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Wei Wei (singer)
Encyclopedia
Wei Wei is a Mandopop
singer and actress. She was born in Hohhot
, Inner Mongolia
and was raised in Liuzhou
, Guangxi
.
Wei Wei recently performed at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo (May 2010), as well as at the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics (August 2008). Between these two major events in China, she performed at the opening- and the closing ceremony of the 11th National Games in Nanjing, China (October 2009).
Wei Wei has been an Olympic
Ambassador for China since 1993 when the Chinese Olympic Committee applied for the games for the first time. She supported the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
by performing at major Olympic events in China and abroad. In 2004, she received the highest number of votes in an Internet survey as to who should sing the theme song of the Chinese Olympics. Wei Wei was the single representative for Asia at the 100 year anniversary show at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA in 1996
.
In September 2006 Wei Wei's song I Want to Fly (the Mandarin version of Where We Are) was appointed official song for the 2008 Olympic Sailing City of Qingdao
by the Chinese Olympic Committee and the Sailing Committee (Qingdao) of Beijing
for the Beijing Olympics.
In 2006, Wei Wei celebrated 20 years on stage. The anniversary was highlighted by the production of new recordings of her 20 greatest hits: The Wei Wei 20X20 Celebration Collection. The recordings were produced in Stockholm
, London
and Los Angeles
.
Her breakthrough came in 1986, when she won the National Young Singers contest on Chinese television. The next year, China sent a representative to an international pop competition for the first time: The 24th Sopot International Song Festival
in Poland
. She won the competition, and the "Miss Photo-category" as well, which brought her even more attention. Four years later, she was chosen to perform at the 11th Asian Games
in Beijing
, and sang a duet with Spanish singer Julio Iglesias
at the 1993 East Asian Games
in Shanghai
. She has sold over 250 million records.
She has lived in Stockholm
, Sweden
since 1999.
, Inner Mongolia
. Her father was employed by China Central Railway. While in kindergarten
, she practiced different instruments, classical ballet and singing and was trained to perform in front of large audiences from the age of four. Aged seven, Wei Wei's family moved to Liuzhou
in Guangxi
province. At the age of 14 Wei Wei moved to Beijing by herself and started to work for one of China's largest performance units, the Beijing Cultural Song and Dance Group. As a young unit member she participated in all kinds of performances as well as the activities around them – dancing, singing, playing instruments, choreography, stage design, lights etc. The unit traveled all over the country, often doing several live performances in one day.
In 1987, she won the 24th Sopot International Music Festival in Poland as China's first representative to an international pop competition.
's Chinese New Year's Eve Show, Gathering of the Year of the Dragon. The song was also presented at CCTV's Spring Festival Live Show. Later that year, she received a special award for the hit song, Enamored Pursue at the Mysamy International Music Festival and Same Song won the gold medal in the Beijing International Song Festival.
In 1989, her song Dedication of Love became a national hit as she became the symbol for charity fund raising activities. Wei Wei was crowned "The Icon of Love" by the media . In the same year, her song Today is Your Birthday won the gold medal at Jian Brand Cup and Beijing Radio Song Competition. It has since been used as the theme song for China's National Day .
The 1990 song Asian Mighty Winds was introduced at the Asian Games and immediately became a national hit. Wei Wei was dubbed the "Queen of Sports" in Chinese media and has since been regarded as the "Icon of Sports Music" .
She founded and staged a charity
fundraising show in China for saving victims of flooded areas in East
ern China in 1991. Her song Our Shared Homeland crowned the event. It became a hit and the show was the most successful fundraising event of the year . She then starred in the musical film The Diva's Story .
She performed at the Miss Asia
competition show in Hong Kong
in 1992. She became the lead singer in the first concert tour in American major cities arranged by the China Central Song and Dance Group.
opening and closing ceremonies together with Spanish singer and star Julio Iglesias
, and then performed at the Asian Games opening show in Hiroshima
, Japan. Later that year, representing China, she visited Monaco
for a campaign concerning the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
In 1994, she gained more fame by being the "star" of the Chinese New Year Show in Carnegie Hall
, New York, broadcast by CCTV. In the same year, the song Wind Coming From the East became a hit at a show in Shanghai Oriental TV, and subsequently became the TV station's theme song. Her first English album was released, titled The Twilight.
