Elva Hsiao

Elva Hsiao (traditional Chinese: 蕭亞軒; simplified Chinese: 萧亚轩; pinyin: Xiāo Yǎxuān, born 24 August 1979) is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and businesswoman.[4] Since being signed to a record deal in 1998 after competing in a singing competition, Hsiao has gone on to release fourteen studio albums and has achieved great commercial success within the Chinese pop music industry. Known for her R&B influenced ballads, the artist's first album, Elva Hsiao (1999), was considered one of the first to incorporate R&B in the Chinese market.[5][3] Her most recent album Shut Up and Kiss Me was released in 2014.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Hsiao.
Elva Hsiao
蕭亞軒
Hsiao at Man Power Concert in Beijing, July 2015.
Born
Hsiao Ya-chih (蕭雅之)

(1979-08-24) 24 August 1979
Zhongli, Taoyuan, Taiwan
NationalityTaiwanese
Alma materFu-Hsin Trade & Arts School
Occupation
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • dancer
  • actress
  • businesswoman
Years active1999–present[1]
Musical career
GenresMandopop, pop, R&B,[2] dance[3]
InstrumentsVocals
Labels

Hsiao was recognized as one of four of the most popular female singers in the Chinese music scene among her contemporaries.[6] As a result, she has also been brand ambassadors to various brand names such as, Motorola, Sprite, De Beers, Avon, Pantene and Ford.[7][8] Hsiao was named one of Taiwan's top earning singers in 2014, with more than US$18 million earned.[9]

Life and career

Hsiao was signed to EMI Virgin Records in 1998, as their first artist, after being scouted from the singing competition New Talent Singing Awards affiliated with Hong Kong TV channel TVB.[10][11][12] She was one of twelve finalists. Singers Jacky Chu and Ruby Lu also competed that year.[11] Hsiao was part of a girl group called Phenomenon initially, but pursued a solo career after her bandmates dropped out.[13] She was studying design in Vancouver, Canada,[10] at John Casablancas Institute at the time. After signing, Hsiao was managed and groomed by songwriter, Yao Chien, who was also the president of Virgin/EMI in Taiwan at the time.[2] Yao would also have a hand in writing for many of Hsiao's albums released under Virgin/EMI.[14] Hsiao's first album was self-titled and was of the pop and R&B genre.[10][2] The album was released in 1999 and was considered a pioneer for the R&B genre in Chinese speaking markets.[2][5] The album was a commercial success, selling a total 800,000 copies in Asia the following year.[15] The success of the album paved the way for her first solo concert in Taipei later in 2000.[5] The single "Cappuccino" became popular in Chinese karaoke settings.[16] Hsiao was also tapped to record the jingle for the re-branding effort by the Broadcasting Corporation of China in Taiwan.[17]

Hsiao at CCTV-MTV Music Awards in Beijing in July 2002.

For Hsiao's third album Tomorrow, Virgin/EMI made a push for the mainland Chinese market, capitalizing on the singer's name recognition in the Taiwanese and Hong Kong music markets.[2] The album included hip-hop influences and faster tempos than Hsiao's previous releases, as well as a song performed in Cantonese.[2][18] With a limited schedule of just four concerts and press conferences in China and Hong Kong, the album would still go on to sell 400,000 copies in the mainland in addition to 290,0000 records sold in Taiwan in 2001.[2] Hsiao's next album 4U released in 2002, featured a song that Hsiao wrote the lyrics for.[19] She collaborated with English boy band Blue that year on a remake of their song "U Make Me Wanna" for her album Theme Song of Love, Kissing.[16] That album featured two songs on which Hsiao contributed to production.[20] That same year, Hsiao made her feature film debut in the Hong Kong crime thriller, Infernal Affairs in a minor role as the ex-girlfriend of the Tony Leung's character.[21] The film was remade in the US as The Departed, which went on to win an Academy Award. Hsiao would also lend her voice to the animated film The Butterfly Lovers based on the classic Chinese fairytale of the same name in 2004.[22] Two songs from Hsiao's next album, 5th Avenue were also featured in soundtracks for a film and a television show.[23] The singer's contract with Virgin/EMI ended in 2004 with the release of her greatest hits record Beautiful Episode.[5] Despite a light marketing budget banking on Hsiao's public persona, the album sold well, with 400,000 copies moved in mainland China, becoming the biggest selling record for the label that year.[5]

Hsiao signed with Warner Music Taiwan but was only able to release her next album, 1087 in December 2006.[21][24] The album was partly delayed because of an upheaval in staff at Warner and was named for the number of days between its release and Hsiao's previous studio album.[10][21] Promotions for the album also experienced delays as the singer had to take five months to recover from tearing a ligament in her left leg while shooting a music video.[21][25] Hsiao returned to EMI Music Taiwan in 2008 after releasing just one album with Warner, also reuniting her with former manager Yao Chien.[10][24][2] She released 3 Faced Elva that same year in June.[21][3] The artist's subsequent album Diamond Candy was released under the Gold Typhoon label after it was announced in August that the company had bought EMI Music Taiwan.[26][3] Her entire catalog would later appear under the Warner Music label after the latter bought Gold Typhoon's music interests in 2014.[27] This album featured songs written by British songwriter Wayne Hector and one song, "Beautiful Encounter", from that album was later covered by Brazilian pop singer Wanessa.[13] She embarked on a world tour on 31 December 2009.[13] Hsiao ventured into more dance oriented music with the release of Miss Elva in 2010.[3] She released another compilation album Super Girl in 2013, featuring a new duet with Chinese K-pop star Han Geng.[28]

