Chang Yu-sheng
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Tom Chang Yu-sheng | |||||||
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| Born | Chang Yu-sheng June 7, 1966 | ||||||
| Died | November 12, 1997 (aged 31) | ||||||
| Alma mater | National Chengchi University | ||||||
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter (composer & lyricist), record producer | ||||||
| Years active | 1988－1997 | ||||||
| Parent(s) | Chang Kin-ming Chang Hui-mei | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 張雨生 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 张雨生 | ||||||
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| Musical career | |||||||
| Genres | Mandopop | ||||||
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, keyboard | ||||||
| Website | www.yu-sheng.org | ||||||
Tom Chang Yu-sheng (Chinese: 張雨生; June 7, 1966 – November 12, 1997) was a Taiwanese pop vocalist, songwriter and record producer.
Biography
[edit]Chang was born in Magong, Penghu, Taiwan on June 7, 1966. His mother was Atayal and his father was a veteran of the ROC military. As the eldest child, he had two younger brothers and two younger sisters. He graduated from the National Chengchi University. In his spare time, he was keen on music, basketball, swimming, and reading.
He was known for his high vocals, capable of reaching notes up to D#6.[1] His voice has been compared by some to Russell Hitchcock of Air Supply.[2]
Chang died on November 12, 1997 at 31 years old, after being in a car accident on October 20, 1997.[3]
Career
[edit]Being influenced deeply by Western rock music, he had participated in two metal bands at university before he gained publicity with a beverage tie-in ballad "My Future isn't a Pipe Dream" in 1988.
In that year, Chang also released his debut album, Always Missing You, to success, selling 350 thousand records within the regions, before singing the soundtrack of a popular movie, Seven Wolves, starring him in one of the leading roles. After his graduation in 1989, he was nominated for "Best New Artist" at the Golden Melody Awards for his second album, Miss Me, with most songs co-written by himself.
He then developed his career as a singer-songwriter, attempting to introduce different genres of contemporary music to the general public despite ups and downs. With moderate to low commercial successes of his subsequent albums, Chang focused more on backstage roles, including music production and songwriting for theater performances.
He introduced A-Mei, a Puyuma and pub singer, to his record label. Believing in her potential, Chang became A-Mei's vocal tutor, producer and supervisor.[4]
Soon after producing her debut and second albums, which were released to a huge success in 1996 and 1997, he died at 31 years old. Renowned for his sopranist vocal range, significance to the development of the local music industry, and versatility, Chang is widely referred to as the "magician of music in Chinese" and is among the most prominent figures when it comes to Chinese language music, with most of his commercial failures later considered to be masterpieces.
Discography
[edit]
| Year | Album | Track listing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 November 1988 | 天天想你 | Track listing
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| 17 July 1989 | 想念我 | Track listing
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| 24 February 1992 | 带我去月球 | Track listing
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| 30 November 1992 | 大海 | Track listing
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| 24 August 1993 | 一天到晚游泳的魚 | Track listing
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| 5 September 1994 | 卡拉OK‧台北‧我 | Track listing
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| 27 March 1995 | 還是朋友 | Track listing
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| 12 July 1996 | 兩伊戰爭﹣紅色熱情 (EP) | Track listing
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| 14 July 1996 | 兩伊戰爭-白色才情 (EP) | Track listing
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| 14 October 1997 | 口是心非 | Track listing
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Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1st Golden Melody Awards | Best New Artist | — | Nominated |
| 2nd Golden Melody Awards | Best Male Vocalist – Mandarin | Miss Me | Nominated | |
| 1992 | 4th Golden Melody Awards | Best Music Video | "Take Me to the Moon" | Nominated |
| 1993 | 5th Golden Melody Awards | Best Male Vocalist – Mandarin | — | Nominated |
| 1996 | 7th Golden Melody Awards | Song of the Year | "Still Friends" | Nominated |
| 1998 | 9th Golden Melody Awards | Album of the Year | Duplicity | Won |
| Best Lyricist | "River" | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | 28th Golden Melody Awards | Special Contribution Award | — | Honored |
References
[edit]- ^ Zhang Yu Sheng's High Notes (C5 – D#6) on YouTube
- ^ Bilibili. (2020) Chang Yu-sheng sings Air Supply's "All Out Of Love" live - 1992-02-25. (in Taiwanese). [online] Available at: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1CZ4y137qE/ (Accessed: April 21st 2024).
- ^ Kwok Kar Peng (23 June 2021). "Late Taiwanese singer Chang Yu-sheng's 1996 unplugged performance in Singapore goes viral, Entertainment News". AsiaOne. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ Zhong, Qiu (25 November 2007). "Tom Chang". CRI English. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1966 births
- 1997 deaths
- Taiwanese Mandopop singer-songwriters
- Taiwanese guitarists
- Taiwanese songwriters
- 20th-century Taiwanese male singers
- National Chengchi University alumni
- Road incident deaths in Taiwan
- People with disorders of consciousness
- People from Penghu County
- Musicians from Taichung
- Atayal people
- 20th-century guitarists
- Writers from Taichung