Aska Yang
Aska Yang (traditional Chinese: 楊宗緯; simplified Chinese: 杨宗纬; Hanyu Pinyin: Yáng Zōngwěi; Tongyong Pinyin: Yáng Zong-Wěi, born April 4, 1978, in Taoyuan City (now Taoyuan District), Taiwan) is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer.
Aska Yang | |||||||
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Born | Taoyuan City (now Taoyuan District), Taiwan, Republic of China | April 4, 1978||||||
Occupation | Singer | ||||||
Years active | 2007–present | ||||||
Chinese name | |||||||
Traditional Chinese | 楊宗緯 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 杨宗纬 | ||||||
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Musical career | |||||||
Origin | Republic of China (Taiwan) | ||||||
Genres | Mandopop | ||||||
Labels | HIM International Music Warner Music Taiwan MARS | ||||||
Website | Aska Yang's official website |
Education
He graduated from the National Changhua University of Education (NCUE), with a major in Guidance and Counselling. During his study at NCUE, he attended singing contests and won some prizes. He is now studying a master's degree program in the Sports Psychology Department at the National Taiwan Sport University (NTSU).
Music career
One Million Star (2007)
Aska Yang debut in Taiwan as a contestant on season one of Taiwanese TV singing contest One Million Star. He sang songs such as "再見我的愛人" (Goodbye My Love), "人質" (Hostage), "背叛" (Betrayal), "新不了情" (New Endless Love).
Nevertheless, the final ten contestants, including Yang, had released two compilation albums, Stars Reunion (星光同學會-超級星光大道10強紀念合輯) and Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (愛.星光精選-昨天 今天 明天) in June and October respectively. He recorded a total of four songs in both albums:
- "Because I believe (因為我相信)" – jointly sang with other contestants;
- "Betrayal (背叛)" – originally sung by Gary Cao;
- "Hostage (人質)" – originally sung by A-mei; and
- "Broken Wings (多餘)" – theme song from the movie "Keep Watching (沈睡的青春)", and it is the first original song of Aska Yang.
Later in the year, he was involved in a tense contract dispute with his manager, Hsu An-chin. Because of the press attention, his name was frequently mentioned in the entertainment news headlines, in a sensational way, throughout the whole year of 2007. For example, he was ranked second in "Person of the Year" by Yahoo!Taiwan[1] and was also listed in a book called "Who's Who in the ROC, 2007–2008".[2][3]
Debut album and concert (2008)
After reaching an agreement with his manager at the end of 2007,[4] his musical career formally started. He released his debut solo album, titled Dove (鴿子), in January 2008, and it became the best-selling album in the first half of the year.[5] The tracks "洋蔥" (Onion), "鴿子" (Dove) and "幸福的風" (Wind of Happiness) are listed at number 1, 5 and 12 respectively on Hit Fm Taiwan's Hit Fm Annual Top 100 Singles Chart (Hit-Fm年度百首單曲) for 2008.[6] The track, "鴿子" (Dove) won one of the Top 10 Songs of the Year and "洋蔥" (Onion) won Best Loved Song by Audience at the 2009 HITO Radio Music Awards presented by Taiwanese radio station Hit FM.[7]
His fan base began to expand to other regions like Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.[8] Yang also played his first solo concert in Taipei Arena in May, just four months after the release of his debut album. However, after the solo concert, he was embroiled in conflict with his manager again. The dispute resulted in a sudden pause in his career. In October 2008, Aska Yang formally announced the termination of his contract.
Restart (2009)
While attempting to resolve the outstanding contract issues by going to court, Aska restarted his music career in early 2009. He held a mini-concert in Taipei on January 11 and also began participating in other performance events, such as TV shows, concerts and musical plays. Outside the entertainment business, he enters the Graduate Institute of Physical Education of National Taiwan Sport University to study for a master's degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology.