1995 saw her concert tour "Wei Wei and the World" - a tour in the major cities of mainland China
, including Beijing, Shanghai
, Guangzhou
and Kunming
.
She represented Asia and performed in front of 60,000 people at the centennial anniversary of the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996. She was portrayed in a CNN
fifteen-minute special as the only Asian representative for the Olympic
anniversary shows.
She also participated in the new Beijing Capital Stadium opening show.
in Beijing, and her song Broad Highway became a national hit .
She was the "star of the night" with the song Dedication of Love in what is considered 1998's largest fundraising
show for the victims of the flooded Yangtze River
. The show, held in the People's Hall in Beijing, was broadcast by CCTV.
In 1999, her compilation album
titled Wei Wei's Devotion was the most popular pop music
album
in China . To further promote the album, she held a concert at American Caesar's Palace in Paris, France.
She joined the Chinese Olympic Committee
and represented China in the campaign bid for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics in 2000.
She sang at a live show together with Sydney Opera and Shanghai Opera.
In 2001 she became an ambassadress at the fundraising concerts for the victims in Sri Lanka
.
In 2002, she was again the "star of the night" at CCTV's Chinese New Year's galas in Beijing.
Special invited artist at galas arranged in Beijing in the honor of healthcare staff after the SARS epidemic.
Initiated an international management company, Wei Wei International Management, in Stockholm for the purpose of developing her international career - weiweiint.com.
2004
Released the Western-produced songs "All There Is" and "Where We Are". Launched a photo book.
Main performer at several major Olympic events: Celebration as the Chinese Olympic medalists were welcomed home from the Olympic Games in Athens, Olympic Cooperation Show in Hong Kong, the presentation of the Beijing 2008 logo, the symbolic construction start of the new Olympic Stadium in Beijing.
Voted "The most requested opening singer at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics" on an internet survey .
Lead singer at the opening ceremony show for the Formula 1 Racetrack in Shanghai.
2005
Star of the largest New Year's celebration show in China, with a song of praise dedicated to China and the rest of the world. The show was broadcast to several hundreds of millions of television viewers in China and internationally.
Lead singer at several Olympic Shows, the launch of the Olympic Games mascots and the countdown from 1000 days. Opening artist at the opening ceremony of the 10th China National Games. At the show for the international unveiling of China's Olympic slogan: "One World – One Dream", Wei Wei performed Andrew Lloyd Webber's song "Love Changes Everything".
Named one of the "Top Ten Heroic Women in China." Nomination and selection were made by Unesco Beijing, Peking University, China Youth Daily, China Reform Daily, CETV, Sohu.com and Macau STV.
Wei Wei celebrated 20 years on stage, highlighted by the release of twenty new recordings of her 20 greatest hits. The first one, a medley that consists of parts of her five greatest hits, was launched on May 8: The 20X20 Dance Loop.
Wei Wei released worldwide on digital download distributor iTunes Music Store.
Launched a new official website – www.weiweimusic.com
International tour for the celebration of the Chinese New Year: Los Angeles, Vienna, Toronto and Barcelona. Star of the evening at the Olympic Show held in Toronto.
Jury member in China's largest song competition: "The National Young Singers Grand Award."
Performing with her new theme song One World One Dream at an Olympic Show at the Great Wall and the same evening in a Beijing performance together with Olympic athletes.
2008
In Early 2008, Wei Wei performed for a TV audience of over a billion people, as part of the Fairchild Media Group, and Shanghai Media Group
's "Chinese New Year All Star Show 2008". The show was filmed in Vancouver
, Canada, on January 18, 2008, and included a duet from Classical-Crossover Soprano Giorgia Fumanti
and Wei Wei. Wei Wei sang several of her songs, including "Go Girl Go" (The Women's World Cup theme song), and "One World One Dream" for the festivities. Wei Wei is going to do a collaboration with 9 singers from all over the world, such as BoA
, Ruth Sahanaya
, Rusiana Gaitana, Despina Vandi
and Phoebus Phoebe
, Sonu
, Daniela Mercury
and the other 2 are from Paris and Oman
. They're going to remake an English song "Dedication of Love". It produced by Ronald Hoffmann and Brian Allan
. The recording will be held in Beijing on June 9, 2008. The Song is originally Wei Wei's song.
She has recorded more than one thousands songs, performed several thousands of times, and she regularly performs in front of massive audiences, both live and on television.
She has made film music and also acted in the popular music film "The Singer's Story".
Songs In English:
is an example of what inspired Wei Wei to become a pop singer and to learn English.
Wei Wei has an international career and has performed with several western artists. Since 2003 she has produced new music in studios in Stockholm, London and Los Angeles, produced by western teams.
All there is (Mandarin: Its all different) / Multiplay Music – Vinny Vero, Peter Malmrup, Andreas Hedlund, Erik Nova
Where we are (Mandarin: I want to fly) / Multiplay Music – Fatima Rainey
, Brian Hobbs, Andreas Aleman, Andreas Hedlund, Erik Nova
"Love Changes Everything" / Andrew Lloyd Webber
If you believe (Duet with Peter Jöback) / Murlin Music – Anders Bagge
The Dance loop / Eclectic – Johan Åberg
1993
1996
2000
2004
2005
2006
2007
See pictures of the Olympic Ambassador Shows
2008
Wei Wei is currently a member of the Chinese Olympic Committee and is working closely together with the different groups arranging the ceremonies and events for the Olympics.
Then in 1991 she staged a charity fundraising show in China for victims of floods in Eastern China. She performed her song Our shared homeland, which became a hit.
In 1998 she performed the song Dedication of love at a major charity fundraising show for victims of the Yangtze River floods. The show was held in the People's Hall in Beijing, with stars from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan
. In 2001 she was an ambassador at charity fundraising concerts for Sri Lanka
n victims of the tsunami
.
In 2003 she was special invited artist at two galas arranged in Beijing in the honor of healthcare staff after the SARS epidemic. In 2004 she performed at China's largest charity ball for the handicapped. Deng Pufang
, son of the former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping
, organized a charity gala for disabled people in Beijing. Wei Wei performed with her song Dedication of Love, which she sang with a blind artist, Yang Haito. In 2005 she performed at the charity show "The Happiness Project" for mothers in Shenzhen
.
In 2006, Wei Wei initiated a charity fund in Sweden with the purpose of supporting charity organizations and projects in China. The purpose is also to bridge cultural gaps and help to overcome difficulties between Eastern and Western fund raising projects.
, but the couple divorced on April 17, 2004, after 10 years of marriage.
She has three sons with her former husband: Symington W. Smith, Remington W. Smith and Vinson W. Smith, all born in Atlanta, Georgia
. The boys have toured with their mother from an early age and have appeared on stage and television in China.
with more than 100 million Swedish kronor
(aprox 10 million euro) for incomes in China during the years of 2003-2008. Swedish tax authoritie's grounds for the decision in December 2009 was rejected by Swedish court (Länsrätten) in June 2009 due to the lack of concrete facts. The new decision has been appealed by Wei Wei to the Swedish court (Förvaltningsrätten).
Mandopop
Mandopop is a colloquial abbreviation for "Mandarin popular music." It is categorized as a subgenre of commercial Chinese-language music within C-pop. Mandopop was the first variety of popular music in Chinese to establish itself as a viable industry. As the name implies, Mandopop features songs...
singer and actress. She was born in Hohhot
Hohhot
Hohhot , is a city in north-central China and the capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, serving as the region's administrative, economic, and cultural centre....
, Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
and was raised in Liuzhou
Liuzhou
-History:thumb|Liuchow in 1945.Liuzhou has a history of more than 2,100 years. The city was founded in 111 B.C. when it was known as Tanzhong....
, Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
.
Wei Wei recently performed at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo (May 2010), as well as at the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics (August 2008). Between these two major events in China, she performed at the opening- and the closing ceremony of the 11th National Games in Nanjing, China (October 2009).
Wei Wei has been an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Ambassador for China since 1993 when the Chinese Olympic Committee applied for the games for the first time. She supported the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
by performing at major Olympic events in China and abroad. In 2004, she received the highest number of votes in an Internet survey as to who should sing the theme song of the Chinese Olympics. Wei Wei was the single representative for Asia at the 100 year anniversary show at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA in 1996
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
.
In September 2006 Wei Wei's song I Want to Fly (the Mandarin version of Where We Are) was appointed official song for the 2008 Olympic Sailing City of Qingdao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
by the Chinese Olympic Committee and the Sailing Committee (Qingdao) of Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
for the Beijing Olympics.
In 2006, Wei Wei celebrated 20 years on stage. The anniversary was highlighted by the production of new recordings of her 20 greatest hits: The Wei Wei 20X20 Celebration Collection. The recordings were produced in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Her breakthrough came in 1986, when she won the National Young Singers contest on Chinese television. The next year, China sent a representative to an international pop competition for the first time: The 24th Sopot International Song Festival
Sopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival is an international song contest held in Sopot, Poland. It was the biggest Polish music festival altogether with the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, and one of the biggest annual song contest in Europe...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. She won the competition, and the "Miss Photo-category" as well, which brought her even more attention. Four years later, she was chosen to perform at the 11th Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, and sang a duet with Spanish singer Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
at the 1993 East Asian Games
1993 East Asian Games
The 1st East Asian Games were held in Shanghai, People's Republic of China from May 9 to May 18, 1993. The main stadium for the inaugural edition of the games was the Yuanshen Sports Centre Stadium....
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. She has sold over 250 million records.
She has lived in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
since 1999.
Early life
Wei Wei was born to a Zhuang family in HohhotHohhot
Hohhot , is a city in north-central China and the capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, serving as the region's administrative, economic, and cultural centre....
, Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
. Her father was employed by China Central Railway. While in kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, she practiced different instruments, classical ballet and singing and was trained to perform in front of large audiences from the age of four. Aged seven, Wei Wei's family moved to Liuzhou
Liuzhou
-History:thumb|Liuchow in 1945.Liuzhou has a history of more than 2,100 years. The city was founded in 111 B.C. when it was known as Tanzhong....
in Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
province. At the age of 14 Wei Wei moved to Beijing by herself and started to work for one of China's largest performance units, the Beijing Cultural Song and Dance Group. As a young unit member she participated in all kinds of performances as well as the activities around them – dancing, singing, playing instruments, choreography, stage design, lights etc. The unit traveled all over the country, often doing several live performances in one day.
1986–1987: Breakthrough
In 1986, Wei Wei won the National Young Singers contest on Chinese television with the song Wanna Take One More Chance to Look at You.In 1987, she won the 24th Sopot International Music Festival in Poland as China's first representative to an international pop competition.
1988–1992: Rising stardom
In 1988, her fame rose with the theme song for CCTVChina Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
's Chinese New Year's Eve Show, Gathering of the Year of the Dragon. The song was also presented at CCTV's Spring Festival Live Show. Later that year, she received a special award for the hit song, Enamored Pursue at the Mysamy International Music Festival and Same Song won the gold medal in the Beijing International Song Festival.
In 1989, her song Dedication of Love became a national hit as she became the symbol for charity fund raising activities. Wei Wei was crowned "The Icon of Love" by the media . In the same year, her song Today is Your Birthday won the gold medal at Jian Brand Cup and Beijing Radio Song Competition. It has since been used as the theme song for China's National Day .
The 1990 song Asian Mighty Winds was introduced at the Asian Games and immediately became a national hit. Wei Wei was dubbed the "Queen of Sports" in Chinese media and has since been regarded as the "Icon of Sports Music" .
