Five years after releasing his debut solo disc, Vanness Wu bounces back into the spotlight with a brand new sound on V.Dubb. Dig on to this A to Z guide compiled by MING LEE.
A – merican –Born Chinese
Born on 7 August, 1979, in Los Angeles, Vanness was named after the street his family lived on. He is the second of four siblings – he has an older sister, a younger brother and sister. Among his close pals are Stanley Huang, Machi’s Jeff Huang and Jimmy Hung (from now-defunct Tension).
B – ody Will Sing
Released in 2002, Body Will Sing marked his solo musical debut. Described by the critics as the most musically talented F4 member – thanks to his silky smooth vocals on previous group smashes such as “Meteor Rain” and “I’ll Be There” – the much anticipated effort steered him away from the bubblegum pop pieces. Instead, it revealed his inclination towards R&B and hip-hop, and spawned chart hits such as “My Friend”. Vanness was, the second F4 member (after Vic Zhou) to put out a solo record.
C – hest
It’s the body part that he feels most proud of, says Vanness, It measures 42 inches, so while the blokes are left admiring, the babes can dream about being cuddled. By the way, those eight pecs you see on the cover of V.Dubb? They are the real deal! He adds, “As a performer, it is important to maintain a fit and trim body; it is a form of respect to the performance. That’s why many dancers, especially in US, are so well-built – they have been consistently working on their muscles!”
D – iet
To maintain his physique, he sticks to a diet of low carbohydrate and calories. He eats only chicken breast meat or meat without gravy or sauce, salad and fruits. When he’s not performing, however, Vanness allows himself to indulge. In fact, he once wolfed down a spread for eight persons ! Fortunately, he drops extra kilos quickly through dancing.
E – xcel
Vanness never takes success for granted. To pursue a career in show business, he left US at 18 years old to seek out opportunities in Taiwan. “I couldn’t read or write Chinese.”, he remembers. “I lived in this tiny apartment with no television, no radio and no phone.” That was, until six months later when he bagged the role of Mimasaka Akira in MeteorGarden.
Once told to minimize his American traits in order not to influence F4’s image, Vanness has come a long way. On V.Dubb, he write Mandarin rap lyrics for tracks such as “My Kingdom”, “Just One Dance” and “Friday Night”.
“Writing Mandarin lyrics is tough. I had to consider the grammar and words carefully. But rap lyrics is relatively easier since it is supposed to be casual.” He says.
F – 4
In case you’ve been living on Mars for the past several years, F4 comprises Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Ken Chu and Vanness, who portrayed the members in MeteorGarden. It’s success resulted in the boyband phenomenon in Asia, most notably Taiwan, and helped pave the way for all-male groups such as 5566, Energy and Fahrenheit.
In 2005, Japanese TV executives produced their own version of the anime-inspired drama, with Matsumoto Jun (Arashi) taking on the lead role of Domyoji Tsukasa. But it has not dented the popularity of Jerry and company – during a recent promo visit in Japan, they were even invited to appear on an episode of variety programme SMAP X SMAP.
G – ym
Vanness does not apologise for having to work at getting his 40-30-38 bod. “I work out at the gym about six times a week. I do abs training and weightlifting, among others. If my schedule is packed, I still do sit-ups every morning”, he says.
H – appy go lucky
Perhaps due to his Christian faith, Vanness has on many occasions come across as an optimist. For instance, instead of fretting over his craving for chocolate while on diet, he would allow himself a small piece of the sweet treat, especially since mom says chocolate makes a person happy, and I agree totally!”
I – dol
Often compared to Rain and Justin Timberlake, Vanness says his idol is none other than Michael Jackson. “His dance moves are very appealing, so I don’t mind becoming the Michael Jackson of the Mandarin music scene. But no, I don’t think I’m anywhere near him at all !” he says.
J – VKV
Word has it that the fab four are working on a new album, slated for release the end of this year. By then, however, they may be re-christened as JVKV (abbreviated from their first names). According to MeteorGarden producer Angie Chai, the publisher of Hana Yori Dango in Japan allowed them to use the name F4 initially – until a local TV version was produced and the company does not want it to be used in unofficial Hana context.
K – angta and Vanness
Vanness met Korean superstar Kang Ta at the 2004 Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan. When their management heard they’d gotten like old friends, they came up with a brilliant scheme – and a cross-country and cross-cultural musical duo Kangta and Vanness was born.
Despite the initial opposition from fans in each camp, the duo relished it as an opportunity to push themselves further. For starters, they had to pick up and sing in each other’s ;language, especially since they would be shuttling between two countries for promotional activities.
In addition, on their debut album Scandal, Kang Ta contributed tracks such as “127 Days”, “One Day” and “Faint”, in addition to his duties as co=producer. On the other hand, Vanness handled the rap lyrics and took on all the rap parts on the new tracks.
L – eehom
Their friendship goes back to the music video for Lee Hom’s 2005 track “Wrong Love”, which also featured Vanness as a boxer.
