| Cindy Yen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | 袁詠琳 (Traditional) | ||
| Chinese name | 袁咏琳 (Simplified) | ||
| Pinyin | Yuán Yǒnglín (Mandarin) | ||
| Birth name | Cindy Wu (吳欣雲) | ||
| Ancestry | Anhui, China | ||
| Origin | Republic of China (Taiwan) | ||
| Born | November 14, 1986 Houston, Texas |
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| Occupation | Singer, Songwriter, Actress, Dancer, Producer, Composer | ||
| Genre(s) | Pop, R&B, Dance-pop | ||
| Instrument(s) | Piano, Violin, Guitar, Drums, Er-Hu | ||
| Label(s) | JVR Music, Sony BMG | ||
| Years active | 2009–present | ||
| Official Website | www.thefacebook.com/cindyjvrmusic | ||
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Awards
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Cindy Yen (traditional Chinese: 袁詠琳; simplified Chinese: 袁咏琳; pinyin: Yuan Yong-Ling; birth name: Cindy Wu, 吳欣雲, Wu Xing-Yun, born November 14, 1986) is a Taiwanese-American singer, songwriter, actress, Composer and producer. She was the first artist to be signed to Jay Chou's company, JVR Music, in 2009. In October 2009 she released her first self-titled album: Cindy Yen 袁詠琳.[1] Her first single, "Sand Painting," a duet sung with Jay Chou and composed by Yen herself (notably the first time Chou has ever sung a song composed by someone else), became an instant success, rising to take the number one spot on multiple music charts in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and China. Yen's music covers an array of styles ranging from R&B, soul, pop, and classical, to rock, acoustic folk, dance and hip-hop.
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Cindy Yen[2] was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Her mother is an accountant and her father a mathematics professor. Yen's parents both loved classical music, and began training Yen to listen to classical music at a very early age. Her mother, who had a deep love for the piano, started encouraging Yen to learn piano at the age of 4, hoping that Yen could be cultivated into a professional pianist or a piano teacher. Although Yen excelled at the piano, winning gold medals at many piano competitions, Yen knew at a very early age that her dream was to become a singer instead. But because Cindy's mother did not support her dream and wished Cindy to have a more "stable" career, Yen continued her training as a classical pianist. Cindy started learning the violin at the age of 10, and told her mother that she wished to learn at least ten different instruments if possible. When she was 12, her parents divorced,[3] and since then Yen was brought up solely by her mother. Piano become Yen's "best friend," and she once even stated during an interview that "without piano, there is no me. Piano is my other half, what makes me complete. Everything I bury inside my heart I let out when I play."[4] Yen attended Bellaire High School near Houston, TX and in 2004, went on to study and graduated from The University of Texas at Austin.[5][6]
When Yen was 17, she begged her mother to accompany her to meet different record companies in Taiwan. Although Yen was immediately offered record contracts, her mother still did not allow Yen to pursue her dreams as a singer. She remained adamant that Yen should finish college first before starting a career in the music industry. Therefore, Yen agreed to go to college and temporarily pushed her childhood dream aside to fulfill her mother's wishes. While attending college, Yen participated in many talent shows and music organizations, and even auditioned for the hit show "American Idol," in which she was rejected twice by Paula, Randy, and Simon. Never discouraged, Yen began training herself in singing, songwriting, and dancing, in hopes that she can be fully prepared if she was ever again offered a recording contract.
In 2008, Yen won the title of Miss Chinatown Houston 2008 and continued to win the national title of Miss Chinatown USA 2009.[7] After graduating from college with double degrees in Music - Piano Performance and Broadcast Journalism in 2008, Yen's mother finally agreed to let Cindy do what she had always wanted to do, and in Fall 2008, Yen moved to Taiwan with her self-made demo in pursuit of her dreams in becoming a recording artist.
During the first few days, Yen met many record companies but was repeatedly rejected by all. They told her that her music was too "Western" and not suitable for the Asian market. They also said her style of singing wasn't suitable for the Chinese language, because it was too R&B and soul.[8] But Yen wouldn't give up on her dream. Finally, Cindy found a company that was willing to give her music a chance, and became the first artist ever to sign to famous Taiwanese popstar Jay Chou's company, JVR Music, in February 2009.[9]
Within eight months of signing, Yen released her debut single, "Sand Painting,"[10] a duet sung with Jay Chou and composed/produced by Cindy herself. It was notably the first time Jay has ever sung a song not written by himself, demonstrating the immense support and confidence that Jay had in Cindy's music. "Sand Painting"[11] became an instant hit and was the number one downloaded ringtone in Taiwan. It reached the top on many Asian billboards and at KTV. Cindy Yen’s debut album was listed under Top 10 on the G-Music charts and Rose Records for 5 consecutive weeks, and was the number one listened to album on Taiwan’s KKBox Charts for 4 consecutive weeks.[12] "Sand Painting" went on to place as one of China's most popular top ten hit songs of 2010, as ranked in China's 2010 Mandarin Web Original Composition Pop Music Charts.[13]
Immediately known for her stunning smile, Cindy attracted the attention of a Taiwan cell phone company, FarEasTone, and became the featured girl in their commercials.[14] Cindy composed & sung the theme song "Do you see me"[15] for FarEasTone advertisements and was seen as their next promising newcomer after Joanna Wang & Alisa Gao.
