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 Kangta & Vanness (; ; stylized in all caps), was a one-off pop duo composed of Korean singer Kangta formerly of H.O.T and Taiwanese singer Vanness Wu of F4 (band), F4 fame. They formed in 2006 and had released one studio album, ''Scandal (album), ...

Early life

Wu was born in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...

. He learned to breakdance as a teenager and competed in numerous dance competitions throughout the 90s.

Career

Early career with F4

Wu starred as Mei Zuo (美作), one of the F4 members, in the

Taiwanese drama Taiwanese drama (, also known as T.W. drama) refer to dramatic programming of television programming extended stories usually dramatizing relationships through the general range of ten to forty one-hour episodes. They are produced in Taiwan and hav ...

series '' Meteor Garden'' and its sequel, '' Meteor Garden II''. At the conclusion of the series, they continued to perform together and released three studio albums as the boy band F4. In 2002, Wu became the second F4 member, after Vic Chou, to release his debut solo album, ''Body Will Sing.'' The track, "I Hate Myself" is listed at number 95 on

Hit Fm Taiwan Hit FM is a pop music radio station in Taiwan (Republic of China). It broadcasts in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. Hit FM is owned by Voice of Taipei Broadcasting (台北之音廣播, Pinyin: Táiběi Zhī Yīn Guǎngbō). It is one of the radi ...

's Hit Fm Annual Top 100 Singles Chart for 2002. The album was awarded as one of the "Top 10 Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year" at the 2002 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards, presented by the Hong Kong branch of

IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

. In 2003, he was featured on Beyoncé's single "

Crazy in Love "Crazy in Love" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé, featuring a rap verse and ad-libs from her future husband Jay-Z from her debut solo studio album ''Dangerously in Love'' (2003). The song was released as her official debut single a ...

", featured on her album '' Dangerously in Love''. In 2004, Wu made his film debut in the Hong Kong film ''

Star Runner ''Star Runner'' (), (also known in the United States as ''The Kumite''), is a 2003 Hong Kong action/romance film co-written and directed by Daniel Lee. It is rated PG-13 by the MPAA "for intense sequences of martial arts action violence". Plo ...

'' and was nominated at the

Hong Kong Film Awards The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, ...

for Best Newcomer. In 2006, he collaborated with Korean singer Kangta, forming

. The duo released the album ''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

''. In 2008, Wu was announced as the opening act and special guest for

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

's "Glow in the Dark" concert in Shanghai. They performed the hit song “Good Life”

Solo career success and acting career

Wu has appeared in several Taiwanese dramas as well as motion pictures. In 2009, he starred as Ren Guang Xi in ''

Autumn's Concerto Autumn's Concerto () is a 2009 Taiwanese drama series starring Ady An, Ann Hsu, and Vanness Wu of F4. It was produced by Sanlih E-Television and directed by Wei-ling Chen. The series was filmed from June to December 2009. The series was first ...

'', one of the highest-rated Taiwanese idol drama. He also released his first Japanese single "Only", which entered Top 10 of the Oricon Chart, as well as another single "I Don't Wanna Lose You". In 2010, Wu became the executive producer for the television series ''Year of the Rain''. Wu's third Chinese solo album ''C'est La V'' was released July 2011 under

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

Taiwan. It features collaborations with international artistes such as

Ryan Tedder Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...

from OneRepublic, as well as

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...

and Justin Michael who wrote the track "Knockin". Besides directing, producing, acting, and singing, Wu is also the creator/designer of his own jewelry line 3.V.O.7. He is also the creative director of

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

(greater China division). In 2012, Wu won the "Best Crossover Singer" at the 16th Chinese Global Music Charts. In 2013, Wu joined

Jiangsu TV Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (JSBC) () is China's third biggest television network after China Central Television (CCTV) and Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS). The television network is owned by the Jiangsu provincial government. The network is ...

's diving variety show ''Stars in Danger: The High Dive'', and won the silver medal. In January 2015, Wu was announced to be one of the judges of the talent show '' Asia's Got Talent'', along with Indonesian-French singer

Anggun Anggun Cipta Sasmi (; born 29 April 1974), better known as Anggun C. Sasmi or more often mononymously as Anggun, is an Indonesian-born French singer-songwriter and television personality. Born in Jakarta, she began performing at the age of sev ...

, Canadian musician

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

, and former Spice Girls member Melanie C, which aired from March to May on

AXN Asia AXN is an Asian pay television channel owned by KC Global Media Asia based in Singapore. It primarily airs action, police procedural, and reality shows. The network was formerly wholly owned by Sony Pictures Television, but the Asia Pacific, Midd ...

. In July 2015, Wu returned to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

after a decade of his first visit for the special show for the #LiveinLevis event sponsored by

Levi Levi (; ) was, according to the Book of Genesis, the third of the six sons of Jacob and Leah (Jacob's third son), and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Levi (the Levites, including the Kohanim) and the great-grandfather of Aaron, Moses and ...

's in line with the launch of the Women's Denim Collection for Fall 2015. Wu's performance was a way of thanking the brand's fans and style seekers. In 2016, it was announced that Wu would star in his first Chinese television series ''

The Princess Weiyoung ''The Princess Weiyoung'' () is a 2016 Chinese television series starring Tiffany Tang in the title role, alongside Luo Jin, Vanness Wu, Mao Xiaotong and Li Xinai. It is adapted from the novel ''The Poisonous Daughter'' () by Qin Jian and is a f ...

