Kelly Chen


Kelly Chen Wai-lam is a Hong Kong singer and actress. She has been referred to as a "Diva of Asia". Chen has great success in the East Asian entertainment industry with nearly 20 million record sales of 38 albums.
According to Oriental Daily News, Chen was the highest earning female Hong Kong celebrity of 2014, earning 83 million HKD.

Early life

Chen was born Vivian Chen Wai-man on 13 September 1972 in Hong Kong. Her father was a jewelry merchant and her mother was a housewife. She attended Canadian Academy International School in Kobe, Japan, for high school..
She graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York.

Career

Early career

In 1994, while still a student at Parsons, Chen made two commercials, one for Shanghai Beer and one for the Bank of Hong Kong.
Chen returned to Hong Kong in 1994. She was introduced to an acquaintance who owned a production studio and was chosen to feature in a Jacky Cheung music video.
Chen made her film debut in Whatever Will Be, Will Be and sang the film's theme song. In September 1995, Chen performed the song "Mou Tian" composed by composer Steve Barakatt then released a compilation album, Break the Sky, with three other singers, and then her first Cantonese album, Intoxicated Lover, in December. It was a success in Hong Kong and furthered her acting and musical career.
In 1996, Chen released her first Mandarin language album, I Don't Think So, in, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore, which sold over 150,000. Following the album's success, she produced another Cantonese CD in October 1996, Wind, Flower, Snow. "Wind, Flower, Snow" is a very popular song in Hong Kong. In November 1996, Chen released her first Cantonese single, "Traveler". in Japan That year also saw her first stint as a Japanese singer when she released two Japanese singles.
In 1997, Chen performed her first ever concert, Starry Dream of Love, and released the partner CD in June, which sold over 100,000 copies in Hong Kong. She held three concerts in Hong Kong in June, named the Kelly Starry Dream of Love Concert. In July, she released "The beginning is a cunning morning", first Japanese single and her first Japan-based hit. Chen also provided the voice of Madame Trunk in the animated movie A Chinese Ghost Story. In the course of five months, Chen released four albums. With the releases of her second Mandarin album, Insight, the compilation Kelly's Best Collection 97, the live CD Starring Dream of Love Live in Concert, and her next Cantonese CD A Movie. Insight sold 1.34 million in East Asia. Chen had established herself as a popular singer and actor in East Asia.
In 1998, Chen embarked the Kelly Starry Dream of Love World Tour, starting in Australia. Besides the world tour, Chen performed ten concerts for school children in Taiwan. She released her Mandarin album, Love Me Or Not, the hit single of which, "Diary", is well-known all over Asia and became her signature song so far. This album sold over 2 million copies in Asia. Chen boosted her status as a Chinese pop music diva in Asia entertainment industry.
In 1999, she starred in the television drama Don't Be a Cry Baby with Japanese star Kyoko Fukada; performing two concerts in Fukuoka, Japan in 1999, Chen increased her Japanese fanbase. She released a new album, Love of Colours, which sold over 300,000 in Hong Kong from 9 December 1999 to 2000, and was the best selling album in 2000. She also won "The most popular female artist" in 1999 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation. Her albums sold over 230,000 in Hong Kong in 1999, the best selling female artist in Hong Kong.
In 2001, Chen released her remix album Kelly BPM Dance Collection in March, which sold over 150,000 copies. She embarked on the Paisley Galaxy World Tour, which started out with one show in Singapore and two shows in Genting Highlands in Malaysia. Chen went to North America, where she performed concerts in Chicago, Atlantic City, Los Angeles and Toronto all as a part of her world tour in May. She later toured China where she performed in Guangzhou, Huizhou, Zhongshan, Chengdu, Shanghai and Beijing. She released a Mandarin album, Flying, in August. It was among the top 20 best-selling albums in Taiwan in 2001. Chen's movie Calmi Cuori Appassionati, released in November 2001, grossed more than 30 billion yen in Japan. The film broke the pre-sale ticket record in Japan and was ranked as the 67th best-selling movie in Japanese box office history. It was ranked at 98th best-selling movie in 2006 in Japan's box office history. Chen won "Asian Pacific Most Popular Hong Kong Female Artist" at the 2001 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation.

