Vanness Wu (; born August 7, 1978) is a Taiwanese-American singer and actor. He was 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 fame. They formed in 2006 and had released one studio album, ''Scandal''. Formation and ...

Early life

Born in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, on August 7, 1978. After graduating, he moved to

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 ...

to pursue a career in entertainment. He learned to breakdance as a teenager and competed in numerous dance competitions throughout the '90s and featured in the 1998

breakdancing Breakdancing or breaking, also called b-boying (when performed by men) or b-girling (women), is a style of street dance originated by African Americans and Nuyorican, Puerto Ricans in The Bronx borough of New York City. Breakdancing consist ...

-themed music video for

Jason Nevins Jason Nevins (born December 15, 1972) is an American songwriter, record producer and remixer, who is most widely known for his pop and dance productions, including his multi-platinum, multi-million selling production of " It's Like That" by Ameri ...

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

of Run-D.M.C.'s " It's Like That".

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 ha ...

series '' Meteor Garden'' and its sequel, ''

Meteor Garden II ''Meteor Garden II'' () is a 2002 Taiwanese television series starring Barbie Hsu, Jerry Yan, Vic Chou, Ken Chu, Vanness Wu and Michelle Saram. Produced by Comic Ritz International Production (可米瑞智國際藝能有限公司) with Angi ...

''. At the conclusion of the series, they continued to perform together and released three studio albums as the

boy band A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...

F4. In 2002, Wu became the second F4 member, after

Vic Chou Vic Chou (; born June 9, 1981) 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 conc ...

, 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. It broadcasts in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. Hit FM is owned by Voice of Taipei Broadcasting (). It is one of the radio stations undeHitoradio.com Hit FM is the highest-rated Top Ten radio stati ...

'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 performed a

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin ( ; zh, s=, t=, p=Guānhuà, l=Mandarin (bureaucrat), officials' speech) is the largest branch of the Sinitic languages. Mandarin varieties are spoken by 70 percent of all Chinese speakers over a large geographical area that stretch ...

rap in a version

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

's single "

Crazy in Love "Crazy in Love" is a song by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé featuring guest vocals from American rapper Jay-Z. It was written by Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Rich Harrison, and produced by the last two. "Crazy in Love" is a pop, hip hop, and ...

", featured on the Asian special edition of her album ''

Dangerously in Love ''Dangerously in Love'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé. It was released on June 20, 2003, by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. During the recording of Destiny's Child's third studio albu ...

''. In 2004, Wu made his film debut in the Hong Kong film ''

Star Runner ''Star Runner'' ( zh, t=少年阿虎), (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 act ...

'' 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 typically take place in April, and have mostly been held at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre since 1991. The a ...

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

Kangta An Chil-hyun (; born October 10, 1979), known professionally as Kangta (stylized sometimes in all caps and formerly as KangTa; ), is a South Korean singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, actor and radio personality. He is well known as a ...

, 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 a ...

''. 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 and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

'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 (modern genre), drama series starring Ady An, Ann Hsu, and Vanness Wu of F4 (band), F4. It was produced by Sanlih E-Television and directed by Chen Wei-ling (director), Chen Wei-ling. The series was ...

'', one of the highest-rated Taiwanese idol drama. He also released his first Japanese single "Only", which entered Top 10 of the

Oricon Chart , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in N ...

, 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 Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...

Taiwan. It features collaborations with international artistes such as

Ryan Tedder Ryan Benjamin Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, frontman, and lead vocalist for the pop rock band OneRepublic, while also serving as a prolific cont ...

from

OneRepublic OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado, formed in 2002. The lineup currently consists of Ryan Tedder (lead vocals, piano), Zach Filkins (guitar, viola), Drew Brown (musician), Drew Brown (guitar), Brent Kutzle ( ...

, as well as

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...

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 footwear and clothing brand 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 which had bee ...

(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 ''Asia's Got Talent'' is a televised Asian talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Produced and aired by AXN Asia, it was created in the wake of the successes of both ''America's Got Tale ...

'', along with Indonesian-French singer

Anggun Anggun Cipta Sasmi (; (born 29 April 1974), known mononymously as Anggun, is an Indonesian-French singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born in Jakarta, she began performing at the age of seven and recorded a children's album two yea ...

, Canadian musician

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s befor ...

, and former

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...

member

Melanie C Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974), commonly known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. W ...

, which aired from March to May on

AXN Asia AXN is a pan-Asian pay television channel owned by KC Global Media Asia and headquartered in Singapore. The channel primarily airs action shows, notably police procedural dramas, with most of its content originating in North America. Formally a ...

. In July 2015, Wu returned to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

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 Israelites, Israelite Tribe of Levi (the Levites, including the Kohanim) and the great-grandfather of Aaron ...

'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 Xin'ai. Adapted from the novel ''The Concubine's Daughter is Poisonous'' by Qin Jian, i ...

'' alongside

Tiffany Tang Tang Yan ( zh, c=唐嫣, p=Táng Yān, born 6 December 1983), also known as Tiffany Tang, is a Chinese actress and singer. She is known for her roles in the television series '' Chinese Paladin 3'' (2009), '' My Daughters'' (2011), '' Perfect Coupl ...

, playing the 5th century prince and then Emperor

Tuoba Yu Tuoba Yu (拓拔余) (died 29 October 452), posthumous name Prince Yin of Nan'an (南安隱王), Xianbei name Kebozhen (可博真; "''The Gatekeeper''"), was briefly an emperor of the Xianbei-led Chinese Northern Wei dynasty. He was placed on the t ...

of the

Northern Wei Dynasty Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an imperial dynasty of Chi ...

. 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 ''The Amazing Race China'' () (Previously known as ''The Amazing Race'') is a Chinese reality competition show based on the American series ''The Amazing Race (American TV series), The Amazing Race''. Following the premise of other versions in ...

'', based on

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

's reality program of the

same name ''Same Name'' is an American reality television series in which an average person swaps lives with a celebrity of the same first and last name. It premiered on July 24, 2011 on CBS. The series received low ratings, and CBS pulled it after four-ep ...

, 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 ( zh, c=甄子丹, p=Zhēn Zǐdān, j=, first=j; born 27 July 1963) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. He is the recipient of various accolades, including three Golden Horse Fi ...

where he played Hartman Wu, a

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

Staff Sergeant and

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...

's student.

Filmography

Television series

Film

Variety and reality show

Discography

Studio album

Singles

With Kangta and Vanness

* 2006 – ''

'' – Kangta & Vanness Collaboration

Other collaborations

– "

" (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 * La ...

Coco Lee CoCo Lee ( zh, c=李玟; 17 January 1975 – 5 July 2023) was a Chinese-American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is one of the best-selling artists in Asia and widely regarded as a significant figure and a diva. Her career began in 1993 i ...

– "Hip Hop Tonight"

006 Alec Trevelyan is a fictional character who is the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye,'' portrayed by actor Sean Bean. Bean's likeness was also used as the model for Alec Trevelyan in the 1997 video game '' GoldenEye 007' ...

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 ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest ...

– 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 25 million copies throughout the Asia-pacific. Most notably in the 199 ...

– "Forgiveness" (In both English and Chinese)

* Lee Junho – "Undefeated" (M/V)
* 012
(M/V)
* Avicii – "Levels" (Mandarin Version) [2013">Avicii">012
(M/V)
* Avicii – "Levels" (Mandarin Version) [2013*

and

– "Let's Groove" (charity single for the victims of April 2015 Nepal earthquake, Nepal earthquake) [2015]

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