Fred Cheng
Frederick Cheng (Chinese: 鄭俊弘; born 10 November 1983) is a Canadian-born Hong Kong singer and actor. He rose to fame after competing and winning the 2013 Hong Kong singing competition, Voice of the Stars.[1] He is currently signed as an actor to TVB management and a singer under Voice Entertainment.
Fred Cheng | |||||||||||
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| Born | Frederick Cheng 10 November 1983 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||||||||||
| Occupation | Actor, singer | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2001–present | ||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | |||||||||||
| Awards | 2015 TVB Star Awards Malaysia – My Favorite TVB Drama Theme Song 2015 Captain of Destiny - 揚帆 | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 鄭俊弘 | ||||||||||
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| Musical career | |||||||||||
| Also known as | fred, freddie, freddy, panda baby, panda fred | ||||||||||
| Origin | Hong Kong | ||||||||||
| Genres | Cantopop | ||||||||||
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, electric bass, piano | ||||||||||
| Labels | Voice Entertainment | ||||||||||
| Associated acts | HOME | ||||||||||
Early life and career beginnings
Cheng was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since the age of six, he learned Choy Li Fut and picked up martial arts and boxing in high school where he won multiple competitions. Upon graduating from Eric Hamber Secondary School, he returned to Hong Kong for the summer. During his childhood, Chen also developed an interest in music, learning how to sing and play guitar under the guidance of his two uncles.
In 2001, Cheng's mother persuaded him to compete in the TVB New Talent Singing Awards,[2] in which he won second place. Cheng was offered a contract to the record company Capital Artists, but after two months of training, the company stopped producing music.
Acting career and return to singing
In 2003, TVB offered Cheng an artist contract and offered him a role in the TVB drama Shine On You. He has starred in numerous Hong Kong series including Shine On You, Love Bond, The Charm Beneath, and Forensic Heroes.
In 2011, Fred signed a management contract with TVB.
In July 2013, Fred was encouraged by friends and family to compete in the inaugural season for the singing competition, The Voice of the Stars. Fred appeared on the first episode, performing Eason Chan's "Song of the Era" (時代曲). Fred earned 174.9 points, delivering the highest performance points on the show. On the second episode, Fred performed "Angels" by Robbie Williams and earned an even higher 179.9 points. The Voice of the Stars judge, Eric Moo, took Fred in as his student and offered him to appear on his Hong Kong concert as a guest performer. Throughout the season, Fred consistently stayed in the top two places.
Fred went on win the competition, winning 68% of the votes. Immediately after winning, Fred was announced that he would be singing the theme song with Kristal Tin for the upcoming Hong Kong drama, Return of the Silver Tongue.
On 15 November 2013, he signed with TVB's newly established record company Voice Entertainment and released his debut solo album in the summer of 2014.[3] He released his first single, "Nobody", on 24 March 2014 and within 5 hours it became the top selling single on Hong Kong iTunes and held the record for seven days. Subsequently, he was given a chance to sing another two theme songs for TVB Drama, The Ultimate Addiction and Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain. He also won many best new artist awards in 2014.
In March 2017, he acted as second male lead along with experienced and well-known actor, Gallen Lo in TVB drama 'Provocateur'.
After winning Voice of the Stars (VOS)
After winning the VOS, Cheng has been given more job opportunities by TVB in acting, singing and commercial advertisements. He has performed events for companies including Towngas, Hopewell Holdings, New World Development, Shanghai Commercial Bank, AIA Group Limited, Swatch Group, Grand Lisboa, and P&G.
Cheng also filmed for a number of commercial advertisements of companies such as Wellcome, P&G and Magic Smile B1. His first commercial is Wellcome where he filmed with Wu Fung, Yao Bin, Corinna Chamberlain and Hoffman Cheng which aired on 5 January 2014. Subsequently, Cheng was selected by P&G to work with Jin Au-Yeung (MC Jin) in the P&G advertisement which was aired 19 March 2014. Later, Cheng was chosen to partner with Sisley Choi to appear in a new series of commercial with veteran TVB artistes such as Wu Fung and Law Lan in a new commercial for Wellcome.
