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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
Victor Wong (singer)
Victor Wong Pin Kuan is a Malaysian Chinese singer who has made his name in the Taiwan music scene. He was born on February 26, 1972.He formed a duo group with Michael Wong named Michael & Victor in 1995 when they first started out as singers under Rock Records. They attained much success in...

. The pair had attained notable success 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...

, but in a mutual agreement the two split in 2000. Wong has released five solo albums, the third being his breakthrough album Fairy Tale. He also enjoys success as an actor in Chinese drama
Chinese drama
Chinese drama can refer to:* Chinese opera* Chinese television series...

s and movies.

Biography

Born in Ipoh, Malaysia to a Hakka family of two as the first child amidst one young sister

Wong, as a devout Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

, often sang in the church choir during his school days and was once a choir teacher at a church. Graduating from Sam Tet School
SMJK Sam Tet
SMJK Sam Tet is a national-type boys' secondary school located in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. It is located side-by-side with its primary school, SRJK Sam Tet. The founder of the school is Father Fourgs from the local St. Michael Catholic Church. The school has survived hardships, including the...

 in Ipoh, Wong often participated in musical performances in school and has been writing his own songs since secondary school. After he moved to Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

 to pursue a course in computer engineering, his interest in the world of music and music composition began to grow.

Wu Yin Liang Pin (無印良品)

Entering from up to 30 singing competitions in town in a single year, where he managed to surface as the winner several times, were also the stepping stones to his successful singing career today. Finally noticed by Asia Pacific Music in the Pioneer
Pioneer Corporation
is a multinational corporation that specializes in digital entertainment products, based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan. The company was founded in 1938 in Tokyo as a radio and speaker repair shop...

 karaoke contest, he started to learn Audio Engineering at Ocean Institute Of Audio Engineering during his contract with Asia Pacific Music as a recording artist. After his graduation, Michael produced his first album with two other college mates, Chan and Tan. With the joining of Victor Wong
Victor Wong (singer)
Victor Wong Pin Kuan is a Malaysian Chinese singer who has made his name in the Taiwan music scene. He was born on February 26, 1972.He formed a duo group with Michael Wong named Michael & Victor in 1995 when they first started out as singers under Rock Records. They attained much success in...

 as a singer during that period, they submitted the album, with the theme song written by Michael, "掌心“ (The Palm) to Rock Records, which in turn, signed them up almost immediately. They then formed a duo group more commonly known in Malaysia as Michael & Victor
Michael & Victor
Michael & Victor were a Mandopop duo composed of Michael Wong and Victor Wong. The duo split in 2000 as both singers decided to pursue individual singing careers.- Discography :*Palm - August 1995...

 or Guang Liang Pin Guan (光良品冠). 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...

 and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, they were mostly known as Wu Yin Liang Pin (無印良品), a name given by their record label in Taiwan.

The split

The duo then arguably became the first Malaysians to attain much success in the music scene in Taiwan. Their albums managed to hit the top notch both locally and in Taiwan as their debut album went platinum in both Malaysia and Taiwan. After a few splendid and successful years together as a duo in the Chinese music scene, during which the pair bagged countless awards for their success, Michael and Victor then decided it was time to part cordially and go their own ways in the music scene as solo singers in year 2000.

Solo career

Not long after the announcement, Wong worked hard to compose and write new songs for his new solo album, Michael's First Album (第一次個人創作專輯; Dì Yī Cì Gè Rén Chuàng Zuò Zhuān Jí), which performed above expectation. Although Wong's company promptly decided that he should produce his first solo album on his own, he did not agree straight away. This is because he was not confident that he was skillful enough to produce one whole album all by himself. However, after much contemplating, Wong finally accepted the challenge and was successful in breaking away from the Michael & Victor mould. Other than working on his own album, Wong also found time to co-produce other singers' albums like Rene Liu
René Liu
René Liu was born June 1, 1969. She is a Taiwanese actress and singer. She is the first to win Best Actress awards at the Asia Pacific Movie Festival in both television and film productions...

 and Fish Leong
Fish Leong
Fish Leong is the stage name of Jasmine Leong, a Malaysian Chinese singer in the Mandarin pop scene who has had much success in Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan...

