Linda Chou
Encyclopedia
Linda Chou is a singer and songwriter. She was born in the United States
in the state of California
to a father of Taiwanese descent
and a mother of Vietnamese descent
. She went to the University of California, San Diego
, earning a bachelor's degree in pharmacological chemistry.
Linda first gained recognition in 2006 when she took first place for ETTV Chinese World Top Idol. Her performance of Whitney Houston
's "I Will Always Love You
" took her from competing in the United States to competing against the world in Taiwan.
She is currently singing for Van Son Entertainment Productions, Inc. Van Son Entertainment is known for their Vietnamese variety shows that include singing, and comedy skits. Van Son Entertainment is currently one of the top three Vietnamese productions in the United States next to Thuy Nga Paris By Night
and Asia Entertainment.
She started off her singing career in the United States by winning ETTV US Top Idol in 2006. Then she eventually went on to winning 1st place on ETTV World Top Idol in Taiwan later that year. She came back to the US shortly afterwards. It was at around this time that Linda was contacted by Vietnamese singer Andy Quach to record some tracks for his CD Showtime. Andy then introduced Linda to Van Son Productions and she flew right back to Taiwan
to perform on her first Vietnamese variety show. Linda and Andy performed a duet "Tinh Mai Ben Nhau" where they both sang in Mandarin and Vietnamese. The song became a huge hit and was also the start of Linda's career in the Vietnamese music industry.
Linda's first solo debut was on Van Son in Singapore
with the hit song "Nguoi Tinh Mua Dong". Although other singers had covered this classic Chinese song by singer Faye Wong
, she was the first to perform it in both Mandarin and Vietnamese.
She went onto releasing her first album titled "Secret" on August 2008. The album contained songs that were performed in Vietnamese, Mandarin, and English. It soared to #8 top selling album on www.RangDong.com and her song "Cho Mong Bong Anh" ranked #6 in the top listened to songs.
Linda now travels all over the nation and around the world for her performances making appearances in numerous casino
venues, club
venues and outdoor festival venues. Her repertoire include mainly pop
songs in various languages ranging from Mandarin, Cantonese
, Vietnamese
, English
, and Spanish
.
songs. First grade was when she discovered her love in singing with glee club
at her elementary school. She continued glee club until fourth grade and did not join another school choir until high school. She attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School
where she joined the school's Jazz
I Vocal (advanced jazz ensemble), Jazz II Vocal (women's ensemble) and Chamber Choir
. It was then she regained her love towards singing and performing.
She went onto study pharmacological chemistry at UCSD not thinking about career in singing until she was urged by a friend to join a singing contest held by the Taiwan
ese Student Association. She placed first in this competition and went on to join more singing competitions where she continued to place first.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to a father of Taiwanese descent
Taiwanese people
Taiwanese people may refer to individuals who either claim or are imputed cultural identity focused on the island of Taiwan and/or Taiwan Area which have been governed by the Republic of China since 1945...
and a mother of Vietnamese descent
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
. She went to the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
, earning a bachelor's degree in pharmacological chemistry.
Linda first gained recognition in 2006 when she took first place for ETTV Chinese World Top Idol. Her performance of Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
's "I Will Always Love You
I Will Always Love You
"I Will Always Love You" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in 1973, who first released the song as a single in 1974.-Dolly Parton version:...
" took her from competing in the United States to competing against the world in Taiwan.
She is currently singing for Van Son Entertainment Productions, Inc. Van Son Entertainment is known for their Vietnamese variety shows that include singing, and comedy skits. Van Son Entertainment is currently one of the top three Vietnamese productions in the United States next to Thuy Nga Paris By Night
Paris by Night
Paris By Night is a popular Vietnamese language musical variety show, produced by an Overseas Vietnamese company Thúy Nga and hosted by Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn and Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Duyên, featuring musical performances by modern pop stars, traditional folk songs, one-act plays, and sketch comedy...
and Asia Entertainment.
She started off her singing career in the United States by winning ETTV US Top Idol in 2006. Then she eventually went on to winning 1st place on ETTV World Top Idol in Taiwan later that year. She came back to the US shortly afterwards. It was at around this time that Linda was contacted by Vietnamese singer Andy Quach to record some tracks for his CD Showtime. Andy then introduced Linda to Van Son Productions and she flew right back to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
to perform on her first Vietnamese variety show. Linda and Andy performed a duet "Tinh Mai Ben Nhau" where they both sang in Mandarin and Vietnamese. The song became a huge hit and was also the start of Linda's career in the Vietnamese music industry.
