Valen Hsu

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Valen Hsu

Chinese name 許茹芸 (Traditional)
Chinese name 许茹芸 (Simplified)
Pinyin Xǔ Rú Yún (Mandarin)
Birth name 許宏琇 (pinyin: Xǔ Hóng Xiù)
Origin Republic of China (Taiwan)
Born September 20, 1974 (1974-09-20) (age 33)
Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan)
Other name(s) Hsu Ru-yun, 琇琇, Valen Hsu
Occupation Singer, composer, songwriter, actress
Genre(s) Mandopop
Instrument(s) Piano, keyboard
Label(s) What's Music, EMI, Silver Fish, Seed Music
Years active 1994-present
Official site Official Blog

Valen Hsu (traditional Chinese: 許茹芸; simplified Chinese: 许茹芸; pinyin: Xǔ Rú Yún), also known as Xiu Xiu, is a Taiwanese singer born on September 20, 1974. She is considered one of the most accomplished singer / songwriter / composers in Asia.[citation needed] She is widely known for her sad love ballads which have earned her the nickname "The Queen of Love Songs". Her songs are mostly sung in Mandarin Chinese and some in Cantonese.

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[edit] Biography

A classically-trained pianist, she started playing the piano when she was 4. While she was attending high school in 1993, she was discovered performing in a restaurant in Taipei, where many known pop artists began their careers. She was offered a contract with Taiwan’s What’s Music Record label and began work on her first commercial album, all before the age of 19.

[edit] Career

Valen Hsu has recorded 14 studio albums over the span of eight years, as well as four "Best Of" compilations. Her first album, Tau Hao, was completed in 1994 and received critical acclaim from the Asian music industry. However, record sales did not exceed expectations, only selling a little over 50,000 copies. Her next studio album was what significantly changed her career. Lei Hai, or Tear’s Sea as translated, sold more than 300,000 copies in Taiwan. And her third album, If the Cloud Knows, sold over 2.2 million copies alone in Taiwan. Her fourth album, Ri Guang Ji Zhang was completed in 1998 and sold 800,000 copies in Taiwan, but over 3 million copies in Asia, permanently placing her in the company of such Asian divas as Faye Wong and Sandy Lam and becoming an integral part of a new Mando-Pop era including Coco Lee and A-Mei. In 1999, after the sale of What’s Music to Universal Records (Taiwan), she recorded a duet with Enrique Iglesias entitled You’re My No. 1, released on Enrique’s Asian version of his Enrique album. She ended her contract with What’s Music in 2001 and signed to EMI Taiwan. The first album with her new record label was titled I Just Want to Tell You, and it was produced by Yosinori Kameda, a famous Japanese music producer. In 2001, she decided to broaden her professional career by acting in her first TV drama with F4, Taiwan’s boy-band equivalent to 'N Sync. She further broadened her acting career in 2003 by performing on stage with Zuni Icosahedron, an independent cultural collective concentrating on alternative theater and multi-media performances. In 2004, she decided to take a hiatus from the music industry to pursue other interests, including learning English in New York City.

Valen Hsu is known for her vocals, which are wispy yet strong and crystal-clear. Her singing voice and technique have been compared to Hong Kong's Faye Wong. In 1998, the Japanese magazine publication Asia Pop voted her as the best female pop vocalist in Asia. She has been known to give CD-quality live performances. Occasionally, she will play the piano and sing live at her concerts.

In addition to composing and writing some of her songs, she has also published two books: one a compilation of short poems and the other a beauty book entitled Beauty Sense, which were published in 2003 and 2006, respectively.

In 1999, she traveled to Rwanda, Africa with the World Health Organization and other Asian celebrities to do charity work, filming a commercial and raising funds for donation through sales of an E.P. entitled Gua Niou (which means "Snail"), written by Jay Chou, one of Asia’s male pop stars.

Past endorsements include Esprit, Head & Shoulders Shampoo and other brands in Asia, mostly in Taiwan and mainland China.

Recently in 2006, she filmed a full-length movie with famed Hong Kong Director Patrick Lam entitled Fu Zhi, or "After This Our Exile" as translated. She stars alongside Hong Kong actors Aaron Kwok and Charlie Yeung. The film was released in 2006 and consequently won several Golden Horse Awards (Asia's equivalent to the Academy Awards) that same year, including Best Picture and Best Actor.