.

Wong released his second album, Ray of Light (光芒; Guāng Máng), in November 2002. It then became the number one album, in sales, 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...

.

Fairy Tale

After releasing two solo albums on his own, Wong's fans had to wait another two years before he finally launched his much-anticipated album, Fairytale (Tong Hua). The first single from this album, "Fairy Tale," Wong wrote and composed by himself. Wong, who is more of a composer and hardly wrote lyrics, asked about 30 lyricists for suggestions for this particular song. After finally adding a finishing touch to the song with lyrics he wrote himself, he then left it to be arranged and produced by the experienced Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese producer Taichi Nakamura. After rejecting the first few songs he short-listed himself for the album with his sense of perfection, Wong eventually re-selected some songs himself and finally rooted for his ten favourite songs to be cut into the album, of which six were co-written by himself. His two years of hard work finally paid off when this album immediately attained success, and is critically acclaimed to be Wong's best-selling album yet.

"Fairy Tale" has proved to be his strongest single yet by shooting up to No. 1 immediately after it was released in January 2005, making it to the top of the download counter Baidu 500
Baidu 500
The Baidu 500 is a list of rankings generated by Chinese search engine Baidu as part of their mp3 downloading service featuring the top 500 songs in the Chinese language...

 for 15 weeks as Asia was swept by the "Fairy Tale Tornado". The single is arguably the most successful Chinese language song in the 21st Century. As of 2007 it is still among the top in the karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...

 charts.

New contracts

Michael Wong's contract with Rock Records ended on 31 Dec 2004 but he decided to continue to promote for the album, Fairy Tale, released Jan 2005. After the promotion period finished, Wong has made the biggest decision in his singing career by announcing his departure from his long time recording company, 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....

, in July 2005. After 10 years being contracted with Rock Records, Wong is now officially signed to Amusic
Amusic
Amusic is the record label of East Asia Record Production Co., Ltd. which was formed by businessman Peter Lam and singer Leon Lai on 28 July 2004 with the aim of developing artist with potential and strength to produce music with quality and diversity so as to reward music lovers...

. The reason of his departure from Rock Records was because Rock Records believed that since his music was so simple, it was not music. Thus, they ignored him. On TV, someone had claimed that Wong's music was not music due to its simplicity, causing the singer grief. Wong's unstable relationship with Rock Records has encouraged his decision to leave for Amusic. When pressed for comments, Wong firmly and merely stated that he thanked Rock Records for giving him his big break.

Acting career

His talents and works in the music world aside, Wong also happens to be a worthy actor. Acting alongside Taiwanese singer Richie Ren
Richie Ren
Richie Jen is a Taiwanese singer and actor. He has become extremely popular throughout Asia, particularly in the Chinese-speaking countries. He graduated from the Chinese Culture University's physical education department.-Films:...

, fellow Malaysian singer, Ah Niu
Ah Niu
Ah Niu , is the nickname and stage name of Tan Kheng Seong , a popular singer in Malaysia and Singapore in the late 1990s....

 and famous Cantonese singer/actress, Sammi Cheng
Sammi Cheng
Sammi Cheng Sau-Man is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress. Having enjoyed much success in the Hong Kong music industry, Sammi has been known as a diva and has been one of the most successful female singer in Hong Kong since the 1990s. Her albums have sold more than 25 million copies through...

, Wong made his debut in the big screen in movie Summer Holiday in year 2000. Next to that, Wong also acted in several TV drama series in Taiwan, such as White Romance (starring alongside Karena Lam
Karena Lam
Karena Lam is a Hong Kong based award-winning actress and singer, born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Career :...

), Wintry Night 2, and several more. Besides that, Wong also did a stunning act in Taiwanese director Su Chaopin's debut comedy movie, BTS. Besides movies and drama series, Wong also starred in a musical stage drama in Taiwan, Mr. Wing, in August 2005.

