Vivian Hsu (
Atayal: ; ; born March 19, 1975) is a
Taiwanese
Taiwanese may refer to:
* Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien
* Something from or related to Taiwan (Formosa)
* Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan
* Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan
* Taiwanese people, r ...
singer and actress.
Hsu rose to prominence in Japan, where she made her first appearance in 1995 and has become a highly recognized celebrity with her countless appearances in media during the late 1990s.
She was also the main vocalist for Black Biscuits, a Japanese dance band which released four singles, ''Stamina'', ''Timing'', ''Relax'', ''Bye-Bye'', and one album, ''Life''. ''Timing'' is one of the most successful songs of 1998.
Early life
The second of three children, Hsu was born to a
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
father and
Tayal Taiwanese mother as Hsu Su-chuan (), and used this name until she began her modeling career. Her parents divorced when she was a young child. She attended
Taichung
Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of T ...
Jianxing Elementary School and Taipei Shulinguo Junior High School.
Career
Hsu's career in entertainment industry started after winning first place in a "Talented Beautiful Girl" contest held by Taiwan's
CTS
Cts or CTS may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* Chinese Television System, a Taiwanese broadcast television station, including:
** CTS Main Channel ()
** CTS Education and Culture ()
** CTS Recreation ()
** CTS News and Info () ...
in 1990. At that point, she was working by delivering food on her bicycle, and her customers began to recognise her from her television appearances. The same year she joined a musical trio named "Girls' Team" (少女隊). They released two albums, in 1991 and 1992, then broke up. Following this, Hsu started modeling.
Modelling
As a model, she posed in two photobooks titled ''Angel'' (天使心) and ''Venus''. ''Angel'', published in 1995, was shot in
Capri
Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has be ...
and
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
. ''Venus'', published on July 7, 1996, was shot in Mexico and had separate runs in Taiwan and Japan.
Hsu's success in modeling achieved its zenith in July 1996 when she was featured on the cover of two biography (the Japanese edition, and the comparatively low-distribution Hong Kong edition). Like the photobooks, both these items have become very sought after by collectors and fans.
Hsu has continued to model for designers such as
Hang Ten,
Gucci
Gucci (, ; ) is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty, Inc. for fragranc ...
and Mode Marie, and has modelled in all three of her brief, autobiographical books: ''Earth Onigiri'' (2001), ''Privacy'' (2001, ), and ''Wo Ai Taiwan'' (2002). In addition, most of her musical albums contain substantial inserts featuring new modelling work.
Acting
Hsu has appeared in a number of films and television programs both in China and Japan. She appeared in the ambitious 2006 mainland China-Taiwan-Hong Kong collaboration ''
The Knot'', a
romance film
Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typica ...
that takes place between the
CCP's takeover of mainland China and the present. Her debut film was ''
Shaolin Popey'' (1994), a
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...
which became a box office hit in Taiwan and Hong Kong. She also has some experience as a
voice actress
Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
, having voiced
Aisha
Aisha ( ar, , translit=ʿĀʾisha bint Abī Bakr; , also , ; ) was Muhammad's third and youngest wife. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" ( ar, links=no, , ʾumm al- muʾminīn), referr ...
in ''
Gundam SEED'' for three episodes.
Hsu also starred in three Hong Kong motion pictures, ''Hunting List'', ''Devil Angel'' and ''Angel Heart''. She appeared in the 2001 film ''
The Accidental Spy
''The Accidental Spy'' () is a 2001 Hong Kong martial arts action film starring Jackie Chan, produced by Chan and Raymond Chow, and directed by Teddy Chan. Filming took place in Seoul, Hong Kong, Istanbul and Cappadocia, Turkey.
Although it ...
'', with
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
. She played the role of Chao Jiale in ''Love Storm'' (2003), alongside
Vic Chou
Vic Chou () is a Taiwanese actor and singer. He is a member of the Taiwanese boy band F4.
Career F4
Chou rose to fame for his role as Hua Ze Lei in the highly popular Taiwan television series '' Meteor Garden''. At the conclusion of the series ...
and
Ken Chu
Ken Chu () is a Taiwanese singer, composer, actor, cook; and a member of Taiwanese Mandopop vocal quartet boy band F4. Educated in Singapore (Boon Lay Secondary School), he speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English.
