Zhou Bichang
Encyclopedia
Zhou Bichang is a Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

. She was the first runner-up in the 2005 Super Girl Competition, which is a Chinese version of Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...

 for female contestants only. Her voice has been appropriated as a female version of David Tao
David Tao
David Tao , born Tao Xuzhong , was born on 11 July 1969. He is a Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning singer-songwriter. He is well-known for creating a crossover genre of R&B and hard rock tunes which has now become his signature style and for having popularized R&B in the Mandopop...

, Leehom Wang, and Jay Chou
Jay Chou
Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for...

, as she covered some of their songs during the contest.

On March 18, 2006, Zhou signed a recording contract with Yuelin Music. Since then, she has released several singles, an EP, and three albums. Her debut album, "Who Touched My Violin String", was released in August 2006. In Spring 2007, Zhou attended the Encore Program at the Musicians Institute
Musicians Institute
Musicians Institute is a privately owned for-profit music vocational school located in Hollywood, California. Although not a regionally accredited school, the school offers a variety of unaccredited Bachelor Degree, Associate Degree and Certificate programs in fields including contemporary music...

 in Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, with a concentration in R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...

 vocal performance. On December 18, 2007, the singer released her twin albums, named "Now" and "Wow", each containing ten songs. "Now" features Zhou's iconic R&B style, and "Wow" showcases her versatility in music genre as she forays into rock, ballad, britpop, dance, etc..

Zhou also started her acting career in 2006 as she starred in the films McDull, the Alumni
McDull, The Alumni
McDull, the Alumni is a 2006 Hong Kong live action/animated film directed by Samson Chiu. It is the third film adaptation of the popular McDull comic book series, following My Life as McDull, and McDull, Prince de la Bun...

 and The 601st Phone Call
The 601st Phone Call
The 601st Phone Call is a 2006 Chinese drama film directed by Zhang Guoli and written by Zou Jingzhi. It was released in mainland China on August 18, 2006.-Plot:...

.

Early years

Zhou Bichang was born on July 26, 1985 in Changsha, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...

 Province, to Zhou Zhongzhan, a government employee at the time, and Lu Yuanyuan, a teacher in Chinese folk music. When she was six, her family moved to 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...

, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...

 Province, a special economic zone
Special Economic Zone
A Special Economic Zone is a geographical region that has economic and other laws that are more free-market-oriented than a country's typical or national laws...

, or SEZ, on the southeast coast of China in close vicinity of 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 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...

 she attended Yuanling Elementary School, followed by a period at Gangxia Elementary School, before eventually transferring to Fuhua Elementary School where her mother held a teaching position. Then she spent six years attending Futian High School 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...

.

Zhou has been brought up in a family where music permeates everyday life. Her mother, being a music teacher and singer herself, is an avid fan of Chinese folk music. When Zhou was a child, her grandmother taught her to play the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

.

While Zhou was in junior high school, pop music from the adjacent 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...

 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...

 was ubiquitous 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...

, a far cry from the music her mother's generation was accustomed and attracted to. Zhou started collecting music CDs and listening to them non-stop. Soon in high school, she started to become known for her vocal talent and her ability to imitate the style of several popular R&B and Pop singers.

In her late senior high school years, as her interest in music escalated she was determined to pursue a career in music later in her life. In 2002, with an enviably high score of 681 on the College Entrance Exam she was admitted into the four-year undergraduate program in non-classical music at the prestigious Xinghai Conservatory of Music
Xinghai Conservatory of Music
The Xinghai Conservatory of Music is a music conservatory in Guangzhou, China. It was established in 1932 in Guangzhou by the composer Mr.Ma Sicong(Chinese:马思聪先生 Mǎ Sīcōng) as the Guangzhou Conservatory of Music.Both the Xinghai Conservatory of Music and the Xinghai Concert Hall were named after...

 in 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...

, named after the late famous musician Xian Xinghai
Xian Xinghai
Xian Xinghai was one of the earliest generation of Chinese composers influenced by western classical music and has influenced generations of Chinese musicians...

.

In March 2002, Zhou released a single named "How I Miss You" on the web, which received limited popularity. During the period of 2001 to 2003, she had entered herself into a variety of youth singing contests and had won a few awards. But before long she grew tired of competing in singing contests and despondent about her prospects in the music industry as she came to realize that her musical style as well as her look – hip hop and tomboyish – was too unconventional for the industry where bubble-gum sweet-faced girl pop idols were prevalent. She then retreated to college life until an accidental entry on her part into the 2005 Super Girl's Voice Contest that later in the year swept the whole nation.