Stabilizing career

In 2002, Chen released her first Japanese album, Grace, in January, selling over 50,000 copies in Japan. She released her Cantonese album Ask Kelly that February. The single "Blessed" was very popular in Hong Kong. She released her Mandarin album Love is coming in May and held one concert in Taoyuan, Taiwan, named "Kelly Chen Love is Coming Concert". She held 12 shows in Hong Kong in July, named "Kelly Dynacarnival World Tour, Hong Kong". She held a show called "Kelly Dynacarnival World Tour" in Sydney and Melbourne in September. In November, she released her Mandarin album Shining Colourful. She held her "Kelly Dynacarnival World Tour" in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur in December. The Republic of Liberia issued stamps commemorating her in December. Chen won "Asian Pacific Most Popular Hong Kong Female Artist" at the 2002 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation and "Best Dressed 31st Awards" held by the Japanese government.
She held her "Kelly Dynacarnival World Tour" in San Francisco, Atlantic City and Toronto in April 2003. She released her Mandarin album You Don't Mean It and Cantonese album Love in August. You Don't Mean It sold over 800,000 in Asia. Chen again won the "Asian Pacific Most Popular Hong Kong Female Artist" award at the 2003 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation.
She became the first Asian spokesperson for Dior in May 2004.
She released her Cantonese album Stylish Index. She was chosen as "Famous Outstanding Young Persons of the World" by Junior Chamber International in October 2004. She held ten shows in Hong Kong in December, named "Kelly Lost in Paradise World Tour, Hong Kong" and also released her Cantonese album Grace & Charm. She was also voted "CCTV Most Popular Female Singer " by forty-five million Chinese people in 2004.
In 2005, her song "Hope" from the Korean TV series Dae Jang Geum was popular in Hong Kong and mainland China. "Hope" improved her earnings as well as the company promoting her at the time. At the TVB 8 Awards Presentation, Chen took home three awards for "Hope", including the Song Award, World's Most Popular Cantonese Song and Most Well-Liked Female Singer in mainland China. "Hope" was the top song of charts for 20 radio stations in China and had even set a high record for ringtone downloads. A month after the initial launch, there were over three million downloads and, to date, the accumulated figure is over 6 million. As such, her record company earned $5 million after deductions. Universal Music Group's managing director called Chen to inform her of the good news. Chen had promised that if the number of downloads were to go over ten million, she will distribute the earnings to the staff. She wrapped up her "Kelly Chen Lost in Paradise World Tour" in 2005–2006 in Asia and North America, three shows in the USA. "Lost in Paradise" lasted three hours and contained 35 songs from Chen's lengthy ten-year music career. Chen held 30 shows in the "Kelly Lost in Paradise World Tour".
Chen was ranked as the third highest-income artist, following Jackie Chan and Andy Lau, overall in the Greater China region from 2005 to 2007.
In 2008, Chen performed in the movie Empress and the Warriors. She held six concerts in Hong Kong, named "Kelly Chen Love Fighters Concert 2008". She announced to all the audiences that she would marry Alex Lau in her last concert on 18 June. Chen has turned down all the shows of the "Kelly Chen Love Fighters World Tour" in China, Taiwan, Korea, USA, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia because she wanted to give birth. She performed in the closing ceremony of 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

2009–present

In 2009, Chen was chosen as a "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum in 2009.
Chen performed with Amei Cheung, in the opening ceremony of National Games of China.
After the birth of her children, Chen shifted her focus from her career to her family. Chen released Chasing Dreams on March 16, 2010, her first album since the birth of her first son in 2009. Chen's first major screen role since An Empress and the Warriors was as an entertainment TV anchor in Horseplay.
In 2023, Chen surprised her fans with a series of new songs, including "Eye of the Storm", "Unconditional Love", "Price of Romance" and "Knowledge of Love".

Personal life

Chen married long-term boyfriend, businessman Alex Lau Kin Ho, on 2 October 2008. Chen gave birth to her first son, Chace Lau, in July 2009. Chen had a miscarriage in 2011. Her second son Riley Lau was born in March 2012.
She is of Shanghai ancestry.
Chen speaks fluent Cantonese, and in various degrees of fluency, Mandarin, Japanese and English. She has an elder sister and a younger brother, singer Victor Chen Si-hon.

Tours

  • Wind, Flower, Snow Concert
  • Starry Dream of Love World Tour
  • Deep Impact Taiwan Tour
  • Paisley Galaxy World Tour
  • Dynacarnival World Tour
  • Lost in paradise World Tour
  • LOVE Fighters Concert
  • Kelly Let's Celebrate! World Tour
  • Kelly Season Two World Tour