| Gary Chaw | |||||
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Gary Chaw performing on 15 March 2009 |
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| Chinese name | 曹格 | ||||
| Pinyin | Cáo Gé (Mandarin) | ||||
| Birth name | Chaw Dak Haw (Chinese: 曹佰豪; pinyin: Cáo Bǎiháo) | ||||
| Ancestry | Hakka | ||||
| Origin | Republic of China, (Taiwan) | ||||
| Born | 9 July 1979 Kota Belud, Sabah, Malaysia |
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| Other name(s) | Gary Cao, Cao Ge | ||||
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter | ||||
| Genre(s) | Mandopop, R&B | ||||
| Instrument(s) | Piano | ||||
| Voice type(s) | Baritone/Tenor/Countertenor | ||||
| Label(s) | Rock Records/Dragon Force Music | ||||
| Years active | 2006–present | ||||
| Spouse(s) | Wu Sou Ling (Chinese: 吳速玲; pinyin: Wú Sùlíng) (2008–present) |
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| Children | Joe Chaw (Chinese: 曹三豐; pinyin: Cáo Sānfēng) (son) | ||||
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Gary Chaw (Chinese: 曹格) was born on 9 July 1979 in Kota Belud, Sabah, Malaysia, also known as Gary Cao or Cao Ge. He is a Malaysian Chinese Golden Melody Awards singer-songwriter based in Taiwan, who has had achieved success in Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He is renowned for his stage presence, wide vocal range, and rich voice. In addition, he composes for himself and other singers.
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Chaw received his early education in Canada. He later went on to continue his studies in Engineering at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. However, he left New Zealand before completing his studies.
In 2010 he joined bma and has since been dubbed "Asia Best Male Singer" by the media. His most recent concert tour of Asia, "Welcome To My World" was a great success. Chaw is renowned for his impressive vocal range. He has often covered songs that ranged from baritone, such as "Moon River", to songs that are mezzo-soprano range, such as "Ting Hai". Including chest and mix voices, his vocal range is from G3 to C6.
In 2008 he composed and sang a song for the 2008 Beijing Olympics that was released in a Rock records CD called "Far away" (一起飞).[1] The album was titled after the song he composed. Other Rock Records artists that took part include Genie Zhuo, 2moro, Alien Huang, Tracy Zhou, 魏雪漫, 元若篮， 宇绗，吴忠明，and various others.
In 2006 Chaw won Hong Kong TVB8's Best Newcomer Singer award.[2] His big break occurred with the release of his Mandarin version of Karyn White's 1988 song "Superwoman". With this song, he won the Best Mandarin Male singer in the 19th Golden Melody Awards.[3] Since then he has released a number of albums.
Gary has written some chart-topping songs in Taiwan sung by S.H.E, Cyndi Wang, and Aaron Kwok. In a recent interview with MTV, Chaw admitted (fluently in English) that he is a shy guy who does not express himself well through words but relatively well enough in the songs he sings. His early influences came from admiration of Stevie Wonder and R Kelly.
In 2002 Chaw left his home in Malaysia to go to Taiwan with hopes of joining the entertainment show business. He purchased a one-way plane ticket and brought with him only around RM1,600 (about HK$4,000).[3] He tried to get into numerous record companies who criticised him harshly for being ugly and lacking talent.[3] After many failures Chaw became an alcoholic, battled insomnia, unemployment, suffered from severe depression, loss of friends and confidence.[3] He soon hit rock bottom.
One day he went out to Shilin Night Market.[3] He stumbled across a homeless cat with no owner. He took this cat home and raised it since they both were unwanted by society.[3] He named it "Lin Lin" and wrote a song for the cat "The world's only you" (世界唯一的你).[3] From then on, his career completely changed. After three years of hard work, he signed with Rock Records.[3]
| Year | Award | Category | Nomination | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 6th Global Chinese Music Awards | Outstanding Regional Artiste (Malaysia) | Gary Chaw | Won | [4] |
| Hong Kong TVB8 Awards | Best New Male Artist (Gold) | Gary Chaw | Won | [5] | |
| Guang Zhou Golden Melody Awards | Best New Male Artist (Gold) | Gary Chaw | Won | ||
| Top 10 Golden Melodies | "Superwoman" | Won | |||
| Malaysia Entertainment Association | Best Composer | "少年" with Guang Liang | Won | ||
| Top 10 Original Songs | "少年" with Guang Liang | Won | |||
| 2007 | 18th Golden Melody Awards | Best Male Mandarin Singer | Gary Chaw | Nominated | |
| 7th Music Chart Awards | Best New Artist | Gary Chaw | Won | ||
| Metro Radio Mandarin Music Awards | Best Performance (最佳演繹獎) | Gary Chaw | Won | [7] | |
| Best Karaoke Song | "兩隻戀人" (Two Lovers) | Won | |||
| 2008 | 19th Golden Melody Awards | Best Male Mandarin Singer | Gary Chaw | Won |