In 2013, Hsiao signed with Sony Music in the greater China region along with fellow Taiwanese pop star Show Luo.[29] Hsiao released Shut Up and Kiss Me, which was preceded by a single of the same name. The music video for the single achieved 1 million views on YouTube after a day of release on the back of a NTD 4 million marketing blitz by Sony.[30] A song from the same album was used as the main promotional song for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in Taiwan.[8] Hsiao went on hiatus in August 2017, disappearing from the public eye for 18 months for undisclosed reasons, delaying the release of a new album that she had reportedly been preparing for three years.[1][31] She was forced to cancel 13 tour dates scheduled for April 2018 in China as well.[31] The singer broke her silence in August the following year to explain her absence, stating that she had suffered chest injuries in a fall, resulting in her being unable to sing due to difficulty breathing.[1] In November, Hsiao announced that she would be releasing a final 10-song album, Naked Truth, in 2020 to coincide with her 20th year as a recording artist.[32] The lead single, "In a Heartbeat" was released in 2019 and peaked at No. 2 on the Taiwanese KKBox chart.[33]

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums
  • Beautiful Episode (2004)
  • Love Elva... Remix & More (2006)
  • Super Girl (2012)

Live albums
  • Elva Live in Concert in Hong Kong (2002)[34]
  • Elva 2003 Up2u Taipei Concert (2003)[35]

Awards
YearAwardCategoryResultRef
2001World Music AwardsBest Selling Chinese ArtistWon[36]

References
  1. "Singer Elva Hsiao, 40, announces relationship with boyfriend, 24". 25 August 2019.
  2. Culpan, Tim (24 November 2001). "Taiwan Strait is Two-way Street". Billboard. New York City: Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  3. "CDS: Taiwan - Taipei Times".
  4. "Romance over, Elva Hsiao sets sights on work: Report". 24 January 2016.
  5. McClure, Steve (25 December 2004). "Asian Talents Make Big Strides". Billboard. New York City: Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  6. "Mando-pop's 'bel canto diva' marches into the pub - Taipei Times".
  7. JpopAsia. "Elva Hsiao - Elva Siu". JpopAsia. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  8. "YESASIA: Shut up and Kiss Me (Romantic Version) CD - Elva Hsiao, Sony Music Entertainment (TW) - Mandarin Music - Free Shipping - North America Site".
  9. "Jay Chou is Taiwan's highest earning singer again".
  10. "Elva returns to EMI Virgin -- china.org.cn". www.china.org.cn.
  11. "新時代電視 Fairchild TV".
  12. "YESASIA: 1087 + 139 (2nd Version) (CD+DVD) CD - Elva Hsiao, Warner Music Taiwan - Mandarin Music - Free Shipping".
  13. "YESASIA: Diamond Candy (Preorder Version) CD - Elva Hsiao, Gold Typhoon (TW) - Mandarin Music - Free Shipping".
  14. "Chien Yao | Credits".
  15. "Real Dolls, Taiwan R&B, Eurasian Fusion". Billboard. New York City: Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 19 August 2000. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  16. "China Plus".
  17. "Taipei Times".
  18. "YESASIA: Tomorrow (CD + VCD) (Reissue Version) CD - Elva Hsiao, Gold Typhoon (TW) - Mandarin Music - Free Shipping".
  19. "YESASIA: 4U VCD - Elva Hsiao, Virgin - Mandarin Concerts & Music Videos - Free Shipping".
  20. "YESASIA: Love Theme Song - Kiss CD - Elva Hsiao, Virgin - Mandarin Music - Free Shipping - North America Site".
  21. "Homely Elva".
  22. "A classic love story in need of animation - Taipei Times".
  23. "YESASIA: 5th Avenue (Taiwan Preorder Version) CD - Elva Hsiao, EMI - Mandarin Music - Free Shipping".
  24. "1087 - Elva Hsiao | Releases".
  25. "Elva Hsiao Returns to Stage After Foot Injury - All China Women's Federation".
  26. "EMI sells to Typhoon in China, Taiwan".
  27. "Warner Music Group to Acquire Gold Typhoon's Legendary Recorded Music Catalog and Artist Roster - Warner Music Group Official Blog".
  28. "YESASIA: Super Girl New + Best Selection (2CD) (Regular Edition) (Autographed Version) CD - Elva Hsiao, Gold Typhoon (TW) - Mandarin Music - Free Shipping - North America Site".
  29. "Backbeat: Sony Music Signs Crayon Pop, Show Lo & Elva Hsiao". Billboard.
  30. "Elva Hsiao's new MV breaks 1 million YouTube views in one day".
  31. "8 DAYS - Entertainment, Celebrities & Lifestyle News Online".
  32. "Elva Hsiao thanks fans for their support as she announces new album". 18 November 2019.
  33. "華語新歌日榜 2019-12-24". KKBox. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  34. "YESASIA: Elva Live Concert in Hong Kong VCD - Elva Hsiao, Virgin - Mandarin Concerts & Music Videos - Free Shipping".
  35. "YESASIA: Elva 2003 Up2u Taipei Concert (DVD) DVD - Elva Hsiao - Mandarin Concerts & Music Videos - Free Shipping - North America Site".
  36. Lucky 13 For Monaco’s World Music Awards Archived 18 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine Radio Caroline. Europa Productions. 2001-05-02. Retrieved 21 February 2011
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