This article is about the Taiwanese singer and actress. For the American cancer researcher, see Angela Zhang (scientist). For the Chinese electrical engineer, see Ying Jun Zhang.
Angela Zhang (traditional Chinese: 張韶涵; simplified Chinese: 张韶涵; pinyin: Zhāng Shàohán; born 19 January 1982), also known as Angela Chang, is a Taiwanese singer and actress. Zhang has released ten studio albums as of 2020.
She debuted and rose to fame with the Taiwanese television dramas My MVP Valentine (2002) and At Dolphin Bay (2003), although since 2004, when her debut album Over the Rainbow met with instant success, she has focused on her singing career. Aurora (2004) and Pandora (2006) sold millions in Asia,[2][3] while another TV series that she starred in, Romantic Princess (2007), also became an international hit.
In 2008–09, she withdrew from the public eye for nearly a year and a half when her mother accused her of being unfilial and unsupportive.[4][5] Zhang, in turn, claimed that her mother had squandered more than NT$100 million of her income.[6] The media's relentless coverage of her family problems, exacerbated by Zhang's falling-out with her employer Linfair Records, accusing her of not doing enough to protect her which significantly derailed her career for many years. Zhang later returned after a few year hiatus when she competed in Hunan's reality singing competition Singer 2018, the seventh season of I Am a Singer where she served as a host and contestant.[7] Having moved her career to mainland China, her 2019 album ?, under a new label, was the 56th best-selling album in China in 2019.[8]
Zhang's maternal grandfather was an ethnic Uyghur,[9] with the rest of her family Hakka.[10] She grew up in Taiwan and Canada.
Zhang's popularity rose as she played a leading role in the Taiwanese television drama My MVP Valentine with Taiwanese boy band 5566, followed by a leading role in another Taiwanese television drama At Dolphin Bay with Taiwanese actor Wallace Huo, in which she also sang the ending theme song (Yi Shi De Mei Hao) and English song (Journey). She has been nominated twice for Best Actress at Golden Bell Awards. She also has been nominated twice for Best Mandarin Female Singer at Golden Melody Awards. In 2010, Zhang became a spokesperson of Shanghai Expo 2010 and sang the theme song "The Window of the City".
Zhang performed at the first Formula 1 Festival in Shanghai.[11]
The melody to her song titled Ying Xing De Chi Pang was used in 2007 on Chinese TV in an advertisement for Wrigley Gum.
Names in Bold indicate the winning singer, while Italics indicate the runner-up singer. Singers are listed based on their original season appearances, returning singers (who participated in seasons 5 or 8) are not repeated.
Singers participated in groups are listed in parentheses. Initial singers first listed in order of official announcement, followed by Substitute/Challenge Singers in order of appearance.