Renée Chen
Encyclopedia
Renee "Jia-Wei" Chen is a Taiwan
ese singer and songwriter
. Renee first gained recognition when she won fourth place in the 2001 New Talent Singing Awards
. Although she ultimately did not win the competition, record companies noticed that Renee's voice stood out aside from being the only contestant to sing, dance and choreograph her own performance with fellow stage performers. Given her young age (15 at the time) combined with an evident talent for performing, an artist management agency approached her the following day with a contract, which eventually led to her debut release, "Who's Renee" through Warner Music in November 2003.
Renee's music has been influenced by genres ranging from pop
, hip-hop, soul
, and R'n'B. She is renowned for her East-meets-West style and mostly known for her third single, "我等得人會是誰" which continues to be a popular selection at KTV
venues and singing competitions. In November 2008, after a five year absence, Renee released her long-awaited second album titled, "Miracle", which simultaneously ended an idol-like era in her career and opened new doors for her as an individual artist.
Renee currently resides in Taipei, Taiwan and tours throughout Asia. Aside from her musical endeavors, she is an active online community member through websites like YouTube
, Facebook
, Twitter
and Pixnet, which hosts her weekly radio show, Renee TakeOver RADIO. She is also a vegetarian and a spokesperson for animal rights
in Taiwan.
, Renee is the youngest of two children. She has one elder brother, Gary, who is also a musician
. Her parents divorced when she was young, and Renee moved at the age of five with her mother and brother to Los Angeles, California
. She went through school while experimenting with her singing voice, and followed her passion for music by entering several local singing contests. She attended Arcadia High School
in Arcadia, California
. Later on during her junior year, Renee was scouted by an artist management agency after placing fourth in the 2001 New Talent Singing Awards
. Following negotiations with her mother, she made the ultimate decision to drop out of Arcadia High and committed to preparing for her debut, as proposed by her management, under the condition that also required her to attend home school, which is how she eventually obtained her high school degree at the age of seventeen.
Renee eventually signed a record deal with Warner Music. She made her debut on November 6, 2003, with "Who's Renee". To accompany her debut were endorsements with Far East Tone, a major phone carrier in Taiwan, which launched a campaign together with her first single, "Feel Good". Her debut received critical acclaim and Warner Music continued to release singles from the album, attracting endorsements from Nike
, DaDa
, Niessing Jewelry, Kiehl's
and many others including collaborations with the Department of Public Transportation. Her first public performance was at the Beijing Warner Music 10th anniversary concert in front 80,000 people. "Who's Renee" was an up-tempo, Hip-Hop/RnB album that displayed Renee's versatility both as a singer and dancer, but also helped introduce a new generation of westernized pop to the Chinese market. Renee was nominated for Best New Artist in the 2004 Golden Melody Awards, the youngest artist (18 years old) in the history of the awards to be nominated in that category, which was won by JJ Lin.
Following a 3 year absence, Renee returned to Taiwan in 2006 to re-start her music career. She appeared as a guest in Leehom Wang's music video "Cockney Girl" which caught the attention of Sony Music Entertainment
. Sony executives later arranged for a meeting where she revealed over forty demos compiled over the course of her absence. They immediately drafted a contract and signed her on the same day.
"Miracle" was released on November 6, 2008, which was also the 5th anniversary to the release of "Who's Renee". It was met with mostly positive reviews and ultimately helped revive her image as a capable artist. Far East Tone launched a follow-up campaign together with her first single from the album "愛的奇蹟" which was followed by "幸福導航“ and ”Shopping" with much fanfare.
Sony Music releases
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...
ese singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. Renee first gained recognition when she won fourth place in the 2001 New Talent Singing Awards
New Talent Singing Awards
New Talent Singing Awards or NTSA for short, later re-organized into New Talent Singing Awards International Finals or NTSA International Finals for short), and most currently re-named TVB8 International Chinese New Talent Singing Championship is an annual singing...
. Although she ultimately did not win the competition, record companies noticed that Renee's voice stood out aside from being the only contestant to sing, dance and choreograph her own performance with fellow stage performers. Given her young age (15 at the time) combined with an evident talent for performing, an artist management agency approached her the following day with a contract, which eventually led to her debut release, "Who's Renee" through Warner Music in November 2003.
Renee's music has been influenced by genres ranging from pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, hip-hop, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, and R'n'B. She is renowned for her East-meets-West style and mostly known for her third single, "我等得人會是誰" which continues to be a popular selection at KTV
Karaoke Box
A is a common type of karaoke establishment commonly found in Japan. Karaoke boxes consist of multiple rooms containing karaoke equipment, usually rented out for time periods. A typical karaoke box establishment contains 10-20 such rooms as well as a main karaoke bar area in the front...
venues and singing competitions. In November 2008, after a five year absence, Renee released her long-awaited second album titled, "Miracle", which simultaneously ended an idol-like era in her career and opened new doors for her as an individual artist.
