Gary Chaw
Encyclopedia
Gary Chaw was born on 9 July 1979 in Kota Belud
, Sabah
, Malaysia, also known as Gary Cao or Cao Ge. He is a Malaysian Chinese
Golden Melody Awards singer-songwriter
based in Taiwan
, who has had achieved success in Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong
, and Singapore
. He is renowned for his stage presence, wide vocal range, and rich voice. In addition, he composes for himself and other singers.
. He later went on to continue his studies in Engineering at the University of Auckland
in New Zealand. However, he left New Zealand before completing his studies.
, such as "Moon River", to songs that are mezzo-soprano
range, such as "Ting Hai". Including chest and mix voices, his vocal range is from G3 to C6.
In 2008 he composed and sang a song for the 2008 Beijing Olympics that was released in a Rock records CD called "Far away" (一起飞). The album was titled after the song he composed. Other Rock Records artists that took part include Genie Zhuo
, 2moro
, Alien Huang
, Tracy Zhou, 魏雪漫, 元若篮， 宇绗，吴忠明，and various others.
In 2006 Chaw won Hong Kong TVB8's Best Newcomer Singer award. His big break occurred with the release of his Mandarin
version of Karyn White
's 1988 song "Superwoman". With this song, he won the Best Mandarin Male singer in the 19th Golden Melody Awards
. Since then he has released a number of albums.
Gary has written some chart-topping songs in Taiwan sung by S.H.E
, Cyndi Wang
, and Aaron Kwok
. In a recent interview with MTV
, Chaw admitted (fluently in English) that he is a shy guy who does not express himself well through words but relatively well enough in the songs he sings. His early influences came from admiration of Stevie Wonder
and R Kelly.
1,600 (about HK$4,000). He tried to get into numerous record companies who criticised him harshly for being ugly and lacking talent. After many failures Chaw became an alcoholic, battled insomnia
, unemployment, suffered from severe depression, loss of friends and confidence. He soon hit rock bottom.
One day he went out to Shilin Night Market
. He stumbled across a homeless cat
with no owner. He took this cat home and raised it since they both were unwanted by society. He named it "Lin Lin" and wrote a song for the cat "The world's only you" (世界唯一的你). From then on, his career completely changed. After three years of hard work, he signed with Rock Records
.
Kota Belud
Kota Belud is a town located in West Coast Division, in the center of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo. Its population was estimated to be around 72,337 in 2000, almost evenly divided between ethnic Dusun and Bajau with a sizeable proportion of Chinese ethnicity...
, Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
, Malaysia, also known as Gary Cao or Cao Ge. He is a Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...
Golden Melody Awards singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
based in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, who has had achieved success in Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. He is renowned for his stage presence, wide vocal range, and rich voice. In addition, he composes for himself and other singers.
Biography
Chaw received his early education in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He later went on to continue his studies in Engineering at the University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
in New Zealand. However, he left New Zealand before completing his studies.
Music
In 2010 he joined bma and has since been dubbed "Asia Best Male Singer" by the media. His most recent concert tour of Asia, "Welcome To My World" was a great success. Chaw is renowned for his impressive vocal range. He has often covered songs that ranged from baritoneBaritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
, such as "Moon River", to songs that are mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
range, such as "Ting Hai". Including chest and mix voices, his vocal range is from G3 to C6.
In 2008 he composed and sang a song for the 2008 Beijing Olympics that was released in a Rock records CD called "Far away" (一起飞). The album was titled after the song he composed. Other Rock Records artists that took part include Genie Zhuo
Genie Zhuo
Genie Chuo was born on 20 January 1986. She is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer and actress, and also known as Genie Zhuo, "Xuan Xuan" or "Xiao Mi" .-Biography:...
, 2moro
2moro
2moro is a Taiwanese boyband, whose members are twins Anthony Guo and Angus Guo . The twins are graduates from Taipai Physical Education College....
, Alien Huang
Alien Huang
Alien Huang, also known as Xiao Gui was born on November 28, 1983. He is a Taiwanese singer, actor, and host. He was part of Japanese TV Asahi's disbanded boy band HC3 in 2002 and Taiwan's disbanded boy band Cosmo in 2003...
, Tracy Zhou, 魏雪漫, 元若篮， 宇绗，吴忠明，and various others.
In 2006 Chaw won Hong Kong TVB8's Best Newcomer Singer award. His big break occurred with the release of his Mandarin
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
version of Karyn White
Karyn White
Karyn White was a new jack swing singer who became popular during the late 1980s.-Biography:White was born in Los Angeles,to the parentage of Vivian and Clarence White. She is the youngest of five children...