On 15 September 2014 Cheng released his first album "Story of Panda". It reached number one on multiple sales charts within one week. On 1 November 2014 he held his first concert 'Welcome to My Dreams' at the Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre. On 5 September 2015, he held his second concert 'The Red Concert'. He held his first international concert in his hometown, Vancouver on 12 March 2018 and second in New York on 18 March 2018. He has mentioned in many interviews that his ambition is to have a world tour concert.
He is also currently studying an online music degree at Berklee College of Music.
Achievements in The Voice of the Stars (VOS)
| Episodes | Name of Songs & Scores |
| Episode 1 | Song of Era by Eason Chan – 174.9 (Highest score) |
| Episode 2 | Angels by Robbie Williams – 179.5 (Highest score) |
| Episode 3 | Root of Love by Alan Tam – 175.6 (Highest Score) |
| Episode 4 | If I Fell by The Beatles – 172.1 (Highest Score) |
| Episode 5 | Give Me One Reason by Tracy Chapman – 185.6 (Highest Score) |
| Episode 6 & 7 | Youth Song by Alfred Hui – 178.3 (Highest Score) |
| Episode 8 | Trust by Leehom Wang – 173.2 (2nd Highest) |
| Episode 9 | Years Are Like A Song by Eason Chan – 169.2 (2nd Highest) |
| Episode 10 | Come Together by The Beatles – 180.9 (Highest Score) |
| Episode 11 | I Should by Jacky Cheung – 84.7 (3rd Highest) |
| Episode 12 | Crazy Little Thing Called Love by the rock band Queen - 97.0 (Highest Score) |
| Episode 13 | Chase by Leslie Cheung * Champion of 2013 Voice of Stars * Professional Performance Award (161,046.00 votes) |
Drama songs
| Year | Song | Drama | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Two Words (duet with Kristal Tin) | Return of the Silver Tongue | theme |
| 2014 | Challenge | The Ultimate Addiction | theme |
| Way Back Home | Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain | theme | |
| Place | Overachievers | sub | |
| Surrender | ending | ||
| Rebel | Officer Geomancer | theme | |
| 2015 | Walk With Love | Come Home Love 2 | theme |
| Sailing | Captain of Destiny | theme | |
| 2016 | Line of Fire | My Dangerous Mafia Retirement Plan | theme |
| 2017 | Lost | Destination Nowhere | ending |
| The End of the World | Provocateur | ending | |
| With All My Heart (duet with Stephanie Ho) | Married But Available | theme | |
| The Night You Leave | My Dearly Sinful Mind | ending | |
| Payback | Bet Hur | theme | |
| Conquer | A General, a Scholar and a Eunuch | theme | |
| 2018 | Turn Over | Daddy Cool | theme |
| Faith | The Stunt | theme | |
| Fearless | Life on the Line | theme | |
| 2019 | Hardhearted | The Defected | theme |
| Choice | Big White Duel | theme | |
| 2020 | Chase For | Of Greed And Ants | theme |
| No Tears | Forensic Heroes IV | sub | |
| Blood And Tears | Airport Strikers | theme | |
| Confessions | Brutally Young | theme | |
| Who Are You | On-Lie Game | theme |
Songs with other artists
- 2013 TVB 46th Anniversary Celebration Theme Song - "Always Getting Better"
- 2014 FIFA World Cup Theme Song - "We Are the Only One" (Various Artists Chorus)
- 2014 TVB J2 Channel Song - "Vibrant Heart"
Awards
Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards
The Jade Solid Gold Songs Awards Ceremony(十大勁歌金曲頒獎典禮) is held annually in Hong Kong since 1984. The awards are based on Jade Solid Gold show on TVB.