Commitment

He has released his new fourth album, entitled 《約定》(Yue Ding / Commitment), which sold 1.5 million copies in less than one month. This is a best collection of many of his past works. There would be a total of approximately 17 tracks on this album. Three self-penned new songs are featured in this new album, which are titled 《約定》("Commitment"), 《都是你》(Dou Shi Ni / "It's You") and 《擁抱我》(Yong Bao Wo / "Embrace Me"). The rest of the album will be filled with songs which he wrote for other singers like 《勇氣》[(Yong Qi / "Courage")-original singer: Fish Leong)], 《我等你》[(Wo Deng Ni / "I'm Waiting For You")-original singer: Rene Liu)] and 《戀》[(Lian / "Love")-original singer: Angelica Lee)]. He also included the songs he wrote and sang when he was still part of the duo Michael and Victor.

Owing to the overwhelming success of Tong Hua, some critics have expressed their concerns that Tong Hua might only be Wong's one-hit-wonder. His critics were proven wrong as the sales of his fourth album, Yue Ding, exceeded expectations by selling more than a million copies worldwide in a month's time. Wong's fanbase has grown tremendously and has gained much popularity globally. His success as a singer and songwriter has earned him countless awards from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Malaysia.

Further success

Gaining more and more recognition globally, Wong was recently appointed as Tourism Malaysia
Tourism Malaysia
Tourism Malaysia or Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia.Tourism Malaysia or formerly known as the Tourist Development Corporation of Malaysia , was established on 10 August, 1972...

's ambassador. Earlier before that, Wong's participation in A Music records label in Hong Kong has also gained him more recognition in Asia. He appeared as a guest at the concert of famous Cantonese singer Leon Lai
Leon Lai
Leon Lai is a Hong Kong-based actor and Cantopop singer. The media refer to Aaron Kwok, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings . He uses the stage name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming" which literally means "dawn."-Biography:...

 in October 2005.

On June 6, 2006, Wong made it into the Malaysia Book of Records as the Malaysian Chinese Male Composer with the highest number of awards and also for The Best Selling Chinese Album (Tong Hua). Wong has gathered 44 awards, 23 of them for his hit song Tong Hua.

Wong has also managed to make it to the nominees' list of the 17th Golden Melody Awards, Taiwan’s equivalent of the Grammys. Wong was holding up against fellow Taiwan-based Malaysian singer Penny Tai and other musical talents like Hu Defu, Chen Xiaoxia, and Yu Yang in the Best Composer Category. Although the award went to fellow Malaysian singer Penny Tai, Wong expresses that he feels very grateful and lucky to be nominated in this prestigious award ceremony.

Commitment: Fulfilled

In the past, Wong always felt puzzled and uncertain whenever his fans urged him with the question, "When are you finally having a concert?" Due to circumstances in the past, Wong had never held his own solo concert before and always tried to soothe his fans by making promises to them that he will, one day, finally stage his own solo concert some time soon. And therefore, in year 2006, he finally got the chance to fulfill the commitment between him and his fans.

With just half a year in the Hong Kong music scene, Wong, who gained more recognition in Hong Kong, was given a golden opportunity to stage his own solo concert. Not only that it was his first time, but it was also to be held in the famous Hong Kong Coliseum where almost every Chinese singer dreams to stage their own concert. Apparently, he is the first Malaysian singer to do so. Although he was worried about the turn up that night, Wong's anxiety was unfounded because his concert tickets were sold out after only being available for purchase for 5 days. Wong was deeply surprised and delighted and thanked his fans greatly for their utmost support to his music. Wong completed his much-anticipated first solo concert in the Hong Kong Coliseum on the 29th of March, and the success of the whole concert was undeniable. His concert was entitled "Michael's First Fairy Tale Concert 2006". Wong has managed to make his mark in everybody's heart with his love for music. After that, he would return to his homeland, Malaysia, in September, to stage a concert there as well.

His second concert, titled "Michael's Commitment Concert Malaysia 2006", was held on the 1st of September in the Putra Indoor Stadium in Malaysia. After about a few weeks of selling tickets, all were sold out. Due to the overwhelming response, Wong and his company decided to stage his concert there for two nights. Wong was very delighted and grateful that his fans were so supportive and stated that he hoped these two concerts would allow him to introduce his country, Malaysia, to his fans from other countries, playing the role as Tourism Malaysia's envoy. His two shows in Malaysia guaranteed a fun-filled night where fans enjoyed Wong's soothing, self-written songs.