's 1988 song "Superwoman". With this song, he won the Best Mandarin Male singer in the 19th Golden Melody Awards
19th Golden Melody Awards
Ceremonies of the 19th Golden Melody Awards were held in Taipei, Taiwan in 2008. Nominees were announced on May 22, 2008, and the award winners in 12 traditional music categories and 23 popular music categories were selected by a panel of 33 judges after four rounds of jury meetings...
. Since then he has released a number of albums.
Gary has written some chart-topping songs in Taiwan sung by S.H.E
S.H.E
S.H.E is a Taiwanese girl group whose members are Selina Jen, Hebe Tien, and Ella Chen. The name of the group is an alphabetism derived from the first letter of each member's name. Since releasing their first album Girls Dorm , S.H.E has recorded 12 albums with sales totalling over 15 million, and...
, Cyndi Wang
Cyndi Wang
Cyndi Wang was born on 5 September 1982. She is a Taiwanese singer and actress. Her birth name is Wáng Jūnrú .Wang has released eleven albums, nearly all of which carries her name...
, and Aaron Kwok
Aaron Kwok
Aaron Kwok Fu-shing is a Hong Kong singer, dancer and actor. He has been active since the 1980s to the present. The media refer to him, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings . Kwok's onstage dancing and displays is influenced by Michael Jackson...
. In a recent interview with MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, Chaw admitted (fluently in English) that he is a shy guy who does not express himself well through words but relatively well enough in the songs he sings. His early influences came from admiration of Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
and R Kelly.
Early years
In 2002 Chaw left his home in Malaysia to go to Taiwan with hopes of joining the entertainment show business. He purchased a one-way plane ticket and brought with him only around RMMalaysian ringgit
The Malaysian ringgit is the currency of Malaysia. It is divided into 100 sen...
1,600 (about HK$4,000). He tried to get into numerous record companies who criticised him harshly for being ugly and lacking talent. After many failures Chaw became an alcoholic, battled insomnia
Insomnia
Insomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
, unemployment, suffered from severe depression, loss of friends and confidence. He soon hit rock bottom.
One day he went out to Shilin Night Market
Shilin Night Market
The Shilin Night Market is a night market in the Shilin District of Taipei, Taiwan, and is often considered to be the largest and most famous night market in the city.-Overview:...
. He stumbled across a homeless cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
with no owner. He took this cat home and raised it since they both were unwanted by society. He named it "Lin Lin" and wrote a song for the cat "The world's only you" (世界唯一的你). From then on, his career completely changed. After three years of hard work, he signed with Rock Records
Rock Records
Rock Records is a Taiwanese record label founded in 1980 by Sam and Johnny Duan . The record label had their first multiseller in 1989 with Sarah Chen.It is now Asia's largest independent record label....
.
Awards and nominations
| Year | |Category | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia Entertainment Association | Best Composer | "少年" with Guang Liang Guang Liang Michael Wong Kong Leong , born August 30, 1970, is a Malaysian Chinese singer and composer. Wong began his singing career in a duo with Victor Wong. The pair had attained notable success in Taiwan, but in a mutual agreement the two split in 2000. Wong has released five solo albums, the third being... |
|||
| Top 10 Original Songs | "少年" with Guang Liang Guang Liang Michael Wong Kong Leong , born August 30, 1970, is a Malaysian Chinese singer and composer. Wong began his singing career in a duo with Victor Wong. The pair had attained notable success in Taiwan, but in a mutual agreement the two split in 2000. Wong has released five solo albums, the third being... |
||||
| 2007 | 18th Golden Melody Awards 18th Golden Melody Awards The 18th Golden Melody Awards for the Popular Music Category was held on 16 June 2007 at Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan. It was themed "Mii", which stood for "Music is international".-Summary:... |
Best Male Mandarin Singer | Gary Chaw | ||
| 7th Music Chart Awards | Best New Artist | Gary Chaw | |||
| Metro Radio Mandarin Music Awards | Best Performance (最佳演繹獎) | Gary Chaw | |||
| Best Karaoke Song | "兩隻戀人" (Two Lovers) | ||||
| 2008 | 19th Golden Melody Awards 19th Golden Melody Awards Ceremonies of the 19th Golden Melody Awards were held in Taipei, Taiwan in 2008. Nominees were announced on May 22, 2008, and the award winners in 12 traditional music categories and 23 popular music categories were selected by a panel of 33 judges after four rounds of jury meetings... |
Best Male Mandarin Singer | Gary Chaw |
External links
- Official web site
- Gary Chaw official blog
- http://www21.sbs.com.au/alchemy/index.php?pg=ct&ct=1&sc=2&id=550Gary Chaw radio interview on Alchemy's Asian Pop Show SBS RadioSBS RadioSBS Radio is a service provided by the Special Broadcasting Service '..to inform, educate and entertain Australians, especially those of non-English speaking backgrounds'. SBS Radio originally began as two stations based in Melbourne and Sydney, set up to provide pre-recorded information about the...
in English 2008]