| Year | Award Programme | Name of Award | Result |
| 2014 | Jade Solid Gold 1st Half Season Selection 2014 | - Top 20 Best Songs - "Nobody" | Won |
| Jade Solid Gold 2nd Half Season Selection 2014 | - Top 20 Best Songs - "Panda" | Won |
Hong Kong TVB8 Awards
The Hong Kong TVB8 Awards (Chinese: TVB8金曲榜頒獎) are given annually by TVB8, since 1999, a Mandarin television network operated by Television Broadcasts Limited.
| Year | Award Programme | Name of Award | Result |
| 2014 | TVB8 Awards Presentation 2014 | - Top 10 Best Songs - "Panda" (Mandarin) | Won |
| - Best Newcomer | Gold | ||
TVB Star Awards 2014
TVB Star Awards Malaysia (Chinese: TVB 馬來西亞星光薈萃頒獎典禮), organised by TVB to present awards to actors and actresses for their achievements.
| Year | Award Programme | Name of Award | Result |
| 2014 | TVB Malaysia Star Awards 2014 | - Malaysia Most Rising Star | Won |
Commercial Radio Hong Kong Ultimate Song Chart Awards
The Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation (叱咤樂壇流行榜頒獎典禮) is a cantopop award ceremony from one of the famous channel in Commercial Radio Hong Kong known as Ultimate 903 (FM 90.3).
| Year | Award Programme | Name of Award | Result |
| 2015 | Commercial Radio Billboard Ultimate Music Awards 2014 | - Best Newcomer | Bronze |
RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards
The RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards Ceremony(zh:十大中文金曲頒獎音樂會) is held annually in Hong Kong since 1978. The awards are determined by Radio and Television Hong Kong based on the work of all Asian artists (mostly cantopop) for the previous year.
| Year | Award Programme | Name of Award | Result |
| 2015 | 37th Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards 2014 | - The Most Promising Newcomer | Gold |
Metro Showbiz Hit Awards
The Metro Showbiz Hit Awards (新城勁爆頒獎禮) is held in Hong Kong annually by Metro Showbiz radio station. It focuses mainly in cantopop music.
| Year | Award Programme | Name of Award | Result |
| 2014 | Metro Music World Hit Awards 2014 | - Ultimate Best Newcomer Male - Ultimate Best Newcomer of the Year - Metro Radio Original Song "Panda" |
Won |
| 2015 | Metro Radio Station Children's Songs Awards 2014 | - Top Ten Song "Nobody" - Best Song "Nobody" |
Won |
Metro Radio Mandarin Music Awards
| Year | Award Programme | Name of Award | Result |
| 2014 | Metro Music Mandarin Hit Awards 2014 | - Ultimate Newcomer, Hong Kong | Won |
IFPI Hong Kong Sales Awards
IFPI Awards is given to artists base on the sales in Hong Kong at the end of the year.
| Year | Award Programme | Name of Award | Result |
| 2015 | IFPI Awards Presentation 2014 | - Top Selling Cantonese Album - Best Selling Male Newcomer Album - Top Ten Digital Single Sale - "Panda" |
Won |
Other awards
| Year | Award Programme | Name of Award | Result |
| 2013 | Yahoo Asia Buzz Awards Ceremony 2013 | King of Popularity 2013 | Won by 1,000,625 votes |
| Sexiest Man Alive in China 2013 (Organized by Jaynestars.com) |
The Most Sexiest Man Alive in China 2013 | Won by 5,483 votes (22%) | |
| 2014 | Sina Weibo Awards Presentation 2013 | Weibo Newcomer Award | Won |
| Yahoo Asia Buzz Awards Ceremony 2014 | Music New Force Award 2014 | Won | |
| Music Pioneer Billboard Annual Awards Ceremony 2014 | Pioneer Best Newcomer, Hong Kong | Won | |
| 10th Global Chinese Music Festival | Ultimate Newcomer 2014 | Won |
Filmography
Television dramas
