Kimberley Chen Fang-yu (born 23 May 1994) is an Australian singer, actress and model based in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. In 2009, she landed her first hit with the love ballad "愛你" (Aini, "Love You"). In 2012, she became a professional singer in Taiwan, singing in both English and

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

. Chen briefly worked with the B.ANGEL production house in 2014 before signing with Hong Kong–based company Sharp Music, eventually appearing in the Chinese version of

Produce 101 ''Produce 101'' () is a reality television talent competition franchise created by South Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ E&M, based around the formation of a K-pop girl group or boy group. The format is noted for having no panel of judges ...

in 2018. She was appointed A+, the highest ranking in the show, and received over 4.3 billion views for each of her performances. In 2019, Chen left Sharp Music due to Sharp Music's breach of contract. She dropped all charges in hope for peace but they continued to defame her using the media. She then filed for defamation and they were forced to stop harassing her. According to sources they unrightfully took a lot of her money. In 2020, she signed to Chynahouse, belonging to Kkbox, the first streaming platform and largest digital conglomerate in

. Chen has been banned in Mainland China as a result of the song and music video " Fragile" a collaboration with Malaysian-Chinese hip hop artist Namewee which went viral in October 2021.

Early and personal life

Chen grew up in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

as the daughter of Malaysian migrants. She attended

Tintern Grammar Tintern Grammar (also known as Tintern) is an independent, Anglican day school for girls and boys located in Ringwood East, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1877 by Emma Bartlet Cook, Tintern has a non-selective enr ...

and the

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM). It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus ...

. Chen began her singing career at the age of four, first coached by her father. She performed regularly at charity concerts and clubs. Later, she was trained by Vladimir Vasilev, the conductor and musical director of the Russian

Bolshoi Ballet The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest Ballet company, ballet companies. In the early 20th century, it ca ...

for over five years. She learnt Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, HipHop, Locking, Popping, acrobatics and acting. She was offered 3 scholarships by the age of 10 but had to turn them down due to her other work. She was the only child model on

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

's ''

The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is an American television game show where contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their The Price Is Right (1956 American game ...

''. In 2005 and 2006, she appeared as Young Nala in the Broadway production of Disney's ''The Lion King'' in

and

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. From a young age, Chen was active on media and appeared in a

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

commercial that aired throughout Asia. During the East Timor Crisis, she donated to Caritas Australia to directly aid East Timor. At the age of eight, she sang and danced a rendition of

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

's song, Let's Get Loud, with back-up dancers on the

Royal Children's Hospital The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH), colloquially referred to as the Royal Children's, is a major children's hospital in Parkville, Victoria, Parkville, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Regarded as one of the great C ...

's ''2003 Good Friday Appeal'' fundraiser on the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

. Discovered by Grundy Television executive director Michael Whyte, Chen was offered an ongoing role as the featured child model on ''

'' for its 2003 revival. She performed in over 400 episodes on the

over 2 years. Later in 2005, Chen was selected by

JYP Entertainment JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1997 by Park Jin-young, J. Y. Park. Operating as a record label, talent ...

in New York City as a trainee to debut in America. Yolanda Wyns trained her in singing, dancing, and acting. She left

in 2009 when the company decided to close down their U.S. operations. She was offered to become a trainee in South Korea instead but since her parents didn't have any plans to relocate to South Korea she turned down the offer. Chen recorded with

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-award winners Gordon Chambers and Barry Eastmond. She was also trained by Jermaine Browne and Jazzy J. In March 2007, Chen was selected to sing the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

at the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

NAB Cup Grand Final. Chen's whole family relocated to Taiwan in 2009 to pursue her professional singing career. When arriving, she had little command of

. She studied the language intensively, which was key to her ability to succeed in the Asian music market. In March 2010, she was invited to compete in the Taiwanese televised singing competition ''

One Million Star ''One Million Star'' () is a television singing competition in Taiwan broadcast on China Television (CTV). It debuted on 5 January 2007, filling the 10pm to midnight time slot on Friday evenings. The show is hosted by Tao Ching-Ying (陶晶瑩) ...

''. She was then asked to be the guest singer for

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...

's All I Ever Wanted World Tour in

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

. Chen has released five studio albums and is currently signed to Chynahouse. In 2022, she came out that she is pansexual.

Music career

2012: Debut with ''Kimberley''

After nearly three years of preparation, Chen's debut album was released on 27 April 2012, featuring six Mandarin songs and five English songs. Two of her songs were featured on the Taiwanese series '' Fondant Garden'' starring Park Jung-min. Her debut single "愛你 (Love You)" has been a success on YouTube, with over 106 million views and generally positive comments. Chen's second single, "Never Change," co-written with Australian artist Don Bianco, was the first for which she contributed music and lyrics. Chen has released music videos of her two singles: ''愛你'' (Love You), also starring JPM, and "廖允傑" (LilJay). They have been a success on YouTube, gaining over 15 million views. In Taiwan, she has come first in KKBOX charts with her debut album ezPeer, 台灣大哥大, 中華電信 and 遠傳電信, topping

ringtone A ringtone is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming telephone call. Originally referring to the sound of electromechanical striking of bells or gongs, the term refers to any sound by any device alerting of an incoming call. On p ...

download charts.

2013: ''Kimbonomics''

Sony Music announced on 16 December 2013, that Chen would be releasing her second studio album, ''Kimbonomics''. The album was released on 25 December 2013 and contained 10 tracks. It placed 4th on the weekly music charts of KKBOX in Taiwan on 25 January 2014.

2017–2018: ''#Tag Me'' and Produce 101 China

In late 2017, Chen released her third studio album, #Tag Me. In 2018 she was one of the participants in

and finished No. 26. In 2024 Chen released her 5th studio album titled kiki. This album highlights and raises awareness on animal rights and global warming.

Discography

* ''

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

'' (2012) * ''Kimbonomics'' (2013) * '' #Tag Me'' (2017) * ''Princess Tendencies'' (2020) * ''Up on the Roof'' (2022)

Filmography

Television

Music video appearances

* 2012 – "Internet", from ''Kimberley'' with JPM * 2021 – "玻璃心 Fragile", from ''鬼才做音樂 Ghosician'' with Namewee 黃明志

Awards and nominations

2012 Metro Radio Mandarin Hits Music Awards Presentation

Global Chinese Pop chart

2012 Metro Hit Awards

2012 Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation

2012 Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award Concert

Canadian Chinese Music Pop chart

KKBOX Music Awards

Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards

2013 HITO Music Awards

Neway Karaoke Songs chart

2015 Music King Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Kimberley 1994 births Living people Australian child actresses Australian women singers Australian people of Malaysian descent Victorian College of the Arts alumni Australian people of Chinese descent Australian musical theatre actresses Australian expatriates in Taiwan Actresses from Melbourne Singers from Melbourne One Million Star contestants Produce 101 (Chinese TV series) contestants 21st-century Australian actresses