Wakin Chau

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Wakin Chau

Chinese name 周華健 (Traditional)
Chinese name 周华健 (Simplified)
Pinyin Zhōu Huá jiàn (Mandarin)
Jyutping Zau1 Wa4 Gin6 (Cantonese)
Ancestry Chaoyang, Guangdong
Origin Hong Kong
Taiwan
Born December 22, 1960 (1960-12-22) (age 47)
Hong Kong
Other name(s) Emil Chau, Zhou Hua Jian, Chow Wah-Kin
Occupation Singer, Songwriter, Actor
Genre(s) Mandopop, Cantopop
Instrument(s) Guitar, piano
Label(s) Rock Records
Years active 1985-present
Associated Acts Easy Band
Official site Wakin.com

Wakin Chau is a Hong Kong singer popular in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China. He was known as Emil Chau through the 1980s and 1990s, and by 2000 he reverted to his given name Wakin. As of August 2007, he has released more than 40 albums and held several international concert tours.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Wakin Chau was born in a rice store owned by his family in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong. Growing up as the fourth son in his seven-member family, Wakin learned to play the guitar when he was about 13 years old. In 1979, he left for Taipei to major in mathematics at National Taiwan University. During his college years, he sang and played folk songs in local coffee shops. This activity was a tradition among NTU students, and it is how Wakin learned to sing in Mandarin, which would be key to his future as a music-maker in Taiwan.

Wakin had high hopes to establish a career as a recording artist, and he actively sought out contacts in the music industry. But a persistent lack of interest eventually led him to give up trying to become a performer — instead, he could sign on as an assistant producer at Rock Records, where he wrote marketable pop songs for other artists.

Wakin was later encouraged by Chyi Yu to sing some jingles for commercial advertising spots. One of these tunes was for a car commercial, and it happened to catch the attention of Wakin's boss at Rock, who realized it was the voice of his own assistant producer.

That moment opened the door for Wakin to record and release his first Mandarin album under the Rock Records label in 1987. For a man who had dreamed of performing professionally but had settled on being a record producer, this was a period of particularly good fortune that launched a succession of chart-topping records.

Shortly before his music career took off, Wakin the record producer met an American girl named Constance Woods, whose father was in Taiwan as a Fulbright scholar. Seeming to have plenty in common (including birthdays only one day apart) Wakin and Constance began to date, got engaged and then on 16 November 1986, they married in Taipei. Four months later there was another ceremony with family and friends in the United States of America on 14 March 1987. They have a son named Andrew and a daughter named Anya.

From 1985, Emil Chau — who has been using his given name Wakin since 1999 — has released more than 40 records in Mandarin, Cantonese and English. He has become a prominent name in the music of Taiwan and has fans of all ages not only around Asia but also in North America, Europe and elsewhere. His platinum albums such as You Make Me Happy and Sad (讓我歡喜讓我憂), The Flowery Heart (花心), Music Brings Us Together (有弦相聚), and Emil & Friends (朋友) have won awards in Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Wakin has appeared in a number of films and made guest appearances on TV and radio programs in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. Alongside his singing career, he is a restaurateur and also is active in international charitable causes, such as kidney disease charities in Singapore, the January 2002 "Take a Deep Breath" concert in Taipei to raise money for local health-care organizations, Beijing's 4th Grand Charity Drive for Children in 2005, and Jackie Chan's all-star concerts in Las Vegas.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Mandarin albums

  • 最後圓舞曲 (Feb 1985)
  • 心的方向 (Jul 1987)
  • 我是真的付出我的愛 (Aug 1988)
  • 期待更多，付出更多 (Jan 1989)
  • 最真的夢 (Nov 1989)
  • 不願一個人 (Nov 1990)
  • 讓我歡喜讓我憂 (Nov 1991)
  • 花心 (Apr 1993)
  • 今夜陽光燦爛 (Jan 1994)
  • 風雨無阻 (Jun 1994)
  • 我願意去等 (Jan 1995)
  • 愛相隨 (Jul 1995)
  • 愛的光 (Feb 1996)
  • 小天堂 (Sep 1996)
  • 朋友 (Apr 1997)
  • 有故事的人 (Aug 1998)
  • 現在 (Nov 1999)
  • 忘憂草 (Oct 2001)
  • 329最完整周華健 (Mar 2003)
  • 一起吃苦的幸福 (Jul 2003)
  • 雨人 (Mar 2006)

[edit] Cantonese albums

  • 有弦相聚 (Oct 1994)
  • 弦途有你 (Apr 1995)
  • 弦弦全全 (Dec 1995)
  • 生.生活 (Dec 1996)
  • 世界由你我開始 (Oct 1997)
  • 听健

[edit] English albums

  • Sad Without You (Sep 1988)
  • Blue Bird (Feb 1991)
  • I Remember (May 1992)
  • Songs of Birds (Aug 1993)
  • Forever Young - Best Collection (1996)
  • My Oh My (Feb 2001)
  • My Favorite Songs (May 2002)

[edit] Filmography

  • 1987 - Osmanthus Alley (桂花巷)
  • 1987 - The Game They Called Sex (黃色故事)
  • 1993 - Project S aka. Once a Cop
  • 1994 - Right Here Waiting (等愛的女人)
  • 1995 - Just Married (橫紋刀劈扭紋柴)
  • 1995 - I Want To Go On Living (我要活下去)
  • 1995 - Faithfully Yours (叛逆情緣)
  • 1995 - Rumble in the Bronx (Ice Cream Man)
  • 1996 - Who's the Woman Who's the Man (金枝玉葉2)
  • 1997 - All's Well End's Well 97
  • 1997 - Walk In (奪舍)
  • 1997 - Mr Nice Guy'(Ice Cream Man)
  • 1997 - 知解時空
  • 1998 - Spicy Love Soup (愛情麻辣燙)
  • 1999 - Gorgeous
  • 1999 - Purple Storm (紫雨風暴)
  • 1999 - Tarzan
  • 2001 - Headlines (頭號人物)
  • 2003 - Homerun
  • 2003 - The Pawnshop No. 8

[edit] External links

Languages