Vanness Wu is a Taiwanese-American actor, entertainer, singer, director, and producer. He is a member of the Taiwanese boyband F4 and the Korean Mandopop duo Kangta & Vanness.
Early life
Wu was born on August 7, 1978, in Los Angeles, California. He’s the youngest of three children and has two younger half-siblings. His parents divorced when he was young and spent his childhood between Los Angeles and Taipei before eventually settling in Santa Monica. As a teenager, he learned to breakdance and competed in numerous dance competitions throughout the 90s. After graduating from Corona Del Mar High School, he worked as a telemarketer before moving to Taiwan at the age of 21 to pursue a career in entertainment to “search for a life with more meaning”.
Career
Early career with F4
Wu starred as Mei Zuo, one of the F4 members, in the Taiwanese drama series Meteor Garden and its sequel, Meteor Garden II. At the conclusion of the series, they continued to perform together and released three studio albums as the boy band F4. In 2002, Wu became the second F4 member, after Vic Chou, to release his debut solo album, Body Will Sing. The track, "I Hate Myself" is listed at number 95 on Hit Fm Taiwan's Hit Fm Annual Top 100 Singles Chart for 2002. The album was awarded as one of the "Top 10 Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year" at the 2002 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards, presented by the Hong Kong branch of IFPI. In 2003, he was featured on Beyoncé's single "Crazy in Love", featured on her album Dangerously in Love. In 2004, Wu made his film debut in the Hong Kong filmStar Runner and was nominated at the Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Newcomer. In 2006, he collaborated with Korean singer Kangta, forming Kangta & Vanness. The duo released the album Scandal. In 2008, Wu was announced as the opening act for Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark" concert in Shanghai.
Solo career success
Wu has appeared in several Taiwanese dramas as well as motion pictures. In 2009, he starred as Ren Guang Xi in Autumn's Concerto, one of the highest-rated Taiwanese idol drama. He also released his first Japanese single "Only", which entered Top 10 of the Oricon Chart, as well as another single "I Don't Wanna Lose You". In 2010, Wu became the executive producer for the television series Year of the Rain. Wu's third Chinese solo album C'est La V was released July 2011 under Universal Music Taiwan. It features collaborations with international artistes such as Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic, as well as Bruno Mars and Justin Michael who wrote the track "Knockin". Besides directing, producing, acting, and singing, Wu is also the creator/designer of his own jewelry line 3.V.O.7. He is also the creative director of Reebok. In 2012, Wu won the "Best Crossover Singer" at the 16th Chinese Global Music Charts. In 2013, Wu joined Jiangsu TV's diving variety show Stars in Danger: The High Dive, and won the silver medal. In January 2015, Wu was announced to be one of the judges of the talent showAsia's Got Talent, along with Indonesian-French singer Anggun, Canadian musician David Foster, and former Spice Girls member Melanie C, which aired from March to May on AXN Asia. In July 2015, Wu returned to the Philippines after a decade of his first visit for the special show for the #LiveinLevis event sponsored by Levi's in line with the launch of the Women's Denim Collection for Fall 2015. Wu's performance was a way of thanking the brand's fans and style seekers. In 2016, it was announced that Wu will star in his first Chinese television seriesThe Princess Weiyoung alongside Tiffany Tang, as well as the science fiction filmPili Back. In 2019. he starred in alongside Donnie Yen where he played Hartman Wu, a U.S. Marine CorpsStaff Sergeant and Bruce Lee's student.
Personal life
On November 15, 2013, Wu married his longtime girlfriend, Singaporean heiress and entrepreneur Arissa Cheo, in Los Angeles. On June 20, 2018, they both decided to get a divorce after 5 years of marriage. His mother and sister own a skincare business in Los Angeles, called Vivid Health & Beauty. He is a devout Christian and often talks about his faith on social media.
