Vanness Wu (; born August 7, 1978) is a

Taiwanese-American Taiwanese Americans () are Americans who carry full or partial ancestry from Taiwan. This includes American-born citizens who descend from migrants from Taiwan. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, 49% of Taiwanese Americans lived in the state of Califo ...

singer and actor. He is a member of the Taiwanese boyband F4 and the Korean Mandopop duo

Kangta & Vanness Kangta & Vanness (; ; stylized in all caps), was a one-off pop duo composed of Korean singer Kangta formerly of H.O.T and Taiwanese singer Vanness Wu of F4 (band), F4 fame. They formed in 2006 and had released one studio album, ''Scandal (album), ...

Early life

Wu was born in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

. He learned to breakdance as a teenager and competed in numerous dance competitions throughout the 90s.

Career

Early career with F4

Wu starred as Mei Zuo (美作), one of the F4 members, in the

Taiwanese drama Taiwanese drama (, also known as T.W. drama) refer to dramatic programming of television programming extended stories usually dramatizing relationships through the general range of ten to forty one-hour episodes. They are produced in Taiwan and hav ...

series ''

Meteor Garden Meteor Garden may refer to: * ''Meteor Garden'' (2001 TV series), Taiwanese TV adaptation of Japanese shōjo manga series ''Boys Over Flowers'' ** ''Meteor Garden II'', 2002 sequel of the Taiwanese series * ''Meteor Garden'' (2018 TV series), main ...

'' and its sequel, ''

Meteor Garden II ''Meteor Garden II'' () is a 2002 Taiwanese drama starring Barbie Shu and F4: Jerry Yan, Vic Chou, Vanness Wu, and Ken Chu. While it is a sequel to the 2001 television series '' Meteor Garden'', which is based on Japanese shōjo manga series ...

''. At the conclusion of the series, they continued to perform together and released three studio albums as the

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...

F4. In 2002, Wu became the second F4 member, after

Vic Chou Vic Chou () is a Taiwanese actor and singer. He is a member of the Taiwanese boy band F4. Career F4 Chou rose to fame for his role as Hua Ze Lei in the highly popular Taiwan television series ''Meteor Garden''. At the conclusion of the series, ...

, to release his debut solo album, ''Body Will Sing.'' The track, "I Hate Myself" is listed at number 95 on

Hit Fm Taiwan Hit FM is a pop music radio station in Taiwan (Republic of China). It broadcasts in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. Hit FM is owned by Voice of Taipei Broadcasting (台北之音廣播, Pinyin: Táiběi Zhī Yīn Guǎngbō). It is one of the radi ...

's Hit Fm Annual Top 100 Singles Chart for 2002. The album was awarded as one of the "Top 10 Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year" at the 2002 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards, presented by the Hong Kong branch of

IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...

. In 2003, he was featured on

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

's single "

Crazy in Love "Crazy in Love" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé, featuring a rap verse and ad-libs from her future husband Jay-Z from her debut solo studio album '' Dangerously in Love'' (2003). The song was released as her official debut single ...

", featured on her album '' Dangerously in Love''. In 2004, Wu made his film debut in the Hong Kong film ''

Star Runner ''Star Runner'' (), (also known in the United States as ''The Kumite''), is a Hong Kong films of 2003, 2003 Cinema of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Hong Kong action cinema, action/romance film co-written and directed by Daniel Lee Yan-Kong, Daniel Lee. ...

'' and was nominated at the

Hong Kong Film Awards The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, ac ...

for Best Newcomer. In 2006, he collaborated with Korean singer

Kangta Ahn Chil-hyun (born October 10, 1979), known professionally as Kangta (stylized sometimes in all caps and formerly as KangTa), is a South Korean singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, actor and radio personality. He is well known as a ...

, forming

. The duo released the album ''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

''. In 2008, Wu was announced as the opening act and special guest for

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

's "Glow in the Dark" concert in Shanghai. They performed the hit song “Good Life”

Solo career success and acting career

Wu has appeared in several Taiwanese dramas as well as motion pictures. In 2009, he starred as Ren Guang Xi in ''

Autumn's Concerto Autumn's Concerto () is a 2009 Taiwanese drama series starring Ady An, Ann Hsu, and Vanness Wu of F4. It was produced by Sanlih E-Television and directed by Wei-ling Chen. The series was filmed from June to December 2009. The series was first ...