She founded and staged a charity
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
fundraising show in China for saving victims of flooded areas in East
East
East is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.East is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of west and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the right side of a map is east....
ern China in 1991. Her song Our Shared Homeland crowned the event. It became a hit and the show was the most successful fundraising event of the year . She then starred in the musical film The Diva's Story .
She performed at the Miss Asia
Miss Asia
Miss Asia may refer to:*Miss Asia Pacific International, the first and oldest beauty pageant in Asia*Miss Asia Pageant, organized by the Asia Television Limited in Hong Kong*Miss National Asia, organized in the United States for Asian American Women...
competition show in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in 1992. She became the lead singer in the first concert tour in American major cities arranged by the China Central Song and Dance Group.
1993–1996: International recognition
She was the lead singer at the 1993 East Asian Games1993 East Asian Games
The 1st East Asian Games were held in Shanghai, People's Republic of China from May 9 to May 18, 1993. The main stadium for the inaugural edition of the games was the Yuanshen Sports Centre Stadium....
opening and closing ceremonies together with Spanish singer and star Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
, and then performed at the Asian Games opening show in Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, Japan. Later that year, representing China, she visited Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
for a campaign concerning the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
In 1994, she gained more fame by being the "star" of the Chinese New Year Show in Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, New York, broadcast by CCTV. In the same year, the song Wind Coming From the East became a hit at a show in Shanghai Oriental TV, and subsequently became the TV station's theme song. Her first English album was released, titled The Twilight.
1995 saw her concert tour "Wei Wei and the World" - a tour in the major cities of mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
, including Beijing, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
and Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
.
She represented Asia and performed in front of 60,000 people at the centennial anniversary of the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996. She was portrayed in a CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
fifteen-minute special as the only Asian representative for the Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
anniversary shows.
She also participated in the new Beijing Capital Stadium opening show.
1997–2002: National icon
She was the main performer at The Night of Hong Kong Return to China in 1997, a live show held in Tiananmen SquareTiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen Gate located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the third largest city square in the world...
in Beijing, and her song Broad Highway became a national hit .
She was the "star of the night" with the song Dedication of Love in what is considered 1998's largest fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
show for the victims of the flooded Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
. The show, held in the People's Hall in Beijing, was broadcast by CCTV.
In 1999, her compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
titled Wei Wei's Devotion was the most popular pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
album
Music Album
Music album is the name of:* Music Album , a 1970s Canadian television series* Album, a collection of music tracks...
in China . To further promote the album, she held a concert at American Caesar's Palace in Paris, France.
She joined the Chinese Olympic Committee
Chinese Olympic Committee
Chinese Olympic Committee represents the People's Republic of China in international affairs related to the Olympic Movement.-Timeline concerning Olympic recognition:...
and represented China in the campaign bid for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics in 2000.
She sang at a live show together with Sydney Opera and Shanghai Opera.
In 2001 she became an ambassadress at the fundraising concerts for the victims in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
In 2002, she was again the "star of the night" at CCTV's Chinese New Year's galas in Beijing.
2003–2005: The new Wei
2003Special invited artist at galas arranged in Beijing in the honor of healthcare staff after the SARS epidemic.
Initiated an international management company, Wei Wei International Management, in Stockholm for the purpose of developing her international career - weiweiint.com.
2004
Released the Western-produced songs "All There Is" and "Where We Are". Launched a photo book.
Main performer at several major Olympic events: Celebration as the Chinese Olympic medalists were welcomed home from the Olympic Games in Athens, Olympic Cooperation Show in Hong Kong, the presentation of the Beijing 2008 logo, the symbolic construction start of the new Olympic Stadium in Beijing.
Voted "The most requested opening singer at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics" on an internet survey .
Lead singer at the opening ceremony show for the Formula 1 Racetrack in Shanghai.
2005
Star of the largest New Year's celebration show in China, with a song of praise dedicated to China and the rest of the world. The show was broadcast to several hundreds of millions of television viewers in China and internationally.
