his own right. In Hong Kong, it peaked at the 7th spot out of 20 in RTHK's Chinese chart for the week of 20-26 February 2005;[1] however, the song did poorly in Singapore, debuting at 19th position on Y.E.S. 93.3 FM's chart for the week of 9-15 January 2005,[2] and remained on the chart for only 2 weeks.
He returned in October 2005 with a new album titled The Kenji Show, also released by Seed Music. Working on a theme of having fun, the album comprises songs with his style of simple yet intriguing lyrics. Songs like "Da She Tou" (literally "Big Tongue") and "Bu Xie Ji Nian" rose to hit charts and were popular among students mostly. He has nominated for the best Chinese male singer in Taiwan at the 2006 and 2007 Golden Melody Awards, but the award went to Lee-Hom Wang and Korean-born singer Nicky Lee Jiu Zhe, respectively.
In 2006, Kenji released a new album entitled "A General Order" and again, all songs were written by Kenji himself showing his creativity. This time he experimented with the Chinese music style, therefore the title song was written in that way. Other Chinese style songs including "Peaked You And Me" and "Champion" as well as the hit ballad "Cripple" are featured on this album. Kenji will also be featured on a track on Hakka-Pac's new album called "Doing it Chikan Style." He also acted in Brown Sugar Macchiato as a cameo.
In 2008, he release another new album "Poems For You", in which he composed all the songs.This album was number one on the sales chart for 7 weeks. All of the five MVs that were released from this album were ranked in the top 10 in two of the largest KTV chains, thus breaking a record.
Aside from writing songs only for his own albums, he also composed and produced songs for other popular singers. He wrote "Ai Ku Gui" for Melody Chiang, "Sha Gua" for Landy Wen, "Nan Ren Nu Ren" for Valen Hsu and A Mu Long, and "Da Ming Xing" for the superboys Yu Hao Ming and Wang Yue Xin.
He is now the celebrity sponsor for a variety of products including Meng Niu ice cream, Man-Q body wash, 7-up, and Nokia cell phones.
[edit] References
- ^ (Chinese) RTHK Chinese chart for 2005, week 8 (中文龙虎榜 - 2005年第08周榜单). Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
- ^ (Chinese) Y.E.S. 93.3 chart for 2005, week 2 (醉心龙虎榜 - 2005年第02周榜单). Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
[edit] External links
- (Chinese) Kenji Wu's official website
- (Chinese) Seed Music's information of Kenji Wu
- (Chinese) Kenji Wu's blog
- (Chinese) Kenji Wu's blog