Chinese superstar singer Jane Zhang kicked off her very ambitious-sounding Bang The World tour in Shanghai on Saturday in front of thousands of very excited fans and likely a couple of rather disappointed ones.
10 years before boldly setting off to bang the whole world, Zhang first gained the national spotlight when she went from unknown contestant to 3rd place winner on the national singing talent show Super Girls. Since, she’s become one of the most popular singers in China and has somehow managed to rack up 42 best female singer awards in just a decade. All without us ever writing about her.
She is apparently known for her amazing vocal prowess, which has been compared to that of Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera, and especially for her whistle register, which has been compared to that of a dolphin—in a good way—and has gained her the prestigious title of “Dolphin Princess.”
Zhang rose to stardom from humble beginnings. Her father died when she was just 15 years old and she soon began singing at a local bar in Chengdu to help support her family. After high school, Zhang began studying English at Sichuan University’s Foreign Language Department, but dropped out to compete in the talent show that would make her famous.
Which goes at least some of the way to explaining why despite grand promises of banging the entire world, Jane Zhang’s summer tour will only stop in seven lucky cities across mainland China.
Watch Jane Zhang impress Oprah and Simon Cowell with her unique combo of dolphin-esque singing and Ricky Martin-esque rhythms here:
World, prepare to get banged.
by Alex Linder
[Images via rednet.cn]
Friday, January 18, 2019
© 2005-2018 Shanghaiist - China in bite-sized portions!