2005 Super Girl's Voice Contest

In the spring of 2005, one of Zhou's friends at Xinghai entered Zhou without her knowledge into the 2005 Super Girls' Voice auditions held in Guangzhou, the only city picked in south China for audition purposes by the contest organizer. The then 19-year-old showed up the day of the audition in her father's old oversize jacket without a trace of makeup. In her own words, she just rolled out of bed before going to the audition and did not even get a chance to wash her face. Her boyish attire almost made the security guard stop her at the entrance because the contest was supposed to be for girls only. But her talent had no problem shining through despite her slightly unkempt appearance at the audition as she impressed the judges by singing segments from "Regular Friend” by David Tao
David Tao
David Tao , born Tao Xuzhong , was born on 11 July 1969. He is a Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning singer-songwriter. He is well-known for creating a crossover genre of R&B and hard rock tunes which has now become his signature style and for having popularized R&B in the Mandopop...

 and "Forever Love" by Leehom Wang. In the following weeks, she coasted through the subsequent elimination rounds and soon found herself among the top 10 finalists for the Guangzhou Audition Region (*only the top 3 from each region qualify for the national finals which were scheduled to start months later in July). Her fan base had also grown exponentially as she progressed through the contest.

The sincere emotions in her vocal and her interpretation of others' works was a breath of fresh air into the competition; on one particular occasion
she brought one of the judges to tears during her singing and all five judges to a standing ovation when she finished the song ("Extricate").
Her voice is sultry yet extremely powerful, a rarity among Chinese female singers. She also possesses a special talent of turning everything she sings into undeniably her own signature style, known as "Bi Style Vocal" ("筆式唱腔“). Without any suspense, she was voted by viewers all the way through to the top in Guangzhou Contest Region.

In July the national finals kicked off in Changsha, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...

 Province, where the top 3 contestants from each of the 5 regions got together and went through a series of eliminations. In these rounds, she went on delivering a wide spectrum of songs, mostly by male singers she has long admired such as David Tao
David Tao
David Tao , born Tao Xuzhong , was born on 11 July 1969. He is a Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning singer-songwriter. He is well-known for creating a crossover genre of R&B and hard rock tunes which has now become his signature style and for having popularized R&B in the Mandopop...

, Eason Chan
Eason Chan
Eason Chan Yik-shun is a prominent male singer in Hong Kong's music industry. Undoubtedly one of the most dominant male singers in the post-1997 era of Hong Kong music industry. Eason Chan has been praised by Time magazine as a front runner in the next generation of Cantopop...

, Jay Chou
Jay Chou
Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for...

 and Leehom Wang. She successfully showcased her skills in mastering hip hop, R&B and pop songs. She was one of the judges' favorites; they never voted to put her in the bottom two up for elimination, a.k.a. PK (short for Penalty Kick, a term typically used in soccer) and she was the only one throughout the entire competition that had never been through a PK. When the finale was aired on August 26, 2005, some 400 million people tuned in to find out who garnered the most SMS votes from viewers. With 3,270,840 SMS votes, Zhou ended up in the second place, only a thin margin away from winning the competition. But she was content with the result and was grateful towards the millions who had supported and voted for her.

Post Super Girl days through early 2006

Soon after the finale ended, Zhou quietly withdrew herself from the frenzy of the contest and went back to college where she just turned a sophomore. Unlike many others who arose to fame overnight, she was not thrilled about her newly-gained stardom. At times she was even annoyed when media and fans followed her around on campus as she did not want to draw attention to herself and cause inconvenience to her fellow students.

In the meantime, Shanghai E.E. Media, the agent for the Super Girl's Voice Contest, was busy organizing a national tour as well as a slew of commercial appearances for the finalists of the contest. Zhou at the time was very adamant about continuing with her study at Xinghai and not letting commercial activities interfere with her school work. However, due to her contractual obligations, she agreed to join other Super Girl's Voice finalists on the nationwide tour and subsequently performed at concerts held 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...

, 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...

, Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...

, Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...

, 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 Fuzhou
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....

. Everywhere she went her loyal and fanatic fans turned up in droves and showed their support for her. In front of a full house at the Fuzhou
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....

 concert she announced her retreat from the nationwide tour, which instantly drove many of her fans to tears fearing she might retire entirely from showbiz. Zhou's father later explained to media that frequent performances and commercial events had taken a toll on the 20-year-old. "She wants to have time for study and her family," he said. Zhou also admitted that during that time she was immensely unhappy.

On December 30, 2005, Zhou made an announcement through a video clip she posted online that she officially broke off her contractual obligations with Shanghai E.E. Media. She thanked graciously the organizer of the Super Girl's Voice Contest for giving her the opportunity to sing in front of millions. She did not go into the specifics about the breakup. As a result of the breakup, she was said to be held liable for a penalty of CN¥ 5 million (approximately US$ 714K). Speculations ran high afterwards regarding disagreements between Zhou and Shanghai E.E. Media and the recording labels in pursuit of her.

