WOO ING ING

(From Wikipedia)

Wu Yingyin (born Wu Jianqiu 吳劍秋; 1922 – December 17, 2009), also romanized as Woo Ing-ing, was a Chinese singer. By the 1940s, she became one of the seven great singing stars.

Wu was born in Ningbo to an intellectual family with her father as a chemical engineer and mother a doctor. She grew up in Shanghai and enjoyed singing to radio tunes at an early age. She originally wanted to go to the Shanghai Academy of Music, but her parents opposed the idea and claimed that the music industry was for individuals with no real ambition. In 1940, in order to work around her parents' disapproval, she began singing under a stage name (Qian Yin 錢茵) for radio stations at night, particularly for children's programs.

Wu had a soft singing voice that made her a success. She continued to sing without her family knowing so and ultimately used the stage name "Wu Yingyin." The buzz later got around about a new singer. It has been said that Wu's father at first didn't realize it was his own daughter's voice that he heard on the radio.

In 1945 she became a nightclub singer and garnered acclaim for her performances. Most of her vocal techniques were self-taught. At the age of 24, she participated in a nightclub competition. Winning the crown, she was discovered and immediately signed to a contract with Pathé Records (China) record company. Her first record (我想忘了你 "I Want to Forget You") became a hit. In total, Pathé Records produced 30 albums for her.[1] Among her best known songs are "Spring returns to the World" (大地回春), "Heartbreak" (斷腸紅), "I Have This Feeling" (我有一段情), "The Bright Moon Sends My Love Across a Thousand Miles" (明月千里寄相思), "Fine Spring Night" (好春宵), "Chance Meeting of Strangers" (萍水相逢). She was affectionately nicknamed 鼻音歌后 ("Queen of the Nasal Voice").

In 1955 she joined a Shanghai broadcasting station (上海人民广播电台). She relocated to Hong Kong in 1957 where she continued her singing career. She returned to China for recordings in 1983 in Guangzhou. In July 1984, she moved from Hong Kong to Pasadena, California. At the age of 80, she was still singing in overseas Chinese neighborhood community events for charitable causes. At the time, she was regarded as one of the world's oldest active singers.

She would also sing in Singapore, and on January 3, 2003 she was invited to perform at the Shanghai Grand Theatre.

Wu died in Los Angeles on 17 December 2009.

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