Get a glimpse of the real Vanness Wu with his new offering
Vanness Wu emerges from the of his record company, Universal Music Group, at noon, shakes hands politely and sits down quietly.
The night before, he performs live at the Tango Club, a popular venue in Beijing, in support of his latest album, MWHYB, his first in two years.
Performing around 15 songs in front of 100 screaming crowds, Wu dances like there is no tomorrow.
“I went to bed around 4 am. I was decompressing,” says Wu.
“After the show, I had dinner, hung out with friends. When I got back to the hotel, I started doing other stuff to forget about what had happened. I just zoned out.
“It has been five years since I did a show like yesterday. I really enjoyed the intimacy and interaction with the fans,” he adds.
“I was nervous because I did not know what to expect. Chinese audiences are mostly very quiet but at the end of the night, we both had fun.”
The Chinese-American singer-actor, who is based in Taiwan, rose to fame in 2001 when he became part of F4, a boy group comprising TV stars Jerry Yen, Vic Chou, and Ken Chu, who triggered a frenzy throughout Asia with the drama series Meteor Garden, based on the wildly popular Japanese comic Hana Yori Dango.
The hit series and its sequel made overnight superstars of the group members, and led to not just more drama roles, but also product endorsements and a string of successful albums and concert tours.
Now ,16 years later, Wu is one of the most popular stars in Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.
Wu, who starred in movies, such as director Chen Kaige’s Monk Comes Down the Mountain, in 2015, has also participated in variety shows and his historical TV series, The Princess Weiyang, has been airing on Beijing Satellite TV from early November.
Unlike his last pop-rock album, C’est La V, the new album, whose title is taken from one of the new songs, Music Won’t Hurt Your Body, features music from the 1980s, which Wu grew up with.
“I am an 80s child. Then, I listened to lots of music, such as street jams and electric boogaloos. I learned to dance at 13 and that is where music came from to me. There wasn’t EDM (Electronic dance music) and music resources were hard to find,” says Wu, who was born in Santa Monica, California and spent his teens in the United States before moving to Taiwan at 21.
“I am not trying to fabric ate something that is not authentic( in this album). This represents who I was, what I really want to do. It’s the truth.”
He also says that this is the right time for him to release this album.
“When I first came here, I wanted to do hip-hop music. But, back then, the record company told me nobody wants to hear that. But that is what I am about. I had to do Asian pop, but for me, it is just not natural,” he says. “Music, for me, is reality. This is one thing where I am really able to express myself.”
The album, which took him two years to complete, was recorded in Hong Kong, Taipei and Los Angeles. One of the songs from the new album, Westside, which was written by Wu, is a song, which he has always wanted to sing.
“Born and raised in LA, Santa Monica to the bay … Never find a dance floor empty … I’m from the westside,” he sings.
“This song is about all the ABC (Ameri can-born-Chinese) kids growingup in LA. I want to pay homage to the place that raised me,” he says.
Dancing has always been a passion for Wu, which also plays an important role in his music. The self-taught dancer first learned rhythms when he joined a weight watcher camp at 13. As a way of losing weight, Wu danced and knows how rhythms work.
“Dancing is in my DNA. My grandparents loved dancing and my family in general has a great sense oft heart. When there is a song, a beat, I want to dance,” he says.
Now, after over a decade of being in the showbiz, Wu, when asked about the best and worst parts of being him, says that that best thing is that he lives to work. The negative part, which is possibly shared by lots of the celebrities, is the intense media spotlight, which invades his privacy.
One of the new songs, Super Human Beautiful, addresses Wu’s attitude to privacy.
For Wu, who is Christian, his way of coping with stressful situations is to pray.
“I go to church. I surround myself with people, who support me, feed myself with positive energy,” he says. “I have a clear goal about my
I am not trying to fabricate something that is not authentic. This represents who I was, what I really want to do. It’s the truth.” Vanness Wu, Chinese-American singer-actor
career, that is to do things I love and create content I love.”
He also pays attention to the younger generation, especially talent from the TV shows, who are eager to pursue their dreams.
“I was 22 when fame and money came in really quick. Compared with the young people, we lived in completely different times. Now, everything is so instant. It is easy to think that you did this thing by yourself just because everybody is calling your name but you need a team to help you. I want to mentor the next generation,” he says.