Faye Wong

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Faye Wong at a concert in Malaysia , 2011

Faye Wong or Wang Fei ( Chinese  王菲 , Pinyin Wáng Fēi , Jyutping Wong 4 Fei 1 ; born August 8, 1969 in Beijing , People's Republic of China ) is a Chinese singer and actress . She is one of the most popular artists in Asia and has starred in numerous films. She gained international fame in 1995 for her role in the film Chungking Express , directed by Wong Kar-wai, and in 1999 for the song Eyes On Me for the computer game Final Fantasy VIII . She also has advertising deals with the Pepsi and Head & Shoulders brands . Most of her songs are sung in Cantonese or Mandarin , but she has also recorded some Japanese and English titles.

biography

Faye Wong was born in Beijing to a singer and an engineer. Since her parents traveled a lot for work, Wong grew up with her godmother. At the age of 18 she moved to live with her parents and her older brother in Hong Kong , where she first attended a modeling school. After graduating, Wong lost interest in modeling and decided to take singing lessons. Her singing teacher made contact with the record label Cinepoly Records , where she made her first recording at the age of 19 under her then Chinese stage name Wong Ching Man ( Chinese  王靖雯 , Pinyin Wáng Jìngwén , Jyutping Wong 4 Zing 6 man 4 ). Her next three albums appeared under the Anglicized stage name Shirley Wong . The albums sold very well and made Faye Wong a well-known performer in Asia. Their music was typical cantopop , which Faye Wong did not, however, artistically satisfy.

Wong decided to go to New York for some time to reorient. She took courses in singing and dance, but did not graduate because she traveled back to Hong Kong to fulfill her contract with the record company. After her return from the USA she integrated elements of rhythm & blues into her music and began to develop her own style. The result was the 1993 album Coming Home . Since this album she has been singing under the stage name Faye Wong .

In 1994 Faye Wong took on a leading role in the feature film Chong qing sen lin , which became a worldwide success under the title Chungking Express . Wong was named Best Actress for her acting performance at the Stockholm International Film Festival .

In 1996 her album Restless was released , which is considered by many to be Wong's best work to date. It contained eight compositions written by Wong and two pieces written in collaboration with the Cocteau Twins .

That year she married the Chinese musician Dou Wei. In 1999 they got divorced again.

In January 1997, Faye Wong's daughter was born in Beijing. In the same year Wong moved to EMI and brought out her album Faye Wong . The special thing about this album was that it did not have a cover, but only came out in a white sleeve with a booklet. Wong wanted to make it clear that it was only about the music and that the appearance was irrelevant.

In 1999 the title Eyes On Me was released , it was the theme song for the popular computer game Final Fantasy VIII .

From 2000 to 2003 she had an eventful relationship with the 11 year younger singer and actor and Nicholas Tse ( Pīnyīn Xie Tingfeng) from Hong Kong.

In 2001 Wong's fifth and final album was released for EMI, it was called - like their first album for this company - Faye Wong . In 2003, “Album - Jiang Ai (To Love)” was released, her first album for Sony .

In 2002 she played a leading role in the 2002 film Chinese Odyssey, directed by Jeff Lau .

She also sang the theme song for the award-winning film Hero in 2002 (director: Zhang Yimou ). This piece is only available as a bonus track on Chinese versions of the soundtrack.

For the film 2046 , Faye Wong worked again in 2004 under the direction of Wong Kar-wai.

In mid-2005, Faye Wong married the Chinese actor Li Yapeng . Not even her management could confirm the rumors of the wedding to the media. They spent their honeymoon on Bang Tao Beach in Phuket , most of the time hidden from the paparazzi.

Due to another pregnancy, Wang Fei announced in 2005 that he would not only pause singing, but would also stop completely. However, some sources leave a return open. In fact, she appeared on the Chinese State Television's New Year's Show in early 2010.

On May 27, 2006, their second daughter was born in Beijing.

Discography (selection)

The translations of the album names are not official; since most albums only have Chinese names, other translations are possible:

  • 1989 王靖雯 (Wáng Jìngwén; Shirley Wong )
  • 1990 Everything
  • 1990 You're the Only One
  • 1992 Coming Home
  • 1993 執迷不悔 (Zhímí Bù Huǐ; No Regrets )
  • 1993 十萬 個 為什麼 (Shíwàn Gè Wèishénme; Hundred Thousand Whys )
  • 1993 如風 (Rú Fēng; Like Winds ) (EP)
  • 1993 最 菲 (Zuì Fēi; Faye Best ) ("Best of" compilation)
  • 1994 迷 (Mí; Mystery )
  • 1994 胡思亂想 (Húsī Luànxiǎng; Random Thoughts )
  • 1994 天空 (Tiānkōng; Sky )
  • 1994 討好 自己 (Tǎohǎo Zìjǐ; Ingratiate Myself )
  • 1995 菲 靡靡之音 (Fēi Mǐmǐ Zhī Yīn; The Decadent Sounds of Faye )
  • 1995 一 人 分 飾 兩角 (Yī Rén Fēnshì Liǎng Jiǎo; One Person, Two Roles ) (EP)
  • 1995 Di-Dar
  • 1996 浮躁 (Fúzào; Restless )
  • 1997 玩具 (Wánjù; Toy ) (EP)
  • 1997 自便 (Zìbiàn; Do As You Please ) (EP)
  • 1997 王菲 (Wáng Fēi; Faye Wong ) - 1997
  • 1998 唱 遊 (Chàngyóu; Song Journey )
  • 1999 只愛 陌生人 (Zhǐ Ài Mòshēngrén; Love Only Strangers )
  • 2000 寓言 (Yùyán; Fable )
  • 2001 王菲 (Wáng Fēi; Faye Wong) - 2001
  • 2003 將愛 (Jiāng Ài; To Love )
  • 2015 敷衍 (Fūyǎn; Halfhearted )

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Faye Wong  - Collection of Images
personal data
SURNAME Wong, Faye
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wang, Faye; Wang Fei (pinyin); Wong, Fei (Jyutping); 王菲 (Chinese - long and short characters); Wong, Ching Man (Cantonese); Wang, Jingwen (Pinyin); Wong, Zingman (Jyutping); 王靖雯 (Chinese - long and short characters)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chinese singer and actress
DATE OF BIRTH August 8, 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH Beijing , People's Republic of China