Biography
Who is Wakin Chau?
Early life and education
Wakin Chau was born in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, as the fourth child in a family of seven. His parents operated a local rice store during his upbringing. As a youth of Chaoshanese descent, he grew up speaking Cantonese. When he reached the age of 13, he started playing the guitar.
In 1979, he moved to Taipei to pursue a mathematics degree at National Taiwan University. While attending college, he regularly performed folk music at area coffee shops, which helped him develop his vocal skills in Mandarin.
Career in music
He initially sought work as a recording artist but faced early difficulties. He found a role as an assistant producer at Rock Records, where he wrote pop songs for other musicians. Eventually, Chyi Yu encouraged him to create commercial jingles. One specific car commercial jingle caught the attention of his employer at Rock Records.
This led to his first Mandarin album release in 1985. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he performed under the name Emil Chau. In 1999, he officially returned to using his given name, Wakin. He has released more than 40 albums in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. Several of these, such as The Flowery Heart and Music Brings Us Together, earned major awards in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China.
Superband and film roles
In 2008, he joined a supergroup called Superband alongside Lo Ta-yu, Chang Chen-yue, and Jonathan Lee. The group was highly successful as a touring act before they disbanded in 2010 to focus on their individual careers.
Beyond music, Wakin Chau has appeared in many films and television programs across Asia. His screen credits include roles in Rumble in the Bronx, Mr. Nice Guy, Gorgeous, and the animated film Cats and Peachtopia. He has also appeared in TV series like The Pawnshop No. 8 and The Late Night Stop.
Charity and personal life
Wakin married Constance Woods in 1986. They met while she was living in Taiwan because her father worked there as a Fulbright scholar at the time.
Outside of his entertainment work, he is a restaurateur and participates in international charitable activities. His charitable record includes supporting kidney dialysis efforts in Singapore and participating in the January 2002 Take a Deep Breath concert in Taipei. He also supported the 4th Grand Charity Drive for Children in Beijing in 2005 and appeared in Jackie Chan's all-star benefit concerts in Las Vegas.
Birthday and age
Wakin Chau was born on December 22, 1959, which makes Wakin 66 years old today. That birthday falls under the Capricorn sign. Wakin shares the date with 47 other famous people.
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