G.E.M. (singer)

G.E.M.
G.E.M. performing at the X.X.X. Live World Tour in 2015
Background information
Chinese name	鄧紫棋 (traditional)
Birth name	Gloria Tang Shi-wing 鄧詩穎 (Traditional) 邓诗颖 (Simplified) Dang6 Si1 Wing6 (Cantonese) Dèng Shīyǐng (Mandarin)
Origin	Hong Kong
Born	(1991-08-16) 16 August 1991 Shanghai, China
Occupation	Singer-songwriter dancer actress
Genre(s)	Cantopop Mandopop synthpop soul R&B alternative rock electronic rock
Instrument(s)	Vocals guitar piano electronic keyboard drum kit
Voice type(s)	Mezzo-soprano soprano
Label(s)	Hummingbird Music
Years active	2008–present
Website	geteverybodymoving.com

Gloria Tang Tsz-kei (simplified Chinese: 邓紫棋; traditional Chinese: 鄧紫棋; pinyin: Dèng Zǐqí; Jyutping: Dang6 Zi2 Kei4; born Shanghai, China, August 16, 1991) is a Chinese-Hongkonger singer-songwriter. She is better known by her stage name G.E.M., an acronym for Get Everybody Moving.^[1] She made her music debut in 2008 with the self-titled EP GEM. She has since become one of Hong Kong's best-selling musical artists, winning IFPI Hong Kong's Top Selling Female Artist award in 2012.^[2]

G.E.M. gained popularity in Greater China after her appearance on Hunan Television's programme I Am a Singer (season 2) in 2014.^[1] Her fan base also extends to the United States, Canada, Australia, and Southeast Asia; the same year, she won the Favorite Asian Act award at the 2014 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. In 2015, she was ranked eleventh in Forbes' China Celebrity List.

In 2016, she concluded a two-year world tour titled X.X.X. Live, and was the only Asian artist featured in Forbes' 30 Under 30: Music shortlist.^[3]

Biography

1991–2008: Early life and debut album G.E.M.

Gloria Tang Sze-wing was born in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong at the age of four.^[4] She grew up with a musical background, with her mother being a graduate of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, her uncle playing violin, her grandfather playing saxophone in an orchestra, and her grandmother teaching her how to sing. She appeared on Educational Television in Hong Kong at the age of seven,^[5][6] at which age she was already writing songs and entering school singing competitions. At the age of thirteen she achieved grade eight in piano.^[7]

In 2006, she won first place in a competition titled "Spice it Up" and caught the attention of Tan Chang, her now-manager, who offered her a contract with Hummingbird Music. She thus became a professional singer at the age of 16. She graduated from Heep Woh Primary School and True Light Girls' College in Yau Ma Tei, with a HKCEE score of 21 points.^[8] She went on to attend the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, but dropped out during the first half of 2009 due to conflict with her musical career.

Her debut EP, GