Wakin Chau

Wakin Chau (born 22 December 1960), better known by his stage name Emil Chau predominantly throughout the 1980s and 1990s, is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese singer, songwriter and actor. Chau's popularity has spread throughout Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and parts of Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam). As of August 2007, he has released more than 40 albums and held several international concert tours.

Emil Wakin Chau
Wakin Chau in concert 2007
Born (1960-12-22) 22 December 1960
Sai Ying Pun, British Hong Kong
OccupationSinger, songwriter, actor
Years active1986–present
Spouse(s)Constance Woods (American)
ChildrenAndrew (周厚安), Anya (周厚恩)
AwardsGolden Melody Awards – Best Male Mandarin Artist
1993

Chinese name
Traditional Chinese周華健
Simplified Chinese周华健
Musical career
Also known asEmil Chau, Wakin Chau, Zhou Huajian, Chow Wah-Kin
OriginHong Kong
GenresMandopop, Cantopop
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, piano
LabelsRock Records
Associated actsEasy Band, Superband
WebsiteWakin.com

Biography

Wakin Chau was born in a rice store owned by his family at Sai Ying Pun in then-British colony of Hong Kong. Growing up as the fourth son in his seven-member family, Wakin learned to play the guitar when he was about 13 years old. In 1979, he left for Taipei to major in mathematics at National Taiwan University. During his college years, he sang and played folk songs in local coffee shops. This activity was a tradition among NTU students, and it is how Wakin learned to sing in Mandarin, which would be key to his future as a music-maker in Taiwan.

Wakin had high hopes to establish a career as a recording artist, and he actively sought out contacts in the music industry. But a persistent lack of interest eventually led him to give up trying to become a performer – instead, he could sign on as an assistant producer at Rock Records, where he wrote marketable pop songs for other artists.

Wakin was later encouraged by Chyi Yu to sing some jingles for commercial advertising spots. One of these tunes was for a car commercial, and it happened to catch the attention of Wakin's boss at Rock, who realised it was the voice of his own assistant producer.

That moment opened the door for Wakin to record and release his first Mandarin album under the Rock Records label in 1987. For a man who had dreamed of performing professionally but had settled on being a record producer, this was a period of particularly good fortune that launched a succession of chart-topping records.

Shortly before his music career took off, Wakin the record producer met an American girl named Constance Woods, whose father was in Taiwan as a Fulbright scholar. Seeming to have plenty in common (including birthdays only one day apart) Wakin and Constance began to date, got engaged and then on 16 November 1986, they married in Taipei. Four months later there was another ceremony with family and friends in the United States of America on 14 March 1987. They have a son named Andrew and a daughter named Anya.

From 1985, Emil Chau, who has been using his given name Wakin since 1999, has released more than 40 albums in Mandarin, Cantonese and English. He has become a prominent name in the music of Taiwan and has fans of all ages not only around Asia but also in North America, Europe and elsewhere. His platinum albums such as You Make Me Happy and Sad (讓我歡喜讓我憂), The Flowery Heart (花·心), Music Brings Us Together (有弦相聚), and Emil & Friends (朋友) have won awards in Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Wakin has appeared in a number of films and made guest appearances on TV and radio programs in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. Alongside his singing career, he is a restaurateur and also is active in international charitable causes, such as kidney dialysis charities in Singapore, the January 2002 "Take a Deep Breath" concert in Taipei to raise money for local health-care organisations, Beijing's 4th Grand Charity Drive for Children in 2005, and Jackie Chan's all-star concerts in Las Vegas.

Wakin Chau has formed with distinguished artists Jonathan Lee, Chang Chen-yue, and Lo Ta-yu in the four-member band Superband. In 2010, after finishing all their concerts and tours, they disbanded and resumed their individual careers.

Discography

Mandarin albums
  • 最後圓舞曲 The Last Waltz (Feb 1985)
  • 心的方向 Direction of the Heart (Jul 1987)
  • 我付出我的真愛 我實現我的夢 I Gave My Love I Realized My Dream (Aug 1988)
  • 期待更多 付出更多 The More You Give the More You Expect (Jan 1989)
  • 最真的夢 The Truest Dream (Nov 1989)
  • 不願一個人 I Don't Want to Be Alone (Dec 1990)
  • 讓我歡喜讓我憂 You Make Me Happy and Sad (Nov 1991)
  • 花·心 The Flowery Heart (Apr 1993)
  • 今夜陽光燦爛 Asia Tour'93 Emil Alive! (Jan 1994)
  • 風雨無阻 Nothing Will Stop Me From Loving You (Jun 1994)
  • 我願意去等 I Am Willing to Go Soon (Feb 1995)
  • 愛相隨 Love Follows Us (Jul 1995)
  • 愛的光 Light of Love (Feb 1996)
  • 小天堂 My Little Paradise (Sep 1996)
  • 朋友 Emil & Friends (Apr 1997)
  • 有故事的人 Story Teller (Aug 1998)
  • 現在 Now (Nov 1999)
  • 忘憂草 Day Lilies (Otc 2001)
  • 329最完整周華健 All Out (2003)
  • 一起吃苦的幸福 Love Hotel (Jul 2003)
  • 周而復始 Keep Wakin 1987-2002 (Sep 2003)
  • 雨人 Wakin in the Rain (Mar 2006)
  • 花旦 Diva (May 2011)
  • 江湖 Jiang Hu (Dec 2013)
  • 賽貂蟬 My Farewell Lady (Mar 2019)
  • 少年 The Younger Me (Dec 2019)

Cantonese albums
  • 有弦相聚(真的周华健) Music Brings Us Together (Otc 1994)
  • 弦途有你(真的周华健 Ⅱ) (Apr 1995)
  • 弦弦全全(真的周华健·完满篇) (Dec 1995)
  • 弦猶在耳 Emil's Live Moments (Jun 1996)
  • 生·生活 Living With Emil Chau (Dec 1996)
  • 世界由你我開始 (Otc 1997)
  • 聽健 (Feb 1998)

English albums
  • Sad Without You (Sep 1988)
  • Blue Bird (Feb 1991)
  • I Remember (May 1992)
  • Songs of Birds (Aug 1993)
  • Forever Young (Best Collection) (Jun 1996)
  • My Oh My (Feb 2001)
  • My Favorite Songs (May 2002)

Filmography

[1] [2]

References
  1. "Wakin Chau". imdb.com. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  2. "Wakin Chau". chinesemov.com. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
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