Prudence Liew
- The article is about the person, Prudence Liew. For the 1986 eponymous album, see Prudence Liew (album).
Template:Infobox Chinese-language singer and actor
Prudence Liew Mei-Gwan (born 10 December 1964) is a multi-platinum selling Hong Kong pop singer and Golden Horse Award winning actress, having released 14 studio albums and appearing in numerous films.
Biography
Career start
Liew was born in Hong Kong. From the age of 8, she began appearing in television commercials. In 1986, while working as a film producer, Liew was approached to sing the theme song for a movie. The song, Midnight Love was on heavy rotation at major Hong Kong radio stations and she was quickly signed as the flagship artist to Current Records. In December 1986, she released her self-titled début album to rave reviews and high sales. The album sold over 500,000 copies and was certified 10x platinum[1] by the Hong Kong IFPI. It also won two awards as Album of the Year from RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards[2] and Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards[3] in 1987. The lead single from the album, The Last Night is a cover of the Bad Boys Blue song You're a Woman,[4] and is considered Liew's signature song.
In addition to music, Liew has also appeared in films and television dramas as an actress. In 1988, she was nominated for a Hong Kong Film Awards Best Supporting Actress award in the movie Law or Justice.[5]
Between the period of 1986 and 1995, Liew has released 11 studio albums under Current Records, which was bought out by BMG Music in 1989 and later Columbia Records from 1992 to 1995.
Retreat
In 1995, Liew decided to leave the Hong Kong music industry after the divorce from her director husband, Tai-Loi Wong (with whom she had 1 son and 1 daughter) and due to having problems with her vocal cords. She then relocated to San Francisco, USA with her children to find peace. During her time in the US, Liew found a love for yoga, which she practices regularly. She also met her second husband, whose name she will only disclose to the media as "Mr. Yan" for privacy reasons, while in San Francisco. Together they have a daughter. In an interview in September, 2008, Liew announced that she has separated from Mr. Yan.[6]
Love Yourself
In 2000, with help from her longtime friend and fellow singer, Sandy Lam, Liew landed a record deal with Taiwan-based record company, Rock Records and released her first mandopop studio album entitled Love Yourself. However, she returned to the US quickly after the first single, Everytime, I Take it Very Seriously was released, thus no other singles, nor follow-up albums were released afterwards in Taiwan. In the same year, Liew also appeared in the ATV series Anything But Him, co-starring Amy Chan and Tanny Tien.
Return to Hong Kong
On 19 April & 20, Liew held a 2-night performance called Opening the Sexual Boundaries Concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum. Also, a compilation greatest hits album was released to accompany the concert. And after a 20-year hiatus from motion pictures, she took the lead part to the movie, True Women For Sale, directed by Herman Yau.[7] The film was the opener for the 2008 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival and her role as a drug-addicted prostitute won Liew the award for Best Leading Actress at the 2008 Golden Horse Awards, as well as a Best Actress nomination at the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards.[8][9]
In 2009, Liew was announced as the host for season 1 of the TVB program, The Voice, a reality-show type singing competition. On October 22, 2009, Liew released her first Cantonese studio album in 15 years, titled The Queen of Hardships.
On December 30, 2009, it was announced that TVB is relieving Liew of her hosting duties from The Voice, three episodes shy of the season finale due to the controversy between TVB and the HKRIA over song royalties. Liew, who is currently signed to Cinepoly Records under the Universal Music label governed by the HKRIA, is part of the group of Hong Kong singers all signed to HKRIA record labels that are currently banned from appearing on all TVB programming until the issue is resolved. In 2010, Liew spent most of the year in the United States.
In 2011, Liew returned to Hong Kong and released her second mandopop album, Love Addict in June. The album topped the charts for two weeks straight on Hong Kong HMV's Asian Album Chart upon its release. In November, she was invited to be a regular judge on season 4 of the Asia Television Limited talent program, Asian Millionstar.
Discography
Filmography
Motion pictures
- 1983 毀滅號地車 On the Wrong Track
- 1986 猛鬼學堂 The Haunted Cop Shop II
- 1988 法中情 Law or Justice
- 2008 我不賣身．我賣子宮 True Women For Sale
- 2010 72家租客 72 Tenants of Prosperity
Television (as actress)
- 1989 奪命情人 The Killing Lover ( TVB TV movie co-starring Leon Lai )
- 1992 我為錢狂 Source of Evil ( TVB series co-starring Anita Yuen )
- 2000 妳想的愛 Anything But Him ( ATV series co-starring Amy Chan )
Television (as presenter)
- 2009-2010 超級巨聲 The Voice - Season 1 (TVB)
- 2011 亞洲星光大道 Asian Millionstar - Season 4 Regular Judge (ATV)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | For | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards | Most Promising Newcomer Award | Won | Gold Award | |
| Album of the Year | Prudence Liew | Won | Producer: Joseph Chan | ||
| Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards | Won | ||||
| 1988 | Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Law or Justice | Nominated | |
| 2008 | CASH Golden Sail Music Awards | Best Female Vocal Performance | "浮花 (Floating Flower)" from Opening the Sexual Boundaries | Nominated | |
| Golden Horse Awards | Best Actress | True Women For Sale | Won | ||
| 2009 | Hong Kong Film Awards | Nominated | |||
| Ming Pao Weekly Magazine Awards | Most Outstanding Actress | Won | tied with Karena Lam for Claustrophobia | ||
| Chinese Music Awards (華語金曲獎) | Top 10 Albums of the Year - Cantonese | The Queen of Hardships | Won | 5th Place | |
| 2010 | Best Female Singer - Cantonese | Nominated |
References
- ^ http://www.ifpihk.org/www_1/go9e.php Hong Kong IFPI sales certification - 1988
- ^ RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards 1987 full winners list Retrieved October 16, 2009
- ^ * 1987 Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards winners list Retrieved October 16, 2009
- ^ Prudence Liew album "大開色界 (新曲+精選)" liner notes
- ^ http://www.hkfaa.com/history/list_08.html 8th Annual Hong Kong Film Awards nominees list
- ^ Ming Pao article dated September 9, 2008 "Chic mom Prudence Liew divorces again" Retrieved 30 November 2008
- ^ http://www.hermanyau.com/eTrueWomenForSale.htm Herman Yau official website
- ^ http://www.goldenhorse.org.tw/gh_tc/gh/gh-e-5.aspx The 45th Goldenhorse Awards Competition full nominees list
- ^ http://www.hkfaa.com/history/home.html The 28th Hong Kong Film Award full nominees list
External links
- 1964 births
- Living people
- American musicians of Hong Kong descent
- Cantopop singer-songwriters
- Cantopop singers
- American musicians of Chinese descent
- Hong Kong female singers
- Hong Kong film actors
- Hong Kong people of Hakka descent
- Hong Kong singers
- Hong Kong television actors
- Hong Kong Mandopop singers
- Universal Music Group artists