| Hao Ge | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Uwechue Emmanuel |
| Born | 1981 (age 30–31) Lagos, Nigeria |
| Origin | Nigerian |
| Genres | Mandopop Country |
| Occupations | singer |
| Instruments | vocals |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Hao Ge (Chinese: 郝歌; pinyin: Hǎo Gē) is the Chinese stage name of Nigerian-born singer Uwechue Emmanuel. He rose to fame through a performance with Han Hong on the CCTV New Year's Gala and has emerged as one of the most notable foreign singers in China.[1]
He began his singing career in the choir at Lagos' House on the Rock Pentecostal church in Nigeria.[1] He received a degree in engineering, and began to pursue a singing career, which led his father to disown him. Before getting his career off the ground in China, he was a country music singer and astrophysicist by profession.[1] He has a graduate degree in Mathematics from the University of Monrovia. In 2001, A friend of his, Li Yayu, started his singing career in China by inviting him to perform in hotels and bars throughout Henan and Hubei.[1] At the Big Easy Bar in Beijing, Hao Ge was discovered by Liu Huan, a well-known music producer.[1]
He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese (Hao Ge said that he uses Pinyin to learn Mandarin) and is applying for Chinese citizenship. He was asked to sing in the Beijing Olympics, Summer 2008. Hao Ge also travels all over China to perform and do television shows. He can be seen on CCTV-9.