On the 30th of October, 2009, Cindy released her self-titled album "Cindy Yen". and was given the title of "the smiling new female voice of classical & pop music." Her sweet & beautiful appearance earned her compliments such as "Patty Hou’s side view," "Jolin Tsai’s mouth," "Jessie Chiang’s figure" & "Alice Tseng’s temperament."
Her debut album is mainly built upon R&B, spiced with popular elements such as rock, hip-hop, and folk. Cindy composed and produced her entire album, with some help with the lyrics from Vincent Fang & Nan Quan Mama’s Lara Veronin. Her album includes not only her R&B, pop & classical roots, but also other genres such as pop rock, hard metal & even Latin hip-hop dance beats. The immense variety of songs like "Stupid Fish," "Very Traveling Love,"[16] "Singing a Song Because of Longing," and "Dancing With Threat" prove Cindy's versatility in different musical genres, while her piano ballads like "I'm Sorry" and "That Year We Made a Wish Together" demonstrate her solid vocals and soulful tones.
Since her debut, Cindy has opened her own mini-concert in Hong Kong[17] and is currently on tour with Jay Chou’s 2010 “The Era” Concert Tour as a regular guest performer.[18] She has hinted at diving into TV & film.
Cindy debut as a supporting actress in her first TV drama series on July 5, 2011 in the network series 瑰寶1949（Invaluable Treasure 1949) along with her good friend 賴雅妍 (Megan Lai) and 林佑威 (Yowei Lin). The TV series was nominated for 5 Golden Bell Awards including Best Male Actor, Best Female Actress, and Best Drama of the Year. Invaluable Treasure 1949 ended up winning Best Artistic Design and Best Sound Effects.[19]
Cindy released her second album, '2 Be Different', on 29 September 2011.[20] Like the first album, Cindy wrote and produced all ten songs on her album, except this time, Cindy shed her previous "smiling, girl-next-door" image and shocked the world with her new, sexy electronic dance single "陷阱" ("Trap") instead. The sexy music video caused many media and public viewers to compare her with Jolin Tsai, and many netizens even commented that Cindy could be the next "dancing diva of Asia." [21] Her second album successfully gained her the new title "唱跳創作新女生", or "singing, dancing, composing new female artist." [22]
Cindy emphasized in her interview with Singapore's Razor TV that her new album aims to empower women and give them inner strength, whether through her electronic dance music or soulful R&B ballads. With her album slogan, "Don't be afraid to be different," Cindy's new image focuses on natural, inner beauty, and emphasizes the strength of "being yourself." [23]
Since her debut, Cindy Yen has stated in many interviews about how important music has been in her life, and that she has always had a vision to be able to provide more educational opportunities for children whose families may not have the financial ability to learn music. In January 2010, Cindy became TVBS' spokesperson for their "Lotus" charity event aimed at raising money for children. She said she hopes to open a music school or a music camp of some sort that can provide "financial-free" education for children and give them a chance to creatively express themselves through music.[24]
In November 2010, Cindy performed alongside with Jay Chou and Wilber Pan at Soong Ching-ling's (also known as Madame Sun yat-sen) Charity Foundation event as part of the 2010 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season Shanghai Street Circuit in Pudong. Together, the three artists donated ¥1,500,000 ($250,000USD) for families residing in the Eastern part of China.[25][26]
In march 2011, Cindy was a member of the "Fight and Smile" campaign dedicated to help fundraise money for Japan's Tsunami crisis. Along with other Taiwanese artists, Cindy sang in the song "Believe" (相信愛） [27] and also performed "Hero" during the "Fight and Smile" fundraising program.
Track Listing
Track Listing
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Sprite Music Awards[28] | Best New Artist | Won |
| Duet of the Year | Won | ||
| Metro Radio Mandarin Hit Music Awards[29] | Best New Hit Force Singer | Won | |
| CCTV-MTV Awards | Most Popular Potential Artist | Nominated | |
| Singapore Golden Melody Awards[30] | Meritorious Newcomer | Nominated | |
| Most Popular Newcomer | Nominated | ||
| Metro Radio Hits Music Award[31] | Best New Hit Artist | Nominated | |
| 33rd Annual Chinese Gold Songs Award[32] | Most Potential Newcomer | Won | |
| Best Mandarin Pop Song | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | 2011 Beijing MTV Awards | Best New Stylistic Artist | Won |
| Year | Title | Chinese Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Pandamen[33] | 熊貓人 | "Cindy" - as herself |
| 2011 | Invaluable Treasure 1949[34] | 瑰寶1949 | "容星怡" |