Her 13th studio album entitled 66 Pohjoista Leveyttä was released on December 21, 2007. She traveled to Finland's Arctic Circle to film her music videos for this new album. Filming took place mainly in two cities: Helsinki and Rovaniemi. The first single is called "Fireworks".

[edit] Record companies

  • 1995～2000 (What's Music)
  • 2001～2003 (EMI Taiwan)
  • 2004～2006 (Silver Fish Productions)
  • 2007～Present (Seed Music Limited)

[edit] Discography

  • June 1995 - Tau Hao (討好)
  • March 1996 – Lei Hai (Tear’s Sea) (淚海)
  • September 1996 – Ru Guo Yun Zhi Dao (If the Cloud Knows) (如果雲知道)
  • 1996 - Neighbor (鄰居) - Fan Club single
  • June 1997 – Ri Guang Ji Chang (Place de sun airport) (日光機場)
  • September 1997 – Ru Ci Jing Cai "Best Of…" [茹此精彩十三首（新歌加精選 港版）] – Hong Kong Version
  • November 1997 - Ru Ci Jing Cai "Best Of…" [茹此精彩十三首（新歌加精選 臺版）] – Taiwan Version
  • June 1998 – Wo Yi Ran Ai Ni (Still loving you) (我依然愛你)
  • December 1998 – Ni Shi Zui Ai (The best love) (你是最ㄞˋ(愛))
  • August 1999 – Zhen Ai Wu Di (Victory) (真愛無敵)
  • September 1999 – Piano Diary (鋼琴記事簿)
  • November 1999 – I’m This Happy (我就是這麼快樂) - Cantonese Version
  • May 2000 – Nan De Hao Tian Qi (難得好天氣)
  • December 2000 – Hua Kai (花開)
  • June 2001 – Liu Jin Shi Zai "Best Of…" (流金十載－許茹芸全記錄)
  • June 2001 – Single Diary "Best Of…" (單身日記－1995－2001)
  • September 2001 – Zhi Shuo Gei Ni Ting (Just Want to Tell You) (只說給你聽)
  • November 2002 – Yun Kai Le (芸開了)
  • June 2003 – Valen Hsu’s Movie Ballads – Cloud Stay (許茹芸的愛情電影主題曲－雲且留住)
  • December 2003 – I love the nights of autumn "Best Of…" (我愛夜)
  • February 2005 – Valen Hsu "Best Of Classics…" (許茹芸 / 國語真經典)
  • April 2007 – Pleasant to Hear (好聽) - Single
  • December 2007 – 66° Pohjoista Leveyttä (北緯六十六度)

[edit] Stage performances

  • 2003 - Good Wind Like Water (Zuni Icosahedron)
  • 2005 - Fragments d’un Discours Amoureux (Yi Hua Lin Productions)

[edit] Film and television

  • 2002 - Come to My Place - Director : Cheng Ze Niou (Cast : Valen Hsu, F4)
  • 2005 - After This Our Exile "父子" - Director：Patrick Tam （Cast：Aaron Kwok, Charlie Yeung, Valen Hsu）

[edit] Books

  • 2003 - 此時快樂的代價 (Collection of Short Poems)
  • 2006 - 五感美人(Beauty Sense)

[edit] Endorsements and charities

  • 1996 - Esprit Clothing Spokesperson
  • 1998 - AB Call Pager Service
  • 1998 - ICRT Charity Concert
  • 1999 - Head & Shoulders Shampoo Commercial – Part 1 (Taiwan, Singapore & Hong Kong) (E.P.：All Your Heart）
  • 1999 - WHO Charity Run - Rwanda（E.P. : Gua Niou）
  • 1999 - Head & Shoulders Shampoo Commercial – Part 2 (Taiwan, Singapore & Hong Kong) (E.P. : I’m This Happy）
  • 1999 - Cable & Wireless (Hong Kong Telecom)
  • 2002 - Tai Ping Soda Crackers Commercial [China & Hong Kong]
  • 2002 - O Smile Biscuits Commercial [Taiwan]
  • 2003 - Mei Bei Jia Shampoo Commercial [China]
  • 2006 - Chantecaille Spokesperson
  • 2006 - Rice Beauty Products Commercial & Spokesperson

[edit] External links

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