Wong released a compilation called Michael 1996-2006 the greatest hits on May 16, 2007.

On November 9, 2007, Wong released his 5th solo studio album, Never Apart.

31 July 2009 he released his First Digital Single which contained 2 Cantonese songs called: 店小二 (Dian Xiao Er) and 清水 (Qing Shui). 右手邊 (You Shou Bian) and 美好時光 (Mei Hao Shi Guang) where also included.

In October 2010, Wong represented Malaysia and performed at the 7th Asia Song Festival
Asia song festival
Asia Song Festival, aka A-Song-Fe or ASF, is an annual Asian pop music festival held in South Korea, since 2004. It is hosted by Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange and features artists from Asian countries...

, organised by Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, at the Seoul Olympic Stadium.

It's A Small World

In 2008, he was asked to perform the Mandarin version of "It's A Small World" at the Grand Opening of It's A Small World in Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is the first theme park located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks. The park opened to visitors on 12 September 2005...

, but after strong demand from the crowd, sang "Tong Hua" instead.

Solo albums

  • Michael's First Album
    Michael's First Album
    Michael's First Album is the first solo album by Malaysian singer Michael Wong, released on 2001-05-10.-Track list:# Intro# 單戀 # 第一次 # Stop Now# 我愛你.在哪裡 # 如果你還愛我...

     (第一次個人創作專輯; Dì Yī Cì Gè Rén Chuàng Zuò Zhuān Jí) - May 10, 2001
  • Ray of Light
    Ray of Light (Michael Wong album)
    Ray of Light is the second solo album by Malaysian singer Michael Wong, released on 2002-11-08. Originally titled 光芒 when it was released in China and Malaysia, the international re-release was titled as "Ray of Light"....

     (光芒; Guāng Máng) - November 8, 2002
  • Fairy Tale (童話; Tóng Huà) - January 21, 2005
  • Commitment (約定; Yuē Dìng) - March 3, 2006
  • Never Apart
    Never Apart
    不會分離 is Michael Wong's fifth solo album released on 9 November 2007 . It consists of a CD and a DVD. The CD is a collection of new songs...

     (不會分離; Bú Huì Fēn Lí) - November 9, 2007
  • Right Hand Side EP (右手邊; Yòu Shǒu Biān) - September 19, 2008
  • First Digital Single - July 31, 2009
  • So Naive  (太天真; (Tai Tian Zhen ) - September 9, 2010

Other

  • I Believe (我要跟隨祂; Wǒ Yào Gēn Suí Tā), compilation of Christian music
    Contemporary Christian music
    Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...

     - Released 1994
  • The World Shines Because of Love (世界因愛發光; Shì Jiè Yīn Ài Fā Guāng), EP album
    Extended play
    An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

     - December 1997
  • "Michael 1996-2006 the greatest hits - May 16, 2007

Movies

  • The Threesome : The Movie (三人行音樂電影; Sān Rén Xíng Yin Yuè Diàn Ying) - 1998
  • Summer Holiday (夏日麼麼茶; Xià Rì Me Me Chá)- 2000
  • BTS (愛情靈藥; Ài Qíng Líng Yào) - 2001
  • Like A Slave (英勇戰士俏姑娘; Yīng Yǒng Shì Zhan Shì Qiào Gū Niáng) - 2005
  • Purple Mirage(紫色梦幻;"Zǐ Sè Mèng Huàn") - 2006

Dramas

  • White Love (白色戀曲; Báisè Liàn Qu) - 2001
  • A Change of Fate (時來運轉; Shí Lái Yùn Zhuan) - 2001
  • Good Luck,Angel (王牌天使; Wáng Pái Tiān Shi) - 2003
  • Love Storm (狂愛龍捲風; Kuáng Ài Lóng Juǎn Fēng) - 2003
  • Wintry Night 2 (寒夜續曲; Hán Yè Xù Qu) - 2003
  • Love.18 - 2008


Musical Stage Drama :
  • Mr. Wing ~ a romantic rhapsody (幸運兒; Xìng Yùn Ér) - 2005

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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