Yuelin Music and 1st single

On March 18, 2006, after having disappeared from media attention for months, she re-surfaced by signing into a record contract with Yuelin Music, a newly-founded Beijing-based label little known to the industry. She explained that the blueprint presented to her by the label is most in alignment with her musical aspirations and concepts. Under the arrangement of Yuelin, Zhou started taking violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

 lessons. At the same time she was making time for schoolwork at Xinghai to the best of her ability.
  • "Swan"("天鵝"): Upon signing the contract, Zhou released her first studio single named "Swan"("天鵝“)in a not-for-sale limited-edition CD shaped like a flying swan. The song was written by Wang Zheng, a singer and songwriter also under Yuelin. The gothic rock
    Gothic rock
    Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...

     song, a shock to many, met with mixed fan reception and critical reviews, since most people have gotten to know the singer through her signature R&B and hip hop style. The lyrics of the song alludes to the relationship between Zhou and her supportive fans. The song was wrongfully accused by some of plagiarism
    Plagiarism
    Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...

    . The plagiarism controversy helped to inspire a rap song named "Uh", which was later included in her 1st EP, where she vented her anger and frustration over people who helped fuel the unfounded accusation.

Bibi's 1st EP

On June 1, 2006, Zhou released her first EP, entitled "Bibi's 1st EP
Bibi's 1st EP
Bibi's 1st EP is the first EP from Chinese singer and songwriter Zhou Bichang, released on June 1, 2006. Zhou Bichang composed two of the songs, "Only Me Left" and "Uh..."....

", a collection of four songs.
  • "Me Left Alone" (“只剩我一個”): A blues song written by Zhou herself (lyrics by Wang Zheng). Zhou said she first recorded a demo on her cellular phone but initially was too shy to show it to the producer.
  • "Uh"(“呃”) (lyrics by Wang Zheng): Zhou co-wrote this largely rap song with Wang Zheng. As mentioned above, this song was inspired by the plagiarism controversy involving her first single released under the label Yuelin Music. There is reference of a number of Zhou's acquaintances in the song, including her boss, her producer and her assistant/friend.
  • "Unhurt" (“不痛”): This song is a collaboration with Machi (hip hop group)
    Machi (hip hop group)
    Machi is a Taiwanese Hip hop group that has nine active members, with two additional members on a hiatus from group activities.-Current:*Jeff, Huang Li Cheng *Stan, Huang Li Xing *Jae Chong*Andrew, Zhou Li Ming *Nicky, Li Jiu Zhe...

     from 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...

    . Even though the EP was never released in Taiwan and Zhou herself had never visited Taiwan, the song got accidental publicity there as it was downloaded by mistake by fans of a popular Taiwanese female singer who released a song also named "Unhurt" around that time. Zhou's "Unhurt" became an unexpected hit as people who initially downloaded it started to spread it over the internet.
  • "Swan" ("天鵝") is also included as it was previously released in a not-for-sale limited-edition CD.

1st album “Who Touched My Violin String"

Zhou quickly followed up her EP with a full-blown album named "Who Touched My Violin String
Who Touched My Violin String
Who Touched My Violin String is the first studio album from Chinese singer and songwriter Zhou Bichang, released on August 12, 2006. It won the Best Album Award at the 2006 Guangdong 9+2 Music Awards...

"("誰動了我的琴弦”), released on August 12, 2006. Many esteemed musicians and lyrists from mainland China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, 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...

 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...

 joined forces in the making of this album. Much to her delight, Zhou's long-time idol, David Tao
David Tao
David Tao , born Tao Xuzhong , was born on 11 July 1969. He is a Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning singer-songwriter. He is well-known for creating a crossover genre of R&B and hard rock tunes which has now become his signature style and for having popularized R&B in the Mandopop...

, even wrote an R&B song ("Don't love me, like loving a friend") (”別愛我,像愛個朋友“)for her and sang the demo himself. What is more, David Tao
David Tao
David Tao , born Tao Xuzhong , was born on 11 July 1969. He is a Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning singer-songwriter. He is well-known for creating a crossover genre of R&B and hard rock tunes which has now become his signature style and for having popularized R&B in the Mandopop...

's team contributed two other songs in the album, "Silence" and "Poisonous Mushroom" (“毒蘑菇”). Other composers include Xiao Ke, Kubert Leung
Kubert Leung
Kubert Leung 梁翹柏 is a musician and Cantopop songwriter in Hong Kong. He is one of the pioneers of Cantopop bands who has set up Life Exhibition and Ukiyo-e 「浮世繪」two important Hong Kong bands in 1980s. Later, Kubert Leung became a main songwriter for singer Candy Lo...

, Nicky Lee
Nicky Lee
Nicky Lee is the pen name of Li Chung Ping , a popular manhua author in Taiwan. She writes primarily for the teenage girl market, specializing in comedy, drama and romance.Lee works as one of the main staff artists for Taiwan's Tong Li Comics....

 (Li Jiuzhe), Jin Peida and Gigi Leung
Gigi Leung
Gigi Leung Wing-kei is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress.-Biography:Given the name Leung Bik-Zi at birth, at the age of 7 her mother changed her name changed to 'Wing-Kei' for superstitious reasons; as a child, Leung suffered from frequent asthma attacks and it was believed a change of name...

. Lyrists include Lin Xi, Li Zhuoxiong, Chen Shaoqi, Lin Yifeng, Wawa, and Kong Lingqi. The song that shares same title with the album, "Who Touched My Violin String
Who Touched My Violin String
Who Touched My Violin String is the first studio album from Chinese singer and songwriter Zhou Bichang, released on August 12, 2006. It won the Best Album Award at the 2006 Guangdong 9+2 Music Awards...

" ("誰動了我的琴弦”),is a Chinese-style R&B song written by Xiao Ke based on a pentatonic scale
Pentatonic scale
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave in contrast to a heptatonic scale such as the major scale and minor scale...

 (five notes only: 1,2,3,5 and 6) typically found used in Chinese folk music. Another hit song "Telephone Number" appeared toward the ending of the 2006 movie "The 601st Phone Call
The 601st Phone Call
The 601st Phone Call is a 2006 Chinese drama film directed by Zhang Guoli and written by Zou Jingzhi. It was released in mainland China on August 18, 2006.-Plot:...

" directed by Zhang Guoli
Zhang Guoli
Zhang Guoli is an award winning Chinese film director and actor. Zhang was a xiangsheng actor before he started working on films and television series. He is married to actress Deng Jie and their son Zhang Mo is also an actor....

 in which Zhou starred.

Zhou later went on a trip to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, for the filming of her music movie featuring four songs from her new album. Chen Bolin, a Taiwanese actor and her co-star in "McDull, the Alumni
McDull, The Alumni
McDull, the Alumni is a 2006 Hong Kong live action/animated film directed by Samson Chiu. It is the third film adaptation of the popular McDull comic book series, following My Life as McDull, and McDull, Prince de la Bun...

", appeared in the movie as the leading male character.

Studying in the United States

On March 26, 2007, Zhou flew out from Shanghai for California, United States, to attend the Encore Program concentrating in vocals at the Musicians Institute
Musicians Institute
Musicians Institute is a privately owned for-profit music vocational school located in Hollywood, California. Although not a regionally accredited school, the school offers a variety of unaccredited Bachelor Degree, Associate Degree and Certificate programs in fields including contemporary music...

 in Hollywood. Even though many people thought this could potentially harm her nascent career in the short run, the
majority of her fans were very supportive of her musical pursuit as studying R&B in its origin country has always been Zhou's dream since
she was in high school.

2nd and 3rd albums: “Now” and “Wow”

On July 6, 2007, after successful completion of the Encore Program at the Musicians Institute
Musicians Institute
Musicians Institute is a privately owned for-profit music vocational school located in Hollywood, California. Although not a regionally accredited school, the school offers a variety of unaccredited Bachelor Degree, Associate Degree and Certificate programs in fields including contemporary music...

, Zhou returned to China and immediately immersed herself in the preparation for her new albums. The same summer she also graduated with honors from Xinghai Conservatory of Music
Xinghai Conservatory of Music
The Xinghai Conservatory of Music is a music conservatory in Guangzhou, China. It was established in 1932 in Guangzhou by the composer Mr.Ma Sicong(Chinese:马思聪先生 Mǎ Sīcōng) as the Guangzhou Conservatory of Music.Both the Xinghai Conservatory of Music and the Xinghai Concert Hall were named after...

 with a bachelor's degree.

On December 18, 2007, she surprised both her fans and critics by simultaneously releasing twin albums, NOW
NOW (Zhou Bichang album)
NOW is the second studio album from Chinese singer and songwriter Zhou Bichang. It was released simultaneously with Zhou's third album WOW, on December 18, 2007.-Track listing:# "Liuyang River 2008" 浏阳河2008 - 4:05...

 and WOW
WOW (Zhou Bichang album)
WOW is the third studio album from Chinese singer and songwriter Zhou Bichang. It was released simultaneously with Zhou's second album NOW on December 18, 2007.-Track listing:# "WOW" - 3:42# "No Rest for the Whole Year" 全年无休 - 2:41...

, each containing ten songs.

"Now" is along the lines of her iconic "Bi Vocal Style" that she is best known for.
  • "Liuyang River 2008" (“浏阳河2008”): this song became a hit when it was first released in a not-for-sale limited edition CD prior to the official release of "Now". The idea of doing a crossover between R&B and traditional Chinese folk music was incubated while Zhou was studying in the United States. The folk song "Liuyang River" was written in the 1950s about the Liuyang
    Liuyang
    Liuyang is a county-level city in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province in China. Liuyang is well known for its fireworks industry. It has an area of 5,008 square kilometres and a population of 1,380,000 as of 2003....

     river in eastern Hunan
    Hunan
    ' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...