To return the favour, Lee Hom took time out from finishing his upcoming album to attend the launch of V.Dubb in April. He also presented Vanness with a big gun to wish him a soaring success.
Incidentally, Vanness has gotten into trouble with the customs officers in Hong Kong when they scanned his luggage. Discovered his gun belt buckle (see the album cover) thought it was a real firearm and confiscated it.
M – eteor Garden
Enough has been said about this anime-adapted TV drama that single-handedly kickstarted the idol drama wave in Asia. It follows the adventures of headstrong high-school student Makino Tsukushi, who befriends a foursome lnown as F4. whose leader Domyoji Tsukasa is in love with her. However, Tsukushi has the hots for his friend, the reticent violinist Hanazawa Rui.
MeteorGarden became skyrocketing success, turning its cast members including F4, Barbie Hsui and Rainie Yang, into instant household names. It also spawned a sequel starring Singapore’s own Michelle Saram.
“N –ever Let You Go”
In addition to producing and rap-writing duties, Vanness also tried his hand at directing for the music video for lead single, “Never Let You Go”. He not only got buddy Jimmy Hung to serve as consultant, but also other friends to act in it. One of them even loaned him a Ferrari for filming. Says Vanness, “It was very exciting although quite pressurizing as well, especially because I had to complete it on time”.
O –rdinary
His fame may have reached stratospheric heights, but Vanness is like any one of us when it comes to his shortcomings. For instance, his poor grasp of Mandarin often lands him in awkward situations, which he readily apologizes for.
During one visit to China, he blurted out that a fan had “short legs”, which was later pointed out as a rude remark by a journalist. “Sorry, my Mandarin is very bad, so I wasn’t aware if I’d said something wrong. I grew up in US, where I’m used to saying it like it is. Actually, my sister also has short legs.,” he replied good-naturedly.
P–aparazzi
While he used to worry about getting snapped by the paparazzi and would often stayed holed up at home, he’s more relaxed these days. “I’m not doing anything illegal or immoral,” he says, “: so they can feel free to take whatever pictures they like.”
Q –uarter
We’re pretty good as a team. Our personalities may be very different but for some reason, our individuality gives us that unison, “ Vanness says =about working with F3. In the same interview, Jerry even uses a family unite to describe the group, with Vanness being the “serious and hardworking father”.
R –omance
Vanness has admitted to having four relationships but cryptically stated that “none of my girlfriends were from the entertainment industry”. Although once linked to songwriter Vivian Hsu, he maintains they are good friends. Vivian even contributed a track, “Imagine This Love”, under her pseudonym Jia Bo Yong. “Imagine This Love” was also released as a Japanese single in Japan.
S – tanley Huang
Besides singing and dancing, Vanness also has a talent for BBQ! He used to go for barbeques with Stanley Huangs’s family and picked up some tricks from Stanley’s dad. Vanness especially loves soaking the meat slices in beer because it enhances the flavour. Otherwise, the secret to achieving nicely-barbecued meat is to keep a constant watch over it, or so Vanness says.
T – he Three Kingdoms
Vanness has begun filming The Three Kingdoms – Resurrection Of The Dragon, a period movie in which he plays Guan Xing, the son of a legendary general Guan Yunchang. The Chinese-Korean collaboration also stars Andy Lau and Maggie Q.
Vanness’s other big screen roles include Star Runner, where he plays an aspiring boxer opposite Kim Hyun Joo (My Sassy Girl), and Kung Fu Wu DI, an action comedy by the same cast of Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu.
U –NICEF
Vanness joined UNICEF Ambassador Charlie Yeung on a recent trip to Djinbouti, Africa, to visit needy children. Charlie, who had been there several times, let in that she wept after seeing the plight of the children, but hid her tears from Vanness because she didn’t want to “scare him”. Vanness, meanwhile , told reporters that the experience mad him realize how lucky he is.
V –.Dubb
V.Dubb is actually his nickname on MSN.
W –oman
The tabloids may be hounding him about rumoured romances but for the longest time Vanness has only openly declared his love for one woman – HIS MOTHER. He included a track “Mama” on V.Dubb as a tribute to her, for having singe-handedly supported the family for the past decade. Even after he made it big with F4, she would also attend his performances to cheer him on.
X –pose
While many male artistes are hesitant when it comes to going topless (cross reference band mates Jerry Yan and Vic Zhou), Vanness sees it as a part of his act. “It could be because I grew up in US, where the environment is more liberal. Like , whenever guys perspire during basketball game, we would take off our shirts,” he says.
“If the objective of going topless is to show a healthy image, why not? I’ve been considering it since I entered the scene. So yes, it’s time to show it off !”
Y –ay !
V.Dubb opened with no.1 sales in Taiwan. Do we need more reason to pop the bubbly?
Z –zz
With the launch of V.Dubb, sleep is possibly the last thing on Vanness’s mind these days. Nonetheless, he was spotted clubbing into the wee hours of the morning during a recent rip to Shanghai. Work hard and play hard, no?