Discographies
Studio albums
# | Album Info | Track listing | Bonus DVD |
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1st | Dove (鴿子) (CD)[9]
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2nd | Pure (原色) (CD)[11]
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Bonus Track
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3rd | First Love (初愛) (CD)[15]
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Compilation albums
Title | Info | Earliest Release Date | Record Label |
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Star Reunion (星光同學會-超級星光大道10強紀念合輯) | June 29, 2007 | HIM International Music | |
Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow(星光幫 / 愛.星光精選-昨天 今天 明天) | October 5, 2007 | HIM International Music | |
Indigo Blue From Nan (青出于楠) | Duet by : Cong Hao Nan & Aska Yang / Single: My Sun | May 17, 2009 | Hua Yi Brothers |
Love Destiny (愛情自有天意) | Qi Wei & Aska Yang, TV series "Love Destiny" theme song duet[20] | January 23, 2013 | Ocean Butterfly Music |
Laughing at the World (橫掃天下之笑天下) | Online game theme song "笑天下" Laughing at the World | June 27, 2013 | |
Song Not Yet Ended (歌未央) | Showcases Beauty of Taiwan to promote tourism in Taiwan, selected by TSTA[21] | August 5, 2013 | TH Entertainment |
We've met Before(我們好像在哪見過) | Pei Yeh & Aska Yang, TV series "We got married!" theme song duet | October 29, 2013 | |
The Lotus Song(蓮花落) | Theme song of stage show-《Crystal Boys》[22] 《孽子》 | February 7, 2014 | |
Empty Space (空白格) | Theme song of Movie 《But Always》 | September 5, 2014 | Jingdong |
I have changed, no I have not (我變了 我沒變) | Theme song of Jingdon.com 12th anniversary | May 13, 2015 | Jingdong |
The King and the Pauper (國王與乞丐) | Chenyu Hua & Aska Yang, song in the 2nd album of Chenyu Hua | June 26, 2015 | EE-Media |
Live albums
Title | Earliest Release Date | Track Listing | Record Label |
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Star! Start! Aska Yang Live Concert (Star! Start! 星空傳奇 Live Concert ) | August 15, 2008 |
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Warner Music Taiwan |
Singles
Title | Earliest Release Date | Track Listing | Record Label |
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Shine ! 閃耀 | September 22, 2013 | "閃耀" (Shine) | TH Entertainment |
Awards and nominations
- 2008:Hito Pop Music Award~ – Aska Yang along with The Million Star Gang won the 「Hito Best New Artists Award」With the 「Million Star Reunion 10 Finalist Special Album」
- 2008:Hito Pop Music Award – Aska Yang along with The Million Star Gang won the {Best New Artist Award}
- 2008:5th Annual SuperStar Singers Award~ Aska Yang won { Best New Artist Award}
- 2008:Singapore Golden Melody Award – Aska Yang won 5 awards including: 「Outstanding New Artist Award」、「Best Male Singer Award」、「Most Popular New Artist Award」、「Y.E.S 933 Longest Chart Holder Song《Onion》」、「Y.E.S 933 Number # 1 on Top Ten Most Popular Song Chart 《Onion》」
- 2009: Singapore Entertainment Awards – Aska Yang won 3 awards : Regional Newcomer of the Year Media Award ; Most Popular Regional Newcomer ; Radio 100.3 Most Popular Song ~ Onion
- 2009: Hito Radio Pop Music Award – 「 2008 Best Top 10 Mandarin Songs(05)- Aska Yang (Dove) 」、「 2008 Fan's Choice Award – Aska Yang(Onion)」
- 2009: 2nd Annual Kiss Apple Top 10 Love Songs Award, won with《Onion》
- 2010: CCTV<M! Countdown > Universal Pop Music Festival In LuoYang City – HK/TW 2010 Media’s Most Favorite Upcoming Singer’s Award
- 2011: Elle 20th Anniversary People's Award~ The Greater Chinese Internet Most Favorite Male Artist Of The Year
- 2011: Beijing Fourth Annual MNSSE Music Billboard Award – Best Album Of The Year: PURE
- 2011: Third Annual Yahoo! Award『Most Favorite Male Artist Of The Year 』
Major concerts
Date | Title | Venue | Track listing |
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December 29, 2007 | Million Star Gang Joint Concert 星光幫之老師同學會演唱會 |
National Taiwan University Sports Center | |
May 17, 2008 | Aska Yang Star!Start!Live Concert 楊宗緯星空傳奇演唱會 |
Taipei Arena | |
December 21, 2008 | X'mas with Aska Yang | The Arkhub@kallang Community Club (Singapore) | |
January 11, 2009 | 2009 Taipei Mini Concert 楊宗緯不墜演唱會 |
Riverside Live House | |
April 3, 2010 | One Million Star Concert | Pearl Concret Theater, Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas | |
June 17 and 18, 2011[23] | Aska's Ego Reflection Live Concert 楊宗緯『宗於自我』音樂會 |
Legacy Taipei, Taiwan |
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August 26, 27 and 28, 2011[24] | Aska's Pure Live Concert 楊宗緯『原色』音樂會 |
Legacy Taipei, Taiwan |
Endorsements
- Charity
- 2007.9 : Voice of Taipei (Hit FM) Celebrity hand-painted Signature Net Cap Auction : Aska Yang's fans club won the highest bidding and raised NT $200,000. The money was given to the Chinese Children Home and Shelter Association.
- 2007.9 : Aska Yang's fans club donated the net cap to the Taipei Women Rescue Foundation (TWRF) for a live auction in the 20th anniversary of Appreciation Reception. The former chairman of TWRF, attorney Ying-Chi Liao, won the final bid of 300,000 NT dollars, and returned this monumental net cap back to Yang.