Biography
Chu was working ...
. She also composed and sang the opening theme for this series, ''Decide to Love You'' (決定愛你), which was released as a single in 2003. As with many actors and actresses, she appears from time to time in commercials and as spokesperson for various causes. In 2006, Hsu played a role in the film ''The Shoe Fairy of Do Do'', a modern
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cult ...
.
Since 2010 she has appeared in television commercials for the
aesthetic salon Slim Beauty House, and
Kao's ''Essential''
hair care
Hair care is an overall term for hygiene and cosmetology involving the hair which grows from the human scalp, and to a lesser extent facial, pubic and other body hair. Hair care routines differ according to an individual's culture and the p ...
brand line as one of its three newfaces along with
Yuriko Yoshitaka and
Nozomi Sasaki.
Music
Hsu released her first solo single in 1995. She released her first full-length album, ''
Tianshi Xiang'' (天使想) in 1996. Shortly thereafter, she took a speed course in Korean, and released a Korean version of the album titled ''
Cheonsa Misonyeo'' (天使美少女). Unusually, neither of Hsu's first two albums was sung in her native language.
In 1997, with two Japanese comedians—
Kyoya Nanami and
Amazan—and later with a second female vocalist known as 'Keddy', she was included in a musical act known as the Black Biscuits. The group was formed primarily as a "rival band" for the Japanese music group Pocket Biscuits, which was the creation of the Japanese variety show ''Utchan Nanchan no UriNari''. Between 1997 and 1999, they released four hit singles and a full-length album, ''Life''. Their single CD ''Timing'' recorded 1.5 million sales in 1998. They participated in
Kōhaku Uta Gassen
, more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...
in 1998.
Towards the end of the group's run, they failed to accomplish one of the challenges set forth by the variety show and the resulting punishment was the disbanding of Black Biscuits.
During this period, Hsu also released two more solo albums: ''
Da Mafan'' (大麻煩) in 1998, and ''
Bubai de Lianren'' (不敗の戀人) in 1999. She followed ''Bubai de Lianren'' with a Japanese translation, ''Fuhai no Koibito'', in 2000.
Later that same year she released another new album, ''
Jiaban de Tianshi
''假扮的天使'' (py. Jiǎbàn de Tiānshǐ, English; "Pretend Angel") is an album by Taiwanese people, Taiwanese singer Vivian Hsu, released September 19, 2000 on the BMG label. This is Vivian's first album that prominently features hard rock ...
'' (假扮的天使).
In 2001, she formed The d.e.p with Masahide Sakuma,
Gota Yashiki, Masami Tsuchiya and Mick Karn. The band was short-lived: by the end of the year they had released all the music they ever would. This amounted to two singles and a full-length album, ''地球的病気 -We Are the d.e.p-''.
Over the next two years, she released a few more singles, including, alongside Kazuma Endo of
Siam Shade, ''Moment'', the second opening theme to ''
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
is an anime series developed by Sunrise and directed by Mitsuo Fukuda. The ninth installment in the '' Gundam'' franchise, ''Gundam SEED'' takes place in a future calendar era, in this case the Cosmic Era. In this era, mankind has dev ...
'', followed in 2003 by her next solo album, ''
The Secret to Happiness Is Love''. Her last album is ''
Hen Hen Ai'' (狠狠愛), released in April 2005. Her most recent album is ''
Vivi and...'', released in September 2006. For this album, Hsu collaborated with many artists and people including Jay Chou, Wang Leehom, Gary Cao, Nicky Lee and even her little brother and uncle.
Hsu returned to Japan after a seven-year absence to release her new single ''Beautiful Day'' on March 3, 2010.
Hsu's music, especially in her later work, covers a great range of genres. Included are slow love songs, R&B, hard rock, and of course J-pop. She has even dabbled in rap. This, combined with the fact that she is fluent in
Mandarin,
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
, and Japanese makes her a very versatile artist.