     Province. The song is dear to the singer's heart, partly because she is originally from Hunan and partly because the song is also a favorite of her mother's – Zhou asked her mother to help record the vocal of the folk song intro of the song in the demo. "Liuyang River 2008" features Zhou with Li Guyi, a household name in China for her groundbreaking accomplishments in ushering in pop music in China in the 1980s. In the song Li's high-pitched vocal meshes with Zhou's signature R&B vocal style seamlessly. The lyrics read "Let me go through what you've been through yet still strive to be different", much a declaration of Zhou's generation born in the 1980s regarding their relationship with their parents' generation.
  • "How are you" (“你好吗”): This song is a duet with Nicky Lee
    Nicky Lee
    Nicky Lee is the pen name of Li Chung Ping , a popular manhua author in Taiwan. She writes primarily for the teenage girl market, specializing in comedy, drama and romance.Lee works as one of the main staff artists for Taiwan's Tong Li Comics....

    , a Korean American whose singing career is primarily based in Taiwan. This song was also included in Lee's new album "Think too Much" released earlier in the year. Lee got to know Zhou via one of his own songs, "Extricate"(“解脱”), as he saw her singing it on TV and was impressed with her unique vocal and singing skills. The two first collaborated in Zhou's 1st EP, where he produced the song "Unhurt". He also helped produce Zhou's version of his song "Extricate" (never officially released) and "Deserted Island" (“无人岛”)(included in "Who Touched My Violin String
    Who Touched My Violin String
    Who Touched My Violin String is the first studio album from Chinese singer and songwriter Zhou Bichang, released on August 12, 2006. It won the Best Album Award at the 2006 Guangdong 9+2 Music Awards...

    ") and did the rap
    Rapping
    Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...

     part in the latter song.

Other hit songs include "Anniversary"("一周年“), a sorrowful song in which the singer exhibits her vocal range, and "City of Angels" (”天使之城“), a song custom made for Zhou reflective of her experiences living alone in L.A.. The album also includes "That Me Tells Myself"(”那个我对我说“), a self-reflective unassuming piece of work, "Future is Now" (”未来就是现在“), which she wrote for the Beijing Olympics, and "Each Other" (”彼此“), a dedication to her fans which she co-wrote.

In "Wow" she relentlessly challenged herself in wide-ranging music genres including rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

, big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...

, jump blues
Jump blues
Jump blues is an up-tempo blues usually played by small groups and featuring horns. It was very popular in the 1940s, and the movement was a precursor to the arrival of rhythm and blues and rock and roll...

, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....

, Britrock, and ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...

. Fans and critics alike ardently embraced her adventure and spoke highly of her courage.

"The twin albums", as Zhou put it,"represent the full me." Now embodies the more recognized Zhou's style – the softer and more mellow R&B and pop
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...

 – and Wow on the other hand is audacious and unbashful. She also admitted that, compared to her first album, she had had more input and two-way communications with the musicians and lyrists in the recording process. The twin albums, particularly Wow, received critical acclaims since they first debuted. The two albums have proven commercially successful as well. Although released less than two weeks away from the end of the year, they managed to steal the best seller of the year title with the one of China's biggest online music stores, Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

.cn. Both albums continued their robust sales into 2008 and have been among the best-selling albums across China.

Music and the Olympics

In addition to "Future is Now", she was also chosen to sing the demos of two other Olympics-themed songs, "Dream in Sight" and "Light of Life", both works of Hong Kong musicians and lyrists.
  • Dream in Sight (composed by Kubert Leung
    Kubert Leung
    Kubert Leung 梁翹柏 is a musician and Cantopop songwriter in Hong Kong. He is one of the pioneers of Cantopop bands who has set up Life Exhibition and Ukiyo-e 「浮世繪」two important Hong Kong bands in 1980s. Later, Kubert Leung became a main songwriter for singer Candy Lo...

    , lyrics by Lin Xi): Suona
    Suona
    The suona ; also called laba or haidi is a Han Chinese shawm . It has a distinctively loud and high-pitched sound, and is used frequently in Chinese traditional music ensembles, particularly those that perform outdoors...

    , a traditional Chinese musical instrument which has a distinctively loud and high-pitched sound, is used in the arrangement.
  • Light of Life (composed by Jin Peida, lyrics by Chen Shaoqi): the first characters of each line in the lyrics, strung together, read "One World, One Dream. Beijing Welcomes You."

The two songs above were released in a not-for-sale limited-edition CD.
She also joined many other singers and entertainers in singing two official 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...

Olympics songs, "We Are Ready", the official one-year countdown song, and "Beijing Welcomes You", the official 100-day countdown song.

On April 20, 2008, Zhou as one of the two appointed "young ambassadors" participated in the filming of a series of Beijing Olympics promotion videos as part of a publicity campaign named "56 Ethnic Groups; One Dream". The other ambassador is Alex Fong Lik-Sun
Alex Fong Lik-Sun
Alex Fong Lik-san is a professional swimmer-turned-actor and singer based in Hong Kong, nicknamed "Little Flying Fish" for his swimming achievements. As of 2005, he holds several Hong Kong swimming records. He first represented Hong Kong at the age of 11. He also represented Hong Kong at the...