Linda's first solo debut was on Van Son in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
with the hit song "Nguoi Tinh Mua Dong". Although other singers had covered this classic Chinese song by singer Faye Wong
Faye Wong
Faye Wong is a highly successful and influential Chinese singer-songwriter and actress who is usually referred to as a diva . Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong . Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and rose to stardom in the early 1990s by singing...
, she was the first to perform it in both Mandarin and Vietnamese.
She went onto releasing her first album titled "Secret" on August 2008. The album contained songs that were performed in Vietnamese, Mandarin, and English. It soared to #8 top selling album on www.RangDong.com and her song "Cho Mong Bong Anh" ranked #6 in the top listened to songs.
Linda now travels all over the nation and around the world for her performances making appearances in numerous casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
venues, club
Club
A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...
venues and outdoor festival venues. Her repertoire include mainly pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
songs in various languages ranging from Mandarin, Cantonese
Cantonese
Cantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
, Vietnamese
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
Musical beginnings
Linda started out singing at the age of three years old. At that time her singing was influenced by her grandmother who always taught her short JapaneseJapanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
songs. First grade was when she discovered her love in singing with glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
at her elementary school. She continued glee club until fourth grade and did not join another school choir until high school. She attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a High school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States....
where she joined the school's Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
I Vocal (advanced jazz ensemble), Jazz II Vocal (women's ensemble) and Chamber Choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
. It was then she regained her love towards singing and performing.
She went onto study pharmacological chemistry at UCSD not thinking about career in singing until she was urged by a friend to join a singing contest held by the Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese Student Association. She placed first in this competition and went on to join more singing competitions where she continued to place first.
Discography
- Tinh Mai Ben Nhau variety album single released January 11, 2008
- Secret solo album released August 8, 2008
- Nguoi Tinh Mua Dong variety album single released April 22, 2009
Filmography
- Van Son 36 In Taiwan-Nguoi Viet O Xu Dai
- 21. Tinh Mai Ben Nhau (duet w/ Andy Quach)
- Van Son 38 In Singapore - Dem Hoi Ngo
- 3. Chinese Melodies (w/ Cat Tien, Andy Quach, Don Ho)
- 7. Nguoi Tinh Mua Dong
- Van Son 39 In Anaheim/San Jose 2 - Me Va Que Huong
- 8. Me Dau Yeu
- Van Son 40 In Dallas - Nhung Chuyen Tinh Bat Tu
- 1. Boi Roi Trong Tinh Yeu
- Van Son 41 In Florida - Que Huong Gap Lai
- 1. Lien Khuc Que Huong Ba Mien (w/Viet Thao, Van Son, Truong Vu, Diem Lien, Ha Vy, Tam Doan, Cat Tien)
- 10. Hiu Quanh
- 13. Lien Khuc Tuoi Hoc Tro (w/Andy Quach, Cat Tien, Huan Vu)
- Van Son 42 In Denver - Nang Am Cao Nguyen
- 21. Nguoi Tinh Muon Thuo
- Van Son 43 In Atlanta - Nhung Cung Dieu Que Minh
- 18. 999 Doa Hong
- 25. Lien Khuc Oan Tu Ti (w/ Le Nhat Minh, Hoang Thuc Linh, Le Nguyen)
- Van Son 44 In Conecticut - Nho Nha
- 6. Xin Mai Yeu/Xin Yeu Nhau Mai
- 19. Yesterday Once more (w/ Cat Tien, Hoang Thuc Linh)
- Van Son 45 In Minnesota - Huyen Thoai
- 10. Phuong Xa
- 25. Huyen Thoai Nguoi Con Gai (w/ Cat Tien, Trieu Minh)
Other appearances
- Au Lac Oi Interview
- Radio VNCR performance of acoustic Besame Mucho in Spanish
- Radio VNCR performance of acoustic Historia De Un Amor in Mandarin Chinese
- The Kristine Sa Show: Interview Part 1,2,3