'', one of the highest-rated Taiwanese idol drama. He also released his first Japanese single "Only", which entered Top 10 of the

Oricon Chart , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nove ...

, as well as another single "I Don't Wanna Lose You". In 2010, Wu became the executive producer for the television series ''Year of the Rain''. Wu's third Chinese solo album ''C'est La V'' was released July 2011 under

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...

Taiwan. It features collaborations with international artistes such as

Ryan Tedder Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...

from

OneRepublic OneRepublic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002. It consists of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Tedder, lead guitarist and violist Zach Filkins, rhythm guitarist Drew Brown, bassist and cellis ...

, as well as

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical s ...

and Justin Michael who wrote the track "Knockin". Besides directing, producing, acting, and singing, Wu is also the creator/designer of his own jewelry line 3.V.O.7. He is also the creative director of

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

(greater China division). In 2012, Wu won the "Best Crossover Singer" at the 16th Chinese Global Music Charts. In 2013, Wu joined

Jiangsu TV Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (JSBC) () is China's third biggest television network after China Central Television (CCTV) and Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS). The television network is owned by the Jiangsu provincial government. The network is ...

's diving variety show ''Stars in Danger: The High Dive'', and won the silver medal. In January 2015, Wu was announced to be one of the judges of the talent show ''

Asia's Got Talent ''Asia's Got Talent'' is a televised Asian talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Produced and aired by AXN Asia, it was created in the wake of the successes of both '' America's Got Tal ...

'', along with Indonesian-French singer

Anggun Anggun Cipta Sasmi (; born 29 April 1974), better known as Anggun C. Sasmi or more often mononymously as Anggun, is an Indonesian-born French singer-songwriter and television personality. Born in Jakarta, she began performing at the age of sev ...

, Canadian musician

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

, and former

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...

member

Melanie C Melanie Jayne Chisholm (12 January 1974 - 25 December 2022), better known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer-songwriter and media personality. She is best known as one of the five members of the Spice Girls, during which time she was ni ...

, which aired from March to May on

AXN Asia AXN is an Asian pay television channel owned by KC Global Media Asia based in Singapore. It primarily airs action, police procedural, and reality shows. The network was formerly wholly owned by Sony Pictures Television, but the Asia Pacific, Midd ...

. In July 2015, Wu returned to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

after a decade of his first visit for the special show for the #LiveinLevis event sponsored by

Levi Levi (; ) was, according to the Book of Genesis, the third of the six sons of Jacob and Leah (Jacob's third son), and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Levi (the Levites, including the Kohanim) and the great-grandfather of Aaron, Moses and M ...

's in line with the launch of the Women's Denim Collection for Fall 2015. Wu's performance was a way of thanking the brand's fans and style seekers. In 2016, it was announced that Wu would star in his first Chinese television series ''

The Princess Weiyoung ''The Princess Weiyoung'' () is a 2016 Chinese television series starring Tiffany Tang in the title role, alongside Luo Jin, Vanness Wu, Mao Xiaotong and Li Xinai. It is adapted from the novel ''The Poisonous Daughter'' () by Qin Jian and is a fi ...

'' alongside

Tiffany Tang Tang Yan (, born 6 December 1983), also known as Tiffany Tang, is a Chinese actress and singer. She graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in 2006. In 2007, she was nominated for the Best Actress award at the Shanghai Television Festival for ...

, playing the 5th century prince and then Emperor

Tuoba Yu Tuoba Yu (拓拔余) (died 29 October 452''bingwu'' (1st) day of the 10th month of the 2nd year of the ''Zhengping'' era, per volume 4 (part 2) of ''Book of Wei''), formally Prince Yin of Nan'an (南安隱王), Xianbei name Kebozhen (可博真), wa ...

of the

Northern Wei Dynasty Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern dynasties, it ruled northern China from 386 to 535 during t ...

. He was also in the science fiction film ''Pili Back''. In the same year, he participated with his sister Melody in the third season of '' The Amazing Race China'', based on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

's reality program of the same name, where they were eliminated on the ninth leg and finished 4th. In 2019. he starred in '' Ip Man 4: The Finale'' alongside

Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan (; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and action director. Yen is one of Hong Kong's top action stars. Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream Asian cinema by cho ...

where he played Hartman Wu, a U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant and

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

's student.