, a professional-swimmer-turned-singer/actor from Hong Kong.

Recent endeavors

  • So far in 2008 Zhou has received two major "Best Female Artist" titles (see "Select musical awards" section below for details), prior to which she had been awarded mostly the title of the "Most Popular Female Artist". She was excited about being acknowledged for her accomplishments in music by judges and critics.

  • Zhou was going to embark on her nationwide college tour promoting her twin albums. In preparation, she has been undergoing rigorous vocal and physical training for months. According to unofficial sources, she is scheduled to tour select colleges in major Chinese cities such as 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...

    , 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...

    , Hangzhou
    Hangzhou
    Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...

    , Chengdu
    Chengdu
    Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...

    , Nanjing
    Nanjing
    ' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...

     and Xi'an
    Xi'an
    Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...

    . Kubert Leung
    Kubert Leung
    Kubert Leung 梁翹柏 is a musician and Cantopop songwriter in Hong Kong. He is one of the pioneers of Cantopop bands who has set up Life Exhibition and Ukiyo-e 「浮世繪」two important Hong Kong bands in 1980s. Later, Kubert Leung became a main songwriter for singer Candy Lo...

     and his band will tour with Zhou. However, this tour was cancelled even before started by Yuelin because she did not want to continue the contract with the company.

  • Zhou has also been actively involved with several activities aiming at promoting the 2008 Beijing Olympics (see "Olympics" section above").

  • In April 2008, Zhou was invited to film a promotional video on Nike China website for the opening of NIKEiD Shanghai Studio, the first such studio in China. NIKEiD allows customers to custom design and create their own individualized footwear and apparel.

  • Since June 2008 Yuelin company had stopped her every activity and not allowed her to show up in public because they wanted Zhou to continue the contract. However, always looking for the best music and development, she kept her mind calm and insisted to leave. After Dec 31, 2008 she officially became free and wrote a blog to express her appreciation to her ex-manager for the past three years.

  • She made a contract with Golden-Typhoon(EMI) recently and will officially sign with the company on March 21, 2009

  • She has already signed with Golden-Typhoon on March 21, 2009.

  • Her album Time was the best seller in China in 2009.

  • Her last album 《i,yu,guang,jing》(2010) was considered as the bestseller in mainland, Hongkong and Taiwan.

  • Her photo album 《Sing along the travel in Beijing》(2010) has selled 100,000 copies since it was launched, which has broken the record of it's kind.

Philanthropy

Since November 30, 2005, Zhou Bichang has been serving as the Young Ambassador for the “Land of Love, Water Cellars for Mothers” project, a charity fund started by the China Women Development Foundation that finances building water cellars and small-scale water supply systems in the arid northwestern region of China. Zhou herself contributed CN¥ 10,000, or 10 water cellars at CN¥ 1,000 each. Thousands of her fans, nationwide, have since followed her lead. To date, their donation is estimated to have exceeded CN¥ 550,000, a large portion of which has already been used to build water cellars in said region. As the Ambassador, Zhou took a trip to Dingbian County, Shaanxi Province, to personally promote the project. During her trip, she visited families in dire need of reliable, clean water supply.

On December 1, 2005, Zhou was named the Ambassador of HIV/AIDS Prevention in Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...

 Province.

During the period of October to December 2006, Zhou participated in several events for the “I Want to Go to School” campaign, a two-month long initiative co-sponsored by China Music Radio and China Children Foundation. Zhou, along with other artists, showed her support for helping to raise awareness of children in extreme poverty. For the campaign, she also recorded one version of the theme song “ Kids” (“娃娃”), composed and written by the renowned Taiwanese musician Li Zongsheng.

Albums and EPs

Album Type Album Information Tracklisting
1st EP Bibi's 1st EP
Bibi's 1st EP
Bibi's 1st EP is the first EP from Chinese singer and songwriter Zhou Bichang, released on June 1, 2006. Zhou Bichang composed two of the songs, "Only Me Left" and "Uh..."....


(周筆暢1st EP)
  • Released: 1 June 2006
  • Label: Yuelin Culture
1st Studio Who Touched My Violin String
Who Touched My Violin String
Who Touched My Violin String is the first studio album from Chinese singer and songwriter Zhou Bichang, released on August 12, 2006. It won the Best Album Award at the 2006 Guangdong 9+2 Music Awards...


(谁动了我的琴弦)
  • Released: 12 August 2006
  • Label: Yuelin Culture
2nd Studio NOW
NOW (Zhou Bichang album)
NOW is the second studio album from Chinese singer and songwriter Zhou Bichang. It was released simultaneously with Zhou's third album WOW, on December 18, 2007.-Track listing:# "Liuyang River 2008" 浏阳河2008 - 4:05...

