Na Ying

Na Ying
Chinese name	那英
Pinyin	Nà Yīng (Mandarin)
Ancestry	Manchu
Origin	People's Republic of China
Born	(1967-11-27) November 27, 1967 Shenyang, Liaoning, China
Other name(s)	Natasha Na
Occupation	Singer
Genre(s)	Mandopop
Years active	1988[1]–present
Spouse(s)	Gao Feng (2004-2005) Meng Tong (2006-)
Children	2
Influences	Julie Sue
Awards Golden Melody Awards Best Female Mandarin Artist 2001 Romantic Bitterness MTV Asia Awards Favorite Artist, Mainland China 2002

Na Ying (Chinese: 那英; pinyin: Nà Yīng, less frequently referred to as Natasha Na, born November 27, 1967) is a Chinese vocalist. She is considered as one of the best present-day female singers in Mainland China, having sold more than 10 million albums. She is also noted for her buoyant and forthright personality.^[1]

Biography

She was born in Shenyang, Liaoning. She is an ethnic Manchu, said to be of the Yehe Nara clan. She became a member of the Liaoning Juvenile Broadcasting Chorus in 1979, and the Shenyang Singing and Dancing Troupe in 1983. Na won several national singing contests in the 1980s, and received vocal training from the famous composer Gu Jianfen (谷建芬).^[2]

In 1988, Na Ying began her recording career in Taiwan and Hong Kong.^[1] She released her first album in 1994 called "Dreaming with you". After that she published more successful albums, turning into one of the most loved mandopop artists of Mainland China.

At the 1998 Spring Festival Gala show hosted by CCTV, Na Ying sang a duet "Meet in '98" (相約一九九八) with her friend Faye Wong. Wong had already achieved fame in Hong Kong and elsewhere, but the performance with Na brought her to superstar status in China itself.^[3]

Na Ying had a relationship with Chinese footballer Gao Feng and a son by him, but they separated in 2005.^[4] She married Meng Tong in 2006, and they had a daughter in 2007.^[2]

Although she devoted time to her family and children from 2002 to 2009, she never quit the stage,^[1] and had a prominent role at the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games.^[2]

At the close of 2009 she performed the concert "20 Years of Na", a retrospective of her stage career, at the Capital Gymnasium. Although her 2009 single "The Journey of Love" topped the charts wherever it was released, her early song "Follow Your Instinct" remains her favourite.^[1]

Finally, after almost nine years of hiatus, Na returned to the music scene in 2011, releasing a new album called So...What?. The album reached No.1 position in both mainland China and Taiwan album charts.

In 2012, Na Ying became a coach and judge on the popular television singing show The Voice of China (season 1), along with Yang Kun, Liu Huan and Yu Chengqing.^[2] She returned to the judges panel in 2013 for The Voice of China (season 2), along with Wang Feng, Zhang Hui-mei and Yu Chengqing.

Discography

The following are a selection of her albums released from 1994 to 2011.^[2]

• 1994: 為你朝思暮想 Wèi nǐ zhāo sī mù xiǎng (Dreaming with you)
• 1995: 白天不懂夜的黑 Báitiān bù dǒng yè de hēi (The day doesn't know the night)
• 1998: 征服 Zhēngfú (Conquering)
• 1999: 乾脆 Gāncuì (Totally)
• 2000: 心酸的浪漫 Xīnsuān de làngmàn (Sad and romantic)
• 2001: 我不是天使 Wǒ bùshì tiānshǐ (I'm not an angel)
• 2002: 如今… Rújīn… (Nowadays)
• 2011: 那又怎樣… Nà yòu zěnyàng… (So what?)

References