Hsu is also an accomplished lyricist. Her lyric-writing talent first gained serious notice when she completed several songs for Taiwan's R&B singer-songwriter
Jay Chou. By proving that she is not just another pretty idol, but a very capable artist, Hsu surprised both her critics and adorned fans. She continued to collaborate with Jay on his second and third albums after his triumphant self-titled debut, and co-wrote songs for other pop performers, such as
Leehom Wang
Wang Leehom (; born May 17, 1976), sometimes credited as Leehom Wang, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, producer, and film director. Formally trained at Eastman School of Music, Williams College and Berklee College of Music, his music i ...
,
Vanness Wu
Vanness Wu (; born August 7, 1978) is a Taiwanese-American singer and actor. He is a member of the Taiwanese boyband F4 and the Korean Mandopop duo Kangta & Vanness.
Early life
Wu was born in Santa Monica, California. He learned to breakda ...
,
Show Lo
Show Lo Chih Hsiang (; born July 30, 1979) is a Taiwanese singer, actor and host. He is commonly known by his nickname Hsiao Chu (Little Pig) (). Lo is recognized for his trademark dance music and comedic talent. He has over 50 million followe ...
and
Gigi Leung
Gigi Leung Wing-kei (Chinese: 梁詠琪, born 25 March 1976) is a Hong Kong singer and actress.
Early life
She was born at Tsan Yuk Hospital in Sai Ying Pun on 25 March 1976 and was given the name Leung Pik-chi () for superstitious reasons; as ...
. Her lyric work is much praised for its clever and straightforward simplicity.
Personal life
In January 2014, Vivian got engaged to 36-year-old Singapore businessman Sean Lee of Marco Polo Marine Limited. They held a wedding ceremony in Bali, Indonesia on June 26. Hsu announced her pregnancy in March 2015 via Facebook calling the pregnancy a "surprise" and "heaven sent" and said it came at a time when the self-professed workaholic promised to clear her work schedule in 2015 to focus on starting a family. On August 13, 2015, she gave birth to a boy, Dalton.
Filmography
Discography
Songwriting credits
* Adorable Woman, Jay from ''
Jay''
* Tornado, Jay Chou from ''Jay''
* Istanbul, Jay Chou from ''Jay''
* Simple Love, Jay Chou ''
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
''
* Can't Say Anything, Jay from ''Fantasy''
* The Cliff of Love, Jay Chou from ''
Yeh Hui-Mei''
* Want to love you, Jerry Yen "Jerry for you the first time"
* Imagine ten of you, Vanness Wu "Body Can Sing"
* That girl, Vanness Wu "Body Can Sing"
* Fantastic love, Vanness Wu "V.Dubb"
* Reborn, Ken "Never Stop"
* Journey, Fei "Trip EP "
* Paradise, Harlem Yu "Harlem Heaven"
* Emergency Tears, Gigi "Magical Season"
* Hold you tight, Gigi "Sense of Belonging"
* Confessions, Zhang Huichun "Solo"
* Love, Nicholas Tse "Release"
* You say yours I say mine, Show Lo "Show Time"
* Happiness Hunter, Show Lo "SPEShow"
* Love Castle, Cyndi "Honey"
* Go with you Kim Jeong Hoon "Love Strategy"
* If you love, Khalil Fong "Orange Moon"
* Listen to me, Ruby
* Walking together, Kim Jeong Hoon "Love Strategy"
* The Daily Recipes,
Wang Leehom
Wang Leehom (; born May 17, 1976), sometimes credited as Leehom Wang, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, producer, and film director. Formally trained at Eastman School of Music, Williams College and Berklee College of Music, his music ...
"
The 18 Martial Arts"
* The Everlasting Happiness, BoBo "Let's BoBo"
References
External links
*
Vivian Hsu at Universal Music JapanVivian Hsu at AmebaVivian Hsu at Avex Taiwan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hsu, Vivian
1975 births
Living people
20th-century Taiwanese actresses
21st-century Taiwanese actresses
Expatriate television personalities in Japan
Japanese gravure idols
Japanese-language singers of Taiwan
Actresses from Taichung
Atayal people
Taiwanese Buddhists
Taiwanese expatriates in Japan
Taiwanese film actresses
Taiwanese female models
Taiwanese Mandopop singer-songwriters
Taiwanese television actresses
Taiwanese voice actresses
Taiwanese idols
20th-century Taiwanese women singers
21st-century Taiwanese women singers
Musicians from Taichung
Taiwanese people of Hakka descent