 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2007) (Find sources: Mavis Fan – news, books, scholar) |
| Mavis Fan 范曉萱 |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | 27 February 1977 |
| Origin | Republic of China |
| Occupations | Singer, Actress |
| Instruments | flute and piano |
Mavis Fan (traditional Chinese: 范曉萱; pinyin: Fàn Xiǎoxuān; born 27 February 1977) is Taiwanese pop singer who also plays flute and piano. She's also known as 'Bo Bo' or 'Little Witch'.
Mavis began her singing career in the mid 90s as a pop idol, singing songs catered mostly towards children and young teenagers. For example, the lyrics to 'Health Song' encouraged daily exercise and was accompanied by a music video in the style of a fitness video. However, she soon grew tired of her childish image and increasingly gravitated towards singing about moodier subject matters having to do with love and betrayal. She has expressed that she is no longer concerned with being a pop star and will only make music to her liking.
Mavis was raised only by her mother, since her parents separated when she was just two years old. Her mom forged her unbreakable bond with music. She was sent to learn the flute and piano at the age of three, since her mom, an aspiring singer, had put all of her own musical dreams in Mavis. They led a tight life. Her mom had to sing at bars to afford Mavis' tuition for the best music school in Taiwan.
Mavis didn't let her mom down. She began to sing on stage at 14. Time has brought about many changes to both her life and her music, but her passion for expression has never changed. At 17 years old, she began to sing children's songs. In the late 1990s, she adopted a more mature image, singing in a variety of pop styles for a more general audience, which captured much popularity.
Mavis Fan (Fan Xiao Xuan) Famous Works
- Your Sweetness
When Mavis entered the Taiwan music scene in the mid-90s, she was first packaged as a sweet little girl. Her music company came up with the idea of featuring children's songs on her albums. Her first records got incredible sales, so that each album sold over a million copies, thus giving her her nickname -- "Little Witch of Music."
- Darling (1998)
Fragile, childish and sentimental, just like the humid air of her island home, that was Darling, the title track of Mavis' 1998 album of the same name. This song came after a break-up, when Mavis was in New York filming the video for "Bartender Angel."
Darling is overall a pretty comfortable pop album, thanks to brilliant collaborations between Mavis and other musicians from Hong Kong and the mainland.
- I Want Us To Be Together (1999)
In 1999, the album "I Want Us To Be Together," the follow up to "Darling," came out as yet another Mavis do-my-own-music manifesto. That was I Want Us to Be Together. For the first time, Mavis took the job of music executive and contributed half of the composition on the album. She delivered on her promise, winning best pop album at the 11th Taiwan Gold Melody Awards, Taiwan's equivalent of the Grammys. She said, "I'm not that public idol kind of girl. I don't want to be either. Actually, I do enjoy being loved by a small group of people, just a small group, because they make me feel special."
- Sometimes (1999-2000)
Mavis' two transition albums never achieved as much commercial success as critical success.
- You Don't Trust Me Anymore (2001)
That was You Don't Trust Me Anymore, written by Mavis and co-produced by her boyfriend Laurence Chow. The song is published on Mavis' 2001 album Lounge Diva. Rumors said Mavis developed depression during her transition period, because she put herself under too much pressure to produce good music. She confirmed this in her book, "Scratch", released this year.
Although she had flowers and applause, Mavis said she wasn't content. She said, "I'm sure that isn't what I want. I have a clear goal, if I can't achieve it there is nothing to for me to feel good about."
She saw doctors, took pills, pierced her body and got a tattoo to relieve her pain. She even tried to jump out a hotel window once and would have succeeded if her boyfriend hadn't caught her in time.
You can probably detect some of these dark tendencies in the album Lounge Diva.
- Memory
If it's true depressed people tend to be more sensitive than most, I wonder if it's an advantage for artists. This actually stands for Mavis Fan, her boyfriend Laurence Chow and Japanese musician Jin Mu Yi Ze.
In Chinese culture, Fortune, Prosperity and Longevity are three gods who bring people joy and luck. It's just one example of the many cultural elements the three have applied to make their work more fun.
Her film debut was in The Private Eye Blues in 1995. She played the role of A-Su in the 2005 film About Love.
External links
- Mavis Fan at the Internet Movie Database
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