- 2007.9.15 : Aska Yang then offered the cap to National Changhua University of Education for collection. With Yang and his fans' help, TWRF raised a total of 1,290,136 NT dollars, on the day of the Anniversary Appreciation Reception.
- 2007-09-15 : Spokesman of Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation
- 2007 : Spokesman of the non-profit event "The Magic School"[25]
- 2008-01-18 : Spokesman of the Public Traffic Safety Film Contest Sponsored by PBS Television in conjunction with Ho-Tai Automobile Manufacture.
- 2008-02-20 : Spokesman of Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation Charity Movie Premiere "Persepolis[26]".
- 2008-05-17 : Star! Start! Solo Debut Concert at the Taipei Arena : Aska Yang donated his entire income to the victims of the Sichuan earthquake in China.
- 2008-06-21 : Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation~ 10 years celebration of the Domestic Violence Legislation Act.
- 2008-10-06 : Aska Yang donated NT$500,000 to the ChuangHua Teacher's University Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.
- 2009-01-23 : Aska Yang donated a " Love" necklace for the 【Go! Love】 Celebrity Auction event. His necklace raised NT$120,900.
- 2009-07-27~2009-08-05 : Taiwan Red Cross fundraiser for low-income children~ Aska Yang's hand print signature card raised NT$147,532.
- 2009-08-14 : CTV 「Spread the Love −88 Flood Victims Fundraiser Event」~ Aska Yang and his fans clubs donated NT$1,000,000.00
- 2009-08-15~2009-08-16 : Taiwan World's Vision Foundation~ 20th annual Hunger 30hours Fundraiser Event ~ Aska Yang and his fans club donated NT $500,000.
- Commercial
- 2007 Uni-President Cup Triathlon Championship TV advertisement
- 2007 EZPeer TOGO MP4 player
- 2008 Pearly Gates~Japanese Golf Designer Name Brand
- 2008 Spokesman of 2008 Taiwan National Intercollegiate Athletic Games
References
- 2007年度十大新聞人物 第二名楊宗緯 (in Chinese). Yahoo News. November 22, 2007. Archived from the original on May 27, 2011.
- "Who's Who' mentions 3,500 Taiwan celebrities". China Post. August 21, 2007.
- "Tennis star, singer make Taiwan's Who's Who list". Taipei Times. August 21, 2007.
- 婦援會居中協調~楊宗緯與許安進達成和解 簽訂新約! (in Chinese). ETtoday. November 5, 2007.
- "Jam Hsiao and Aska Yang defeat Yoga Lin on G-music billboard". Yahoo!Singapore News. January 27, 2009. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009.
- (in Chinese) HITO Radio Hit Fm Annual Top 100 Singles Chart- 2008 (#1 to 50) Retrieved 20 May 2011
- (in Chinese) HITO Radio 2009 HITO Radio Music Awards winners list June 15, 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2011
- "Fans simply love rugged Aska". The Star. April 3, 2008.
- Yesasia.com Dove album info January 16, 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2011
- (in Chinese) Warner Music Taiwan Dove (Commemorate Edition) (CD+DVD) album info Archived September 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine January 16, 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2011
- Yesasia.com Pure album info August 26, 2011
- Universal Taiwan "懷珠" Precious Pearl official MV
- Universal Taiwan "被遺忘的" The Forgotten official MV
- Universal Taiwan "那個男人" That Man official MV
- ChinaDaily.com.cn First Love album info March 29, 2013
- Universal Taiwan "其實都沒有" Nothing At All official MV
- Universal Taiwan "忘了我" Forget Me official MV
- Universal Taiwan "想對你說" I Wanna Say To You official MV
- Universal Taiwan "這一路走來" Along The Way official MV
- Ocean Butterfly Music "愛情自有天意" Love Destiny Official MV
- TH Entertainment "歌未央" Song Not Yet Ended MV
- "2014 NTCH NEW CREATION Crystal Boys". National Theatre & Concert Hall in Taiwan. February 7, 2014.
- (in Chinese) Legacy Taipei Aska's Ego Reflection Live Concert Archived June 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine June 17, 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2011
- (in Chinese) Legacy Taipei Aska's PURE Live Concert Archived September 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine August 26, 2011.
- 這一天,孩子不哭 – 楊宗緯的老師夢 (in Chinese). 張老師月刊. May 26, 2008. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011.
- 台譯苿莉人生
External links
- (in Chinese) Aska Yang's official website
- (in Chinese) Aska Yang's blog
- (in Chinese) Aska Yang discographies@Warner Music Taiwan
- (in Chinese) Aska Yang's Weibo