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A-Mei

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Revision as of 03:44, 16 April 2010 by P00p (talk | contribs)
A-Mei as Amit (2009)

A-Mei (張惠妹) is a Taiwanese pop singer, singed to Warner Music Taiwan. She was born as a princess of a Puyuma, a Taiwanese aborigine. She was always coined as "Pride of Taiwan" and "Taiwanese Madonna". She was once banned from Mainland China but as of 2004, the ban has been lifted, enabling her to once again have successful concert tours reaching from Taiwan to Beijing.

In 2009, A-Mei has decided to release an album under her Puyuma aboriginal name, Amit, which is to symbolize a new sound and style from the artist.

Profile

  • Name: A-Mei
  • Real name: Chang Hui Mei / Zhāng Huì Mèi
  • Birth date: August 9, 1972
  • Birth place: Taitung, Taiwan
  • Height: 158cm
  • Weight: 48kg
  • Blood Type: O

Information

Forward Music - Debut And Success

A-Mei debuted in 1996 after participating in a single with mentor and producer, Chang Yu Sheng and singing the theme song to the Taiwan Radio UFO Station. Not long after she released her debut album, Sisters, which was a massive hit and launched A-Mei to the top of the charts. Popular singles included the ballads "Yuan Lai Ni Shen Me Dou Bu Yao" (原來你什麼都不要) and "Jie Tuo" (解脫) as well as the title track, all of which have become classics in Mandopop. Less than a year after her debut, A-Mei released her second album, Bad Boy, which was even more popular. The album's singles "Ting Hai", "Bad Boy" and "Ku Bu Chu Lai" all became massive hits. Not long after the album was released, her producer Chang Yu Sheng, died in a serious traffic accident. She ended the year with the release of A*Mei LIVE in Concert 1998 Prelude, a collection of songs that were to be performed in her 1998 tour.

A-Mei's third album would be released after a tour around Asia. Holding Hands was another big success for the young artist, although fans and critics had begun to worry about the declining quality of her voice. In 1999, she followed up her third album with the release of a single. "Feel A*Mei" included the song "Gei Wo Gan Jue" (給我感覺), which was used to help advertise Sprite. Only a few months later A-Mei released her fourth studio album, Can I Hold You? Lover. The album topped charts and also showed off her Japanese language skills with the song "Hao Xiang Jian Ni" (好想見你). She ended the year with her second Asia tour.

Before her fifth and final album under Forward Music was released, A-Mei was involved in a cross-straits controversy due to singing the R.O.C national anthem at the presidential inauguration of Chen Shui Bian in early 2000. The government in China banned her from visiting and performing in the country, which pushed endorsements to cut her off. A-Mei soon took a break and then released Regardless in December. Her last release under Forward Music would come in 2001 in the form of a compilation, which included her biggest hits released under the label.

Warner Music - Continued Success, Decline And Comeback

In early 2001, A-Mei switched from Forward Music to Warner Music. Later that year, she returned to the charts with the album Truth. It proved to be another hit for the singer with its popular ballad and pop singles as well as numerous awards won. The album also included the Mandarin rendition of the theme song to the movie Pearl Harbor. The next year, the singer was included in a special issue of Time magazine, which included an interview discussing her music career. Not long after, she released her second Warner Music album, Fever. Due to popularity of the album, A-Mei embarked on a tour around Asia shortly after the albums release. Her 2003 album, Brave, was met with the same response. She held numerous concerts around Taiwan to celebrate its release.

In early 2004, A-Mei was yet again under fire by the cross-straits controversies. This led to some concerts having to be canceled due to the high amount of tension developed between the political figures on both sides, although she did perform overseas a few months later when things cooled down. She then released her ninth album, Maybe Tomorrow. While it performed well at first, it fell off the charts quickly due to its sound, which was different from the standard Mandarin pop sound at that time. Despite the album under-performing, A-Mei became the ambassador for the Tourism Bureau of Taiwan.

2005 was met without an album release, but with much activity from the singer. She traveled to numerous countries like the U.S.A and Sudan for schooling as well as charities. She also became the representative of Mass Culture and Entertainment in Taiwan due to her participation in a discovery channel show. In early 2006, she finally returned to the music scene with the album, I Want Happiness?. Unlike her past release, this one was received positively and brought A-Mei back to the top of the charts. The title track became one of the biggest hits of the year. This studio album would be the last released under Warner Music as A-Mei signed a three-year contract with EMI Capitol in early 2007.

EMI Capitol - STAR and an Alter Ego

In summer 2007, A-Mei released STAR. Like her last album, this one was met with positive reviews and became a top seller in Taiwan as well as other countries in Asia. It boasted numerous hits like "Yong Yuan De Kuai Le", "Ru Guo Ni Ye Ting Shuo" and a duet with then rising star, Jam Hsiao. Due to the albums success, a tour was then embarked only a few months after its release. While 2007 was an active year for the singer, A-Mei cooled things down in 2008 with only a few live performances sprouting between her tour dates.

A-Mei returned in 2009 with an even bigger impact. In June, she released her first album under her native name "AMIT". Unlike past albums, which focused on her ballads and upbeat pop songs, A-Mei ventured into rock. Despite its differences in genres, the album proved to be a major success and peaked at #1 for three weeks.

Discography

A-Mei promoting Brave (2003)

Albums

Other Albums

Singles

External Links

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