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | My Family | Director's assistant | |
| Love Bond | Kei Chung-ming | ||
| The Academy | Miki's friend | ||
| The Gentle Crackdown | Siu Chuen | ||
| The Herbalist's Manual | (extra) | ||
| Women on the Run | (extra) | ||
| Life Made Simple | Student | ||
| The Charm Beneath | Ning Tin-long | ||
| When Rules Turn Loose | Chung Ka-ming | ||
| Guts of Man | (extra) | ||
| Riches and Stitches | (extra) | ||
| 2006 | Forensic Heroes | Leung Siu-gong | Supporting Role |
| The Master of Tai Chi | Siu Kwong | ||
| Welcome to the House | DHL employee | ||
| 2007 | The Brink of Law | Nurse | |
| Ten Brothers | Photographer | ||
| On the First Beat | Chiu Tai-lui | ||
| The Green Grass of Home | Danny | ||
| Fathers and Sons | Law Tin-fu | ||
| The Ultimate Crime Fighter | CID | ||
| The Building Blocks of Life | Alan | ||
| Survivor's Law II | Forensic pathologist | ||
| 2008 | Forensic Heroes II | Leung Siu-gong | Supporting Role |
| When Easterly Showers Fall on the Sunny West | Trickster | ||
| 2008-2009 | Pages of Treasures | Yuen Yat-hei | |
| 2009 | Off Pedder | David Yeung | Episodes 126 & 127 |
| The Threshold of a Persona | Gary Lam Ying-tin | ||
| E.U. | Chiu Tai-lui | ||
| A Watchdog's Tale | Kwok Wing | ||
| 2010 | Cupid Stupid | Samuel Mak Chiu-jun | |
| When Lanes Merge | Alex Cheung Yiu-ming | ||
| Ghost Writer | Sung Chuen | ||
| Mysteries of Love | Hui Jun-bong | Episodes 16 & 17 | |
| Can't Buy Me Love | Wing On | ||
| Some Day | Jun Jai | ||
| 2011 | Relic of an Emissary | Lau Chung-leung | |
| Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir! | Cheung Hau-ming | Episodes 9, 11 | |
| Only You | Heung Wai-ho | Episodes 20 & 21 | |
| Grace Under Fire | Ma Sum | ||
| Gloves Come Off | Liu Fat | ||
| The Life and Times of a Sentinel | Bugino Yan-jaak | ||
| River of Wine | Shun | ||
| Til Love Do Us Lie | Guitarist | Episode 75 | |
| When Heaven Burns | Guitarist and vocalist | ||
| 2012 | The Greatness of a Hero | Cho-hon | Episodes 4 & 5 |
| Three Kingdoms RPG | (extra) | ||
| The Confidant | Lee Wing-ling | ||
| 2012-2013 | Missing You | Sam Yeung Hok-lai | Episodes 13, 16-20 |
| 2013 | The Day of Days | Kwok Chi-him | Guest star |
| Beauty at War | Master Leung | Guest star | |
| Karma Rider | Sai Chui | ||
| Triumph in the Skies II | Water Yau Tin-hing | Cameo Appearance | |
| 2013-2014 | Return of the Silver Tongue | Choi Dor-wah | Performed theme song with Kristal Tin – "兩句" (Two Words) |
| 2014 | Ruse of Engagement | Eric Lee Kam | |
| Swipe Tap Love | Background singer | Cameo Appearance | |
| Come On Cousin! | Fred Cheng | Guest Appearance | |
| Overachievers | Happy Ko | Minor Supporting Role | |
| 2014-2015 | Officer Geomancer | Che Kwai Kwan | Minor Supporting Role |
| 2017 | Provocateur | Ringo Poon Siu-kit | Main role |
| 2020 | Forensic Heroes IV | Charm Ting | Major Supporting Role |
| TBA | Armed Reaction 2020 | Danny Koo Dan-ni | Minor Supporting Role |
References
- "《星夢傳奇》鄭俊弘成雙料冠軍 亞軍鄭世豪". IHKTV (in Chinese). 13 October 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- 2001全球華人新秀歌唱大賽 (in Chinese). Television Broadcasts Limited. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- "Fred Cheng to be first Voice Entertainment artiste to release new album". HK Yahoo! News (in Chinese). 16 November 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.