Wanting Qu

Wanting Qu (; born October 10, 1984), known simply as Wanting, is a Chinese pianist and singer-songwriter who is currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Career

Wanting Qu was born and raised in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, where her mother worked as a city official. She moved to Canada at 16 to study, eventually earning a degree in international business, and relocated to Vancouver where she began her musical career.

In 2009, she became the first Chinese artist to be signed to the Nettwerk label; she is managed by Terry McBride. Her first album, ''Everything in the World'' (produced by Winston Hauschild and jointly released with Universal Music China in 2012) went platinum in China within its first week on sale, and her singles "You Exist in My Song" and "Drenched" were used in the soundtrack for the Hong Kong film ''Love in the Buff''. The music video for "You Exist in My Song" is one of seven Chinese music videos to reach 200 millions on YouTube.

In 2013, she became the first ever tourism ambassador for Vancouver, with the intention of raising Canada's profile among destinations for Chinese visitors.

Qu appeared on the 2013 CCTV New Year's Gala, where she performed "You Exist in My Song".

The song "Star in You" from the album ''Everything in the World'' was featured in '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' in the episode "Bitter Sweet Symphony, Part II" on February 22, 2013.

On October 26, 2015, while making the third album; Qu released her new English single "Love Birds" on her YouTube channel.

Personal life

It was reported in January 2015 that Qu and Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson were dating, and they publicly confirmed that they were in a relationship in February 2015. The relationship drew criticism from some as Robertson was still married to Amy Robertson (although the two had separated). Qu and Robertson broke up in May 2017.

On April 24, 2015, Qu's mother Zhang Mingjie was arrested in China due to severe corruption, embezzlement (of roughly $350 million CNY or $55 million USD) and abuse of power, claiming that she had participated in the "sale of state properties below market value for personal profit". Qu's mother had previously been relieved from her duties related to the city's urban construction and renewal activities in the fall of 2014. Qu did not publicly comment on the matter, but uploaded an "enigmatic" photo to her Weibo account urging "patience". She later posted a message on Instagram saying "I want nothing but love, health and happiness for her. She's my mother. I'm her only child. No one can replace her in my heart. Despite our differences, we share the same blood." Both Qu's record label and Mayor Robertson's office declined to comment, with Robertson's director of communications saying "That's not something that this office would be commenting on". In 2016, it was reported that Qu's mother is facing the death penalty in China.

On March 9, 2018, Qu gave an update on her mother's case, saying that she believed Chinese law was "perfect and righteous" and that she had faith there would be a positive outcome. She added that no judgment had been issued since the trial's end in 2016. Qu's comments regarding her mother being "her hero" have caused controversy in China, with some accusing Qu of overlooking the seriousness of the case and refusing to believe her mother could be guilty. On 18 November 2021, Qu's mother Zhang Mingjie was sentenced to life imprisonment after the courts of China found her guilty of bribery and abuse of power.

Discography

* ''Everything in the World'' (2012)
* ''Say the Words'' (2013)
* ''LLL'' (2017)

Awards

Global Chinese music awards

Qu has won three Global Chinese Music Awards.

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, rowspan="3", 2012 , , rowspan="2", Wanting Qu , , Best Newcomer , ,
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, Outstanding Regional Artist Award (Beijing) , ,
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, "You Exist in My Song" , , Best Song , ,

Chinese music awards

Qu has won four Chinese Music Awards.

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, rowspan="4", 2012 , , rowspan="3", Wanting Qu , , Best New Artist , ,
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, Best New Original Artist , ,
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, Best Music Composer , ,
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, "You Exist in My Song" , , Best Song , ,

Music Times Awards

Qu has won one Music Times Award.

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, 2012 , , ''Everything in the World'' , , Best Album of the Year , ,

References

Her mother embezzled a huge amount of public funds for his study abroad and his father's consumption, which led to the breakdown of countless families in China that year

External links

*

Official biography
at Nettwerk

Biography
at AllMusic


at TikTok

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qu, Wanting

1984 births
Living people
21st-century Chinese women singers
21st-century Chinese women pianists
Chinese expatriates in Canada
Chinese women singer-songwriters
Musicians from Harbin
Nettwerk Music Group artists
Seneca College alumni