  • Released: 18 December 2007
  • Label: Yuelin Culture
3rd Studio WOW
WOW (Zhou Bichang album)
WOW is the third studio album from Chinese singer and songwriter Zhou Bichang. It was released simultaneously with Zhou's second album NOW on December 18, 2007.-Track listing:# "WOW" - 3:42# "No Rest for the Whole Year" 全年无休 - 2:41...

  • Released: 18 December 2007
  • Label: Yuelin Culture
4th Studio Time
Time (Zhou Bichang album)
Time is the fourth studio album from Chinese singer and songwriter Zhou Bichang. It was released simultaneously in mainland China and Taiwan on July 8, 2009.-Track listing:# "Season" - 4:42# "These Words" 这句话 - 3:51# "Your Love" 你们的爱 - 4:34...


(時間)
  • Released: 8 July 2009
  • Label: Gold Typhoon
5th Studio i, fish, light, mirror
(i,魚,光,鏡)
  • Released: 18 June 2010
  • Label: Gold Typhoon
6th Studio Black apple
(黑・擇・明)
  • Released: 12 November 2011
  • Label: Gold Typhoon

Singles

Year Song Title
2002
  • 多麼的想你 (How I Miss You)
2005
  • 筆記 (Bibi’s Notes)
  • 2006
  • 曾經跟你做同學 (I Once Was Your Classmate)
  • 甩包包 (Swing Swing Swing)
  • 解脫 (Extricate)
  • 娃娃 (Kids)
  • 2007
  • 夢想在望 (Dream in Sight)
  • 生命之光 (Life’s Light)
  • We Are Ready
  • 2008
  • 妈妈,我不哭 (Mom, I won't cry)
  • 2009
  • 大家一起喜洋洋 (To be happy together)
  • Season
  • 你們的愛 (Your Love)
  • 倒敘的時光 (Reversed Time)
  • 2010
  • 魚罐頭 (Canned Fish)
  • I miss U missing me
  • 你們的愛 (Your Love)
  • 2011
  • 夢想大不同 (Different Dreams)
  • 我的神奇 (My Magic)
  • 黑蘋果 (Black Apple)

  • Filmography

    Movie Information
    McDull, the Alumni
    McDull, The Alumni
    McDull, the Alumni is a 2006 Hong Kong live action/animated film directed by Samson Chiu. It is the third film adaptation of the popular McDull comic book series, following My Life as McDull, and McDull, Prince de la Bun...

    《春田花花同學會》
    • Released: January 26, 2006
    • Role: OL3
    The 601st Phone Call
    The 601st Phone Call
    The 601st Phone Call is a 2006 Chinese drama film directed by Zhang Guoli and written by Zou Jingzhi. It was released in mainland China on August 18, 2006.-Plot:...

    《第601個電話》
  • Released: August 18, 2006
  • Role: 易淑 (Yishu)
  • Who Touched My Violin String
    Who Touched My Violin String
    Who Touched My Violin String is the first studio album from Chinese singer and songwriter Zhou Bichang, released on August 12, 2006. It won the Best Album Award at the 2006 Guangdong 9+2 Music Awards...

    (Music Movie
    Musical film
    The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...

    )
    《誰動了我的琴弦》(音樂電影)
  • Released: October 9, 2006
  • Role: 筆筆 (Bibi)

  • Select musical awards

    Year Awards
    2005
    • Hong Kong City Music Award – Most Popular Singer (Nationwide)
    2006
  • Guangdong 9+2 Music Awards – Best New Artist (Mainland China)
  • Shanghai East Music Awards – Most Popular Artist, Top 10 Songs of the Year (for "Bibi's Notes")
  • Pepsi Music Chart Awards – Most Popular Female Singer (Mainland China)
  • Hong Kong City Mandarin Music Award – Best Female Singer, Most Popular Female Singer (Nationwide), Most Popular Karaoke Songs (for "Bibi's Notes")
  • The 6th Global Chinese Music Awards – Most Popular New Female Artist, Allround Artist, Regional Outstanding Singer for Guangdong
  • Guangdong 9+2 Music Award – Most Popular Female Singer (Mainland China), Best Album (for Who Touched My Violin String
    Who Touched My Violin String
    Who Touched My Violin String is the first studio album from Chinese singer and songwriter Zhou Bichang, released on August 12, 2006. It won the Best Album Award at the 2006 Guangdong 9+2 Music Awards...