'' alongside

Tiffany Tang Tang Yan (, born 6 December 1983), also known as Tiffany Tang, is a Chinese actress and singer. She graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in 2006. In 2007, she was nominated for the Best Actress award at the Shanghai Television Festival for h ...

, playing the 5th century prince and then Emperor

Tuoba Yu Tuoba Yu (拓拔余) (died 29 October 452''bingwu'' (1st) day of the 10th month of the 2nd year of the ''Zhengping'' era, per volume 4 (part 2) of ''Book of Wei''), formally Prince Yin of Nan'an (南安隱王), Xianbei name Kebozhen (可博真), wa ...

of the

Northern Wei Dynasty Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern dynasties, it ruled northern China from 386 to 535 during t ...

. He was also in the science fiction film ''Pili Back''. In the same year, he participated with his sister Melody in the third season of '' The Amazing Race China'', based on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

's reality program of the same name, where they were eliminated on the ninth leg and finished 4th. In 2019. he starred in '' Ip Man 4: The Finale'' alongside

Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan (; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and action director. Yen is one of Hong Kong's top action stars. Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream Asian cinema by cho ...

where he played Hartman Wu, a U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant and Bruce Lee's student.

Filmography

Television series

Film

Variety and reality show

Discography

Studio album

Singles

With Kangta and Vanness

* 2006 – ''

'' – Kangta & Vanness Collaboration

Other collaborations

* Beyoncé – "

" (Asian releases only)

004 004, 0O4, O04, OO4 may refer to: * 004, fictional British 00 Agent * 0O4, Corning Municipal Airport (California) * O04, the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation * Abdul Haq Wasiq, Guantanamo detainee 004 * Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet engine * Lauda Ai ...

Coco Lee Coco Lee (; born Ferren Lee, 17 January 1975) is a Hong Kong-American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actress. Lee's career began in Hong Kong and then expanded to Taiwan. Her single, "Do You Want My Love" also entered the US m ...

– "Hip Hop Tonight"

006 Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film '' GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Ale ...

Brian Joo Brian Joo (Korean name: Joo Min-gyu (); born January 10, 1981), better known professionally as Brian (), is a Korean American singer and one-half of the R&B duo Fly to the Sky. His first solo album, ''The Brian'' was released in December 2006. ...

– "Everything to Me"

010 010 may refer to: * 10 (number) * 8 (number) in octal numeral notation * Motorola 68010, a microprocessor released by Motorola in 1982 * 010, the telephone area code of Beijing * 010, the Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the R ...

– 3rd Wave Music – I WILL BE THERE Album – www.3rdwavemusic.org *

Sammi Cheng Sammi Cheng Sau-man (; born 19 August 1972) is a Hong Kong singer and actress. She is considered one of the most prominent female singers in Hong Kong, with album sales of over million copies throughout Asia. Most notably in the 1990s, she was dub ...

– "Forgiveness" (In both English and Chinese)

* Lee Junho – "Undefeated" (M/V)
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(M/V)
* Avicii – "Levels" (Mandarin Version) [2013] *

and Melanie C – "

Let's Groove "Let's Groove" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released as the first single from their eleventh studio album, ''Raise!'' (1981). It is written by Maurice White and Wayne Vaughn, and produced by White. The song was a commercial succ ...

" (charity single for the victims of Nepal earthquake) 015* Danson Tang, Selina Ren,

Diamond Zhang Zhang Bichen (; born September 10, 1989), also known as Diamond Zhang, is a Chinese singer. She was a member of the South Korean girl group Sunny Days (band), Sunny Days. In 2014, she won the Chinese singing contest ''The Voice of China (season ...

, Madoka Yonezawa,

Siwon Choi Si-won (; born 7 April 1986), known mononymously as Siwon, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, model, and actor known for his work as a member of South Korean boy group Super Junior. Choi committed as special representative of UNICEF K ...

Yao Yao Yao Yao may refer to: * Choi Hyo-joo, born Yao Yao, Chinese-South Korean table tennis player * Yuri Huang, stage name Yao Yao, Taiwanese artist * Kuo Shu-yao, nickname Yao Yao, Taiwanese actress and singer See also * llaollao (pronounced as Yao ...

, Rainie Yang,

Amber Kuo Kuo Tsai-chieh (, born 19 February 1986), also known as Amber Kuo, is a Taiwanese singer and actress. Career Kuo made her debut in the music video of "我們小時候" (When We Were Young) by Taiwanese singer Tank. She was also featured in St ...

Wayne Huang Huang Weijin (, born March 23, 1990), also known as Wayne Huang, is a Taiwanese actor, singer, dancer and host. He was a member of the boyband SpeXial from 2012 to 2019, and currently member of another Taiwanese band W0LF(S). Biography Huang w ...

– "Blessing (Chinese edition)" 015

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Vanness 1978 births Living people Male actors from Santa Monica, California American male film actors American emigrants to Taiwan American musicians of Taiwanese descent F4 (band) members Singers from California Japanese-language singers of the United States Musicians from Santa Monica, California Pony Canyon artists Taiwanese male film actors Taiwanese male television actors 21st-century American male actors American male television actors Taiwanese idols Korean-language singers of the United States 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers The Amazing Race contestants