Renee currently resides in Taipei, Taiwan and tours throughout Asia. Aside from her musical endeavors, she is an active online community member through websites like YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and Pixnet, which hosts her weekly radio show, Renee TakeOver RADIO. She is also a vegetarian and a spokesperson for animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
in Taiwan.
Early life
Born in TaipeiTaipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Renee is the youngest of two children. She has one elder brother, Gary, who is also a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. Her parents divorced when she was young, and Renee moved at the age of five with her mother and brother to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. She went through school while experimenting with her singing voice, and followed her passion for music by entering several local singing contests. She attended Arcadia High School
Arcadia High School (Arcadia, California)
Arcadia High School is a part of the Arcadia Unified School District and is a four-year comprehensive secondary school located on a site in Arcadia, California. Their motto is"Our Caring Makes a Difference."...
in Arcadia, California
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
. Later on during her junior year, Renee was scouted by an artist management agency after placing fourth in the 2001 New Talent Singing Awards
New Talent Singing Awards
New Talent Singing Awards or NTSA for short, later re-organized into New Talent Singing Awards International Finals or NTSA International Finals for short), and most currently re-named TVB8 International Chinese New Talent Singing Championship is an annual singing...
. Following negotiations with her mother, she made the ultimate decision to drop out of Arcadia High and committed to preparing for her debut, as proposed by her management, under the condition that also required her to attend home school, which is how she eventually obtained her high school degree at the age of seventeen.
Album Debut
Renee moved to Taiwan in 2002 which proved to be a unique experience after being away for 12 years. Her company arranged a rigorous training schedule which she followed for one year before her debut. She was forced to sleep in the management conference room for over a year before earning enough money to pay for her own apartment. She was often asked to perform background harmonies and choreograph dance routines for fellow artists, which she did, often for no pay. It was during this time that Renee would learn to push herself to be responsible and stay prepared for the opportunities ahead.Renee eventually signed a record deal with Warner Music. She made her debut on November 6, 2003, with "Who's Renee". To accompany her debut were endorsements with Far East Tone, a major phone carrier in Taiwan, which launched a campaign together with her first single, "Feel Good". Her debut received critical acclaim and Warner Music continued to release singles from the album, attracting endorsements from Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, DaDa
DaDa
DaDa is the 15th studio album by Alice Cooper, released in 1983. DaDa would be Cooper's last album until his sober re-emergence in 1986 with the album Constrictor...
, Niessing Jewelry, Kiehl's
Kiehl's
Kiehl's is an American cosmetics brand retailer that specializes in making premium skin, hair, and body care products. Founded as a single pharmacy in New York City's East Village in 1851, Kiehl’s was purchased by the L'Oréal Group in 2000 and currently has more than 30 retail stores worldwide,...
and many others including collaborations with the Department of Public Transportation. Her first public performance was at the Beijing Warner Music 10th anniversary concert in front 80,000 people. "Who's Renee" was an up-tempo, Hip-Hop/RnB album that displayed Renee's versatility both as a singer and dancer, but also helped introduce a new generation of westernized pop to the Chinese market. Renee was nominated for Best New Artist in the 2004 Golden Melody Awards, the youngest artist (18 years old) in the history of the awards to be nominated in that category, which was won by JJ Lin.
Absence And Comeback
Following the success of "Who's Renee", her management quickly arranged for a second release. This sparked a difference in opinion between Renee and her company on the direction of her music career. Although the album was eventually completed, it was never released and Renee returned to Los Angeles to wait the remainder of her contract, ending the relationship with both Warner Music and her management.Following a 3 year absence, Renee returned to Taiwan in 2006 to re-start her music career. She appeared as a guest in Leehom Wang's music video "Cockney Girl" which caught the attention of Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
. Sony executives later arranged for a meeting where she revealed over forty demos compiled over the course of her absence. They immediately drafted a contract and signed her on the same day.
"Miracle" was released on November 6, 2008, which was also the 5th anniversary to the release of "Who's Renee". It was met with mostly positive reviews and ultimately helped revive her image as a capable artist. Far East Tone launched a follow-up campaign together with her first single from the album "愛的奇蹟" which was followed by "幸福導航“ and ”Shopping" with much fanfare.
Discography
Warner Music releases- November 2003: "Who's Renee"
- January 2004: Warner 10th Anniversary Concert (CD+DVD)
- October 2004: "鬥魚 II" Original Soundtrack
- August 2007: "幸福的天空" (VA)
Sony Music releases
- November 2008: "Miracle"