Lead singer at several Olympic Shows, the launch of the Olympic Games mascots and the countdown from 1000 days. Opening artist at the opening ceremony of the 10th China National Games. At the show for the international unveiling of China's Olympic slogan: "One World – One Dream", Wei Wei performed Andrew Lloyd Webber's song "Love Changes Everything".
Named one of the "Top Ten Heroic Women in China." Nomination and selection were made by Unesco Beijing, Peking University, China Youth Daily, China Reform Daily, CETV, Sohu.com and Macau STV.
2006–2007: Celebrating 20 years on stage
2006Wei Wei celebrated 20 years on stage, highlighted by the release of twenty new recordings of her 20 greatest hits. The first one, a medley that consists of parts of her five greatest hits, was launched on May 8: The 20X20 Dance Loop.
Wei Wei released worldwide on digital download distributor iTunes Music Store.
Launched a new official website – www.weiweimusic.com
International tour for the celebration of the Chinese New Year: Los Angeles, Vienna, Toronto and Barcelona. Star of the evening at the Olympic Show held in Toronto.
Jury member in China's largest song competition: "The National Young Singers Grand Award."
Performing with her new theme song One World One Dream at an Olympic Show at the Great Wall and the same evening in a Beijing performance together with Olympic athletes.
2008
In Early 2008, Wei Wei performed for a TV audience of over a billion people, as part of the Fairchild Media Group, and Shanghai Media Group
Shanghai Media Group
Shanghai Media Group , under the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group , is a multimedia television and radio broadcasting, news and Internet company...
's "Chinese New Year All Star Show 2008". The show was filmed in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada, on January 18, 2008, and included a duet from Classical-Crossover Soprano Giorgia Fumanti
Giorgia Fumanti
Giorgia Fumanti is an Italian soprano , composer, producer and arranger now based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her music is best compared to that of Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman and Enya. Her debut EMI album "From My Heart" reached the top 20 on the Billboard Crossover Chart...
and Wei Wei. Wei Wei sang several of her songs, including "Go Girl Go" (The Women's World Cup theme song), and "One World One Dream" for the festivities. Wei Wei is going to do a collaboration with 9 singers from all over the world, such as BoA
BoA
Boa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music"....
, Ruth Sahanaya
Ruth Sahanaya
Ruth Sahanaya is an Indonesian singer. She rose to fame in the late 1980s and is perhaps best known for her hit song "Kaulah Segalanya". She has toured internationally, been the Indonesian representative at many music festivals, and has received multiple awards...
, Rusiana Gaitana, Despina Vandi
Despina Vandi
Despina Malea , known by her stage name Despina Vandi , is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, West Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six years old and she later enrolled at the University of Thessaloniki, but eventually dropped out to begin a career in...
and Phoebus Phoebe
Phoebe
Phoebe or Phebe is a female given name , meaning "bright and shining" deriving from Greek 'phoibos' .-Mythology:*Phoebe , one of the Titans*Phoebe, one of the Heliades*Phoebe , the daughter of Leucippus...
, Sonu
Sonu
Sonu may refer to*Sonu , a Kannada film actress.*Sonu Nigam, a playback singer.*Sonu Sood, an Indian actor.*Sonu Walia, a Bollywood actress.*Sonu Kakkar, a playback singer....
, Daniela Mercury
Daniela Mercury
Daniela Mercury , is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Brazilian axé, samba-reggae and MPB singer, songwriter and record producer. Since her breakthrough, Mercury has become one of the best known Brazilian female singers, selling over 20 million albums worldwide...
and the other 2 are from Paris and Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
. They're going to remake an English song "Dedication of Love". It produced by Ronald Hoffmann and Brian Allan
Brian Allan
Brian Allan is a Scottish musical entrepreneur, songwriter, record producer, singer and is the founder of “Global One” and “Poland…Why Not?” projects. As an independent artist, 16 of his compositions received airplay in Canada and the UK, while 36 of his songs made their way into UK movies...
. The recording will be held in Beijing on June 9, 2008. The Song is originally Wei Wei's song.
Discography
- 1986:The albumThe Album1977 Polar Music International AB, Stockholm, Sweden.Stig Anderson helped us with the lyrics on "The Name of the Game", "Move On" and "I Wonder "....
- 1987:Bright eyesBright EyesBright Eyes is an American indie rock band founded by singer-songwriter and guitarist Conor Oberst. It consists of Oberst, multi-instrumentalist and producer Mike Mogis, trumpet and piano player Nate Walcott, and a rotating lineup of collaborators drawn primarily from Omaha's indie music...
- 1989:Endless loveEndless LoveEndless Love may refer to:*Endless Love, a novel by Scott Spencer*Endless Love , released in 1981 and starring Brooke Shields, based on the novel**Endless Love...
- 1990:I love my motherland
- 1992:Famous songs
- 1994:The Twilight
- 1998:Wei WeiWei WeiWei Wei , originally known as Hong Jie , was a poet, a prose writer, a literary report writer, a journalist, a vice-editor-in-chief and the editor of various newspapers in China and a propagandist. His works are noted for their themes of patriotism, communism, and nationalism...
- 1999:Wei Wei's devotion
- 2001:Dedication of love
- 2005:Myths of China
- 2006:Yang-Chin
- 2008:20x20
Singer and training
Wei Wei had a classical training since early age in kindergarten.She has recorded more than one thousands songs, performed several thousands of times, and she regularly performs in front of massive audiences, both live and on television.
She has made film music and also acted in the popular music film "The Singer's Story".
Song list
Songs In Mandarin (names translated to English) from three of her latest records:- Dedication of Love
- Asian Wind
- The Red Flower
- Tears of A Lover
- Love Song To The Moon
- Understanding
- Looking At You
- You Are The One
- Woman Like A Bird
- True Feelings
- A Soft World
- The Same Homeland
- Today Is Your Birthday
- The Lolo Song
- True Love
- Searching For Love
- Telling To The Spring
- The Same Song
- Welcome to Beijing
- This Wonderful World
- Common Holiday
- Good Luck To You
- Sparkling sky
- Love for Chishui
- Green snares of love
- Look up at the sparkling sky
- Thanks
- I Believe In China
Songs In English:
- All There Is / Multiplay
- Where We Are /Multiplay
- Love Changes Everything / Andrew Lloyd Webber
- If You Believe / Peter Jöback/Anders Bagge
Western influences
At an early age, Wei Wei was influenced by western music. With friends she secretly listened to forbidden radio stations from the west. The Swedish group ABBAABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
is an example of what inspired Wei Wei to become a pop singer and to learn English.
Wei Wei has an international career and has performed with several western artists. Since 2003 she has produced new music in studios in Stockholm, London and Los Angeles, produced by western teams.
All there is (Mandarin: Its all different) / Multiplay Music – Vinny Vero, Peter Malmrup, Andreas Hedlund, Erik Nova
Where we are (Mandarin: I want to fly) / Multiplay Music – Fatima Rainey
Fatima Rainey
Fatima Rainey is a singer who was born 24 July 1967 in Sweden. She has released two albums with the Warner Music Group of Japan. She is married to the swedish actor and standup comedian Claes Malmberg....
, Brian Hobbs, Andreas Aleman, Andreas Hedlund, Erik Nova
"Love Changes Everything" / Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
If you believe (Duet with Peter Jöback) / Murlin Music – Anders Bagge
Anders Bagge
Sven Anders Bagge is a Swedish composer, lyricist, musician and record producer and partner with Peer Åström. The two songwriters / producers are known as Bagge & Peer...
The Dance loop / Eclectic – Johan Åberg
- - Broad Highway
- - It's All Different
- - Asian Wind
- - The "Lolo" Song
- - Welcome To Beijing
Olympic ambassador
Wei Wei is the musical Olympic Ambassador of China since 1993. She has been representing and supporting the Chinese Olympic Committee in their work to obtain the Olympic Games in Beijing. After winning the games that day in Moscow July 13, 2001, Wei Wei has performed as leading star at most of the shows held to celebrate the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.1993
- Olympic Application Campaign. Monaco
1996
- Olympic 100 years celebration Show. Atlanta, USA
2000
- Olympic Application Campaign. Moscow, Russia
2004
- Launch of Olympic Logo. Beijing, China
- Start Building Olympic Stadium "The Bird Nest" in Beijing, China
- Olympic Investment Meeting Hong Kong-Mainland. Hong Kong
- Athén Olympic Medalist Celebration Show. Beijing, China
- Olympic Song Program Show. Beijing, China
- Olympic Sports Film Festival. Beijing, China
2005
- Launch Olympic Slogan "One World One Dream". Beijing, China
- Launch of Olympic Mascots. Beijing, China
- 1000 Days Countdown Show. Beijing, China
2006
- Olympic Celebration Show. Toronto, Canada
- Great Wall Olympic Show. Great Wall, China
- Olympic Athletes Celebration Show. Beijing, China
- Olympic Sailing City Opening Ceremony. Qingdao, China
- Two Years Countdown Show. Beijing, China
- Official Olympic Song and Singer. Qingdao, China
2007
- 500 Days countdown Show on CCTV. Beijing, China
- 500 Days countdown at Hunan Super Girl TV. Beijing, China
- Olympic Fire Show on CCTV. Beijing, China
See pictures of the Olympic Ambassador Shows
2008
Wei Wei is currently a member of the Chinese Olympic Committee and is working closely together with the different groups arranging the ceremonies and events for the Olympics.
Charitable causes
In 1989 her song Dedication of love became a national hit as she became the symbol for charity fund raising activities.Then in 1991 she staged a charity fundraising show in China for victims of floods in Eastern China. She performed her song Our shared homeland, which became a hit.
In 1998 she performed the song Dedication of love at a major charity fundraising show for victims of the Yangtze River floods. The show was held in the People's Hall in Beijing, with stars from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. In 2001 she was an ambassador at charity fundraising concerts for Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n victims of the tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
.
In 2003 she was special invited artist at two galas arranged in Beijing in the honor of healthcare staff after the SARS epidemic. In 2004 she performed at China's largest charity ball for the handicapped. Deng Pufang
Deng Pufang
Deng Pufang is the first son of former China's Paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. He is mostly known for being crippled by the Red Guards, and becoming a paraplegic. He has since dedicated his life to improving the rights of handicapped people.-Biography:Deng Pufang was born to Deng Xiaoping and...
, son of the former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
, organized a charity gala for disabled people in Beijing. Wei Wei performed with her song Dedication of Love, which she sang with a blind artist, Yang Haito. In 2005 she performed at the charity show "The Happiness Project" for mothers in Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
.
In 2006, Wei Wei initiated a charity fund in Sweden with the purpose of supporting charity organizations and projects in China. The purpose is also to bridge cultural gaps and help to overcome difficulties between Eastern and Western fund raising projects.
Family
Wei Wei was married to an American composer, Michael Joseph SmithMichael Joseph Smith
Michael Joseph Smith is an American jazz composer a pianist born in born in Tiline, Kentucky. He has worked extensively in Europe and Asia and he resides in Sweden. At the age of 6 years, he gave his first concert of original solo piano music in Nashville, Tennessee. He served in the U.S...
, but the couple divorced on April 17, 2004, after 10 years of marriage.
She has three sons with her former husband: Symington W. Smith, Remington W. Smith and Vinson W. Smith, all born in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. The boys have toured with their mother from an early age and have appeared on stage and television in China.
Tax controversy
Swedish tax authorities decided in December 2009 to raise Wei Wei's tax in SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
with more than 100 million Swedish kronor
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
(aprox 10 million euro) for incomes in China during the years of 2003-2008. Swedish tax authoritie's grounds for the decision in December 2009 was rejected by Swedish court (Länsrätten) in June 2009 due to the lack of concrete facts. The new decision has been appealed by Wei Wei to the Swedish court (Förvaltningsrätten).