Filmography

Television series

Film

Variety and reality show

Discography

Studio album

Singles

With Kangta and Vanness

* 2006 – ''

'' – Kangta & Vanness Collaboration

Other collaborations

– "

" (Asian releases only) 004*

Coco Lee Coco Lee (; born Ferren Lee, 17 January 1975) is a Hong Kong-American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actress. Lee's career began in Hong Kong and then expanded to Taiwan. Her single, "Do You Want My Love" also entered the US m ...

– "Hip Hop Tonight" 006*

Brian Joo Brian Joo (Korean name: Joo Min-gyu (); born January 10, 1981), better known professionally as Brian (), is a Korean American singer and one-half of the R&B duo Fly to the Sky. His first solo album, ''The Brian'' was released in December 2006. ...

– "Everything to Me" 010– 3rd Wave Music – I WILL BE THERE Album – www.3rdwavemusic.org *

Sammi Cheng Sammi Cheng Sau-man (; born 19 August 1972) is a Hong Kong singer and actress. She is considered one of the most prominent female singers in Hong Kong, with album sales of over million copies throughout Asia. Most notably in the 1990s, she was dub ...

– "Forgiveness" (In both English and Chinese) 010* Lee Junho – "Undefeated" (M/V)
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* Avicii – "Levels" (Mandarin Version) [2013] *

and

– "

Let's Groove "Let's Groove" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released as the first single from their eleventh studio album, ''Raise!'' (1981). It is written by Maurice White and Wayne Vaughn, and produced by White. The song was a commercial succ ...

" (charity single for the victims of Nepal earthquake) 015*

Danson Tang Danson Tang () is a Taiwanese model, actor and singer, who started his career as a commercial model before pursuing an acting career and later singing. He was previously under management to Gala Television for his acting projects and Avex Taiwan f ...

, Selina Ren,

Diamond Zhang Zhang Bichen (; born September 10, 1989), also known as Diamond Zhang, is a Chinese singer. She was a member of the South Korean girl group Sunny Days (band), Sunny Days. In 2014, she won the Chinese singing contest ''The Voice of China (season ...

Madoka Yonezawa is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Osaka Prefecture. Personal life On 30 August 2017, she announced her marriage and first baby. In 2020, she announced her second baby. Filmography Television animation ;2005 * ''Shuffle!'', Schoolgirl ...

Siwon Choi Si-won (; born 7 April 1986), known mononymously as Siwon, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, model, and actor known for his work as a member of South Korean boy group Super Junior. Choi committed as special representative of UNICEF K ...

Yao Yao Yao Yao may refer to: * Choi Hyo-joo, born Yao Yao, Chinese-South Korean table tennis player * Yuri Huang, stage name Yao Yao, Taiwanese artist * Kuo Shu-yao, nickname Yao Yao, Taiwanese actress and singer See also * llaollao (pronounced as Yao ...

Rainie Yang Rainie Yang Cheng Lin (; born 4 June 1984) is a Taiwanese singer, actress, and television host. Early life Yang was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, her father's ancestors were from Guangdong, China. She spoke Cantonese at home. By the time s ...

Amber Kuo Kuo Tsai-chieh (, born 19 February 1986), also known as Amber Kuo, is a Taiwanese singer and actress. Career Kuo made her debut in the music video of "我們小時候" (When We Were Young) by Taiwanese singer Tank (Taiwanese singer), Tank. She ...

Wayne Huang Huang Weijin (, born March 23, 1990), also known as Wayne Huang, is a Taiwanese actor, singer, dancer and host. He was a member of the boyband SpeXial from 2012 to 2019, and currently member of another Taiwanese band W0LF(S). Biography Huang w ...

– "Blessing (Chinese edition)" 015

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Vanness 1978 births Living people Male actors from Santa Monica, California American male film actors American emigrants to Taiwan American musicians of Taiwanese descent F4 (band) members Singers from California Japanese-language singers of the United States Musicians from Santa Monica, California Pony Canyon artists Taiwanese male film actors Taiwanese male television actors 21st-century American male actors American male television actors Taiwanese idols Korean-language singers of the United States 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers The Amazing Race contestants