A-Mei

A-Mei Biography
A-mei (Chinese: 阿妹; pinyin: ā mèi; born August 9, 1972), also known by her birth name Zhang Huimei or as Chang Hui-mei (traditional Chinese: 張惠妹; simplified Chinese: 张惠妹; pinyin: Zhāng Huìmèi), is an aboriginal Taiwanese pop singer and occasional songwriter. She is also known by her aboriginal name 古歷來·阿蜜特 (Gulilai Amit). She was born in the rugged mountains of eastern Taiwan and is the third youngest of nine siblings. A-mei made her debut in the world of music in 1996, achieving instant mega commercial success. She has frequently been called a diva of the Mandarin pop music scene, as well as the "Pride of Taiwan". She has won numerous music awards and become one of the biggest music sensations within thepop music pantheon of the Mandarin-speaking world.

A-mei first connected to the entertainment business by joining the televised "Five Lights Singing Contest" on TTV in 1994 after encouragement by her father, who was ill at that time. A-mei made it all the way through to the finals but eventually lost in the final round. She felt very disappointed and was almost ready to give up interest in music competition. A-mei's father then told her, "You definitely can sing, and you perform songs beautifully. Why don't you enter the competition again to show that you have a talent for music?" So encouraged, A-mei then decided to make a second attempt the following year. Her stable and superb performances were much appreciated by the judges, and this time A-mei was awarded the championship. Unfortunately, A-mei's father passed away before her victory, making leaving her sad and aimless until she began to sing in pubs with a rock band formed by her musician cousin. She was later discovered by the popular singer/producer Chang Yu-Sheng (張雨生) and started her career.

Initially, the year began without issue. In January, A-mei performed Sprite's new Chinese commercial song, "I Want to Fly" (我要飛). Due to her healthy image, A-mei was selected as one of twelve celebrities to participate in an anti-smoking campaign. In March, she had two shows in Hong Kong with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, singing a wide variety of songs, including Mandarin, English, Taiwanese and Cantonese classics.

In June, A-mei signed a contract with Warner Music, Taiwan. During the ceremony, A-mei expressed her gratitude to her previous record company, Forward Music, for guiding and nurturing her to achieve what she had achieved, and showed her anticipation and excitement for the musical journey ahead with her new record company. A-mei sangthe Mandarin theme song for the movie, "Pearl Harbor" (�'山�'海) and included it in her next album, "Truth" (真實), which was released shortly after.

In 2002, A-mei won the "Best Female Vocalist of the Year" award with the album, "Truth" at Taiwan's most prestigious, "Golden Melody Awards." A deserving win after four years of consecutive nominations in the same category since her second album, "Bad Boy." Also a performing guest, she put on a showcase titled, "Best of Asia" that evening. In the same year, she won "Favourite Artist - Taiwan" in the first MTV Asia Awards held in Singapore.

In June, A-mei was forced to cancel a concert in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, China after a protest accusing her of supporting Taiwanese independence. About 100 Chinese ultra-nationalists held up banners and chanted: "Oppose Taiwan independence, unify China."

Undeterred by negativity, A-mei proceeded to work on her new album, "Maybe Tomorrow" (也許明天) which was released on September 21, 2004. A-mei composed two songs, namely, "Love is the Only Thing" (愛是唯一) and "Critical Moment" (關鍵時刻) on the album. Although the album was chosen as one of the "Top 10 Local Album Releases for 2004" by the Taipei Times, the change in music style and direction drifted away from the common acceptance level of mass Mandarinpop music listeners and therefore, the album failed to perform in the charts.

A-mei took up the task as the World Vision Taiwan (WVT) ambassador and headed to southern Sudan with the charitable organization in June/July. At the press conference to launch the 30 Hour Famine campaign, A-mei shared her encounters and experience during her visit. "There is a water shortage almost everywhere in Sudan, and people don't really have a choice. I met an 11-year-old girl named Mary, who is so clever, and speaks English fluently. She told me that she can't go to school every day because it is too far away, and the school is so primitive. She wants to leave there and go to a place where she can study," she said. In the same month, A-mei visited an aboriginal village in southern Taiwan - the home to people of the Paiwan tribe. Along with Taiwanese singer, Biung Wang, and volunteers, they sent flood relief and moral support in hope to alleviate problems in the area, which was badly damaged by a recent flood.A-mei's performance in Golden Horse Awards 2005

A-mei continued to take on her duty as the island's tourism ambassador for the third consecutive year since 2004 and sang the theme song for the year's campaign, titled, "Touch Your Heart". The media reported that she had assisted Taiwan in achieving outstanding tourism results by promoting the island's numerous tourist attractions to travelers from the region for the past two years.