    ), Top 10 Songs of the Year (for "Phone Number")
  • Hong Kong TVB8 Music Award – Best New Female Artist, Audience's Favorite Female Singer (Mainland China), Top 10 Songs of the Year (for "Only Me Left")
  • 2007
  • 1st M. Music Annual Awards – Best Selling Original Song from a Movie of the Year, Special Contributions Award and Best Selling Female Artist of the Year (Mainland China)
  • The 13th Chinese Music "Bang Zhong Bang" Awards – Best New Comer of the Year (Mainland China)
  • Hong Kong Top 10 Chinese Songs Music Award – Nominated for Most Popular Female Singer (Nationwide)
  • The 14th Shanghai East Music Awards – Outstanding Performance of the Year, Top 10 Songs of the Year (for "Phone Number")
  • The 7th Global Chinese Music Awards – Top 5 Most Popular Female Singers, Allround Artist, Regional Outstanding Singer for Guangdong, Top 20 Songs of the Year (for "The Future is Now")
  • 2008
  • Yiting Music Charts Annual Awards – Top Female Artist of the Year, Most Popular Single of the Year (for "Liuyang River 2008"), and Hottest Album of the Year (for "Now")
  • Guangdong 9+2 Music Pioneer Awards – Most Popular Female Artist (Mainland China), Top 10 Songs of the Year (for "Liuyang River 2008"), Best Album of the Year (for "Now"), and the Most Popular Female Artist Voted Online
  • The 15th Shanghai East Fengyun Music Awards – Best Female Artist, Top 10 Songs of the Year (for "Liuyang River 2008")
  • Music Radio China Top Charts Awards – Best Female Artist
  • 2009
  • Hong Kong City Mandarin Music Award – Best Female Singer (Mainland China), Nationwide Most Popular Singer (Guangzhou), Top 20 Songs of the Year (for "Your Love")
  • 2010
  • Baidu Entertainment Boiling Point for 2009- Baidu Stick's Most Popular Charming Singer Award, The Most Popular Idol
  • 9 + 2 Music Pioneer Awards- Most Popular Female Artist (Mainland China), The National Pioneer Singer Top5, The Mainland Pioneer 10 Golden Melody (for “Your Love”, Premiere Best Song (for “Doll”)
  • The 3rd City FM City Voice- Champion of the Year, Top 20 Songs of the Year (for “Your Love” and “This sentence”
  • The 11th Music Top List- Music New Forces Female Singer, Mainland Top10 Golden Melody in Ten Years (for “Your Love”)
  • Music Radio China TOP Rankings- Most Popular Female Artist of The Year (Mainland China), Mainland All-around Artist, Top10 Golden Melody (for “Your Love”)
  • Jeans west Entertainment Award Ceremony- The Most Popular Entertainment Figures, Annual Sovereign Golden Melody (for “Your Love”)
  • Hong Kong New Town Mandarin Force Award Ceremony- Mandarin Force Female Singer, The Country's Most Popular Singer, Mandarin Force Song (for “Canned Fish”)
  • Mandarin Golden Melody Awards-Top 10 Mandarin Golden Melody (for “Your Love”), Good Mandarin Song (for “One-way Mirror”)
  • The 10th Global Chinese Pop Chart Awards- Top20 Golden Melody (for “Canned Fish”)
  • Beijing BQ Red List- Annual Popular Singer
  • Hong Kong Metro Madden Awards- Metro Best Singer Award (Online Vote), Metro Best Mandarin Singer Award, Metro Best Mandarin Song (for “Canned Fish”)
  • 2011
  • Beijing Qi Yi Changes the Horizon Awards-Annual Entertainment Figures
  • Beijing Baidu Entertainment Boiling Point Awards-The Mainland Hottest Female Singer of the Year, Annual Top10 Golden Melody (for “One-way Mirror”)
  • Beijing 2010 Sina Network Pageant-Annual Best Album
  • 2010 Sprite China's Original Music Charts Trophy-The Mainland Best Female Singer, the Mainland Best Album, Mainland Golden Melody Awards (for “One-way Mirror”)
  • Jeans west Entertainment Award Ceremony-The Annual Most Influential Music Album
  • Hong Kong IFBI Top 10 Best-selling Mandarin Albums
  • The 11th Music Top List-The Mainland Best Female Singer of The Year, Best Arranger (for “I miss you missing me”)
  • The Sound of Music Radio Music China TOP Rankings- The Mainland Best Female Album of The Year, The Mainland Most Popular Female Singer of The Year, Annual *Golden Melody (for “Canned Fish”), Best Arranger (for “Canned Fish”)
  • 2011 China Charity Rank and Charity Ceremony-"Charity Star"
  • Hong Kong New Town Mandarin Force Award Ceremony- The Country's Most Popular Stage Award
  • South Korea Asian Music Festival-The Best Singer of China
  • The Fourth Top List of the New Music Festival- The Best Model Singer Award
  • 2011 Hit Songs Annual Music Festival- The Mainland Most Popular Female Singer, Media Recommend Awards, Annual Golden Melody (for “Time Machine and Rangers”)
  • The Fourth Top List of the New Music Festival- The Best Model Singer Award

  • External links




    |-
    ! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Top Chinese Music Chart Awards
    Top Chinese Music Chart Awards
    Top Chinese Music Awards established in 2001, the show gives recognition and awards to Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan artists.This is the main event of the music industry, also known as the Chinese Grammy Awards.-Edition:-Best Album:...


    |-
    The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
     
    x
    OK