Fred Cheng

Fred Cheng
Chinese name	鄭俊弘 (traditional)
Chinese name	郑俊弘 (simplified)
Pinyin	Zhèng Jùnhóng (Mandarin)
Jyutping	Zeng4 Zeon3 Wang4 (Cantonese)
Birth name	Frederick Cheng
Origin	Hong Kong
Born	(1983-11-10) 10 November 1983 Vancouver, Canada
Occupation	Actor, singer
Genre(s)	Cantopop
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, electric bass, piano
Label(s)	Voice Entertainment
Years active	2001–present
Associated acts	HOME

Frederick "Fred" Cheng (Chinese: 鄭俊弘; born 10 November 1983) is a Canadian-born Hong Kong actor and singer. He has starred in numerous Hong Kong series including Shine On You, Love Bond, The Charm Beneath, and Forensic Heroes. He rose to fame after competing in the 2013 Hong Kong singing competition, The Voice of the Stars, subsequently winning first place.^[1] In November 2013, Cheng signed with TVB Music Limited's subsidiary Voice Entertainment, and will be releasing his debut album in the summer of 2014.^[2]

Early life and career beginnings

Cheng was born in Vancouver, Canada. He lives with his mother, older sister, and younger brother. From his uncle's influence, at an early age he already developed a love and interest for music, singing, and playing the guitar. Since the age of six, he has also been learning Choy Li Fut and picked up martial arts and boxing in high school. Upon graduating from Eric Hamber Secondary School, he returned to Hong Kong for the summer.

In 2001, Cheng's mother persuaded him to compete in the TVB New Talent Singing Awards,^[3] in which he won second place.^{[citation needed]} Cheng was offered a contract to the record company Capital Artists, but after two months of training, the company stopped producing music, abruptly ending his singing career.

Acting career and return to singing

In 2003, TVB offered Cheng an artist contract and offered him a major role in the TVB drama Shine One You. Well received in his performance, Fred was continued to offer roles that were similar to his youthful role in Shine On You, such as the younger brother of Kenix Kwok and Bernice Liu in 2004's Love Bond and the younger brother of Yoyo Mung in 2006's Forensic Heroes.

In 2010, Fred appeared on the variety talent show Fun with Liza and Gods and performed Ronald Cheng's song, "無賴" (Rascal), receiving critical claim for his performance and imitation of Ronald Cheng. In 2011, Fred signed a management contract with TVB.

In July 2013, Fred was encouraged by friends and family to compete in the inaugural season for the singing competition, The Voice of the Stars. Fred appeared on the first episode, performing Eason Chan's "Song of the Era" (時代曲). Fred earned 174.9 points, delivering the highest performance points on the show. On the second episode, Fred performed "Angels" by Robbie Williams and earned an even higher 179.9 points. The Voice of the Stars judge, Eric Moo, took Fred in as his student and offered him to appear on his Hong Kong concert as a guest performer. Throughout the season, Fred consistently stayed in the top two places.

Fred went on win the competition, winning 68% of the votes. Immediately after winning, Fred was announced that he would be singing the theme song with Kristal Tin for the upcoming Hong Kong drama, Return Of The Silver Tongue. On November 15, 2013, he signed with TVB's newly established record company Voice Entertainment and is expected to release his debut solo album in the summer of 2014.^[2]

Filmography

Television dramas

Awards

• JayneStars.com

1. 2013 Sexiest Man Alive in China

• TVB 2013 The Voice of the Stars 《星夢傳奇》

1. First Place
2. Professional Performance Award

• TVB 2001 New Talent Singing Awards

1. First Runner Up
2. Charisma Award
3. New Talent Breakthrough Award
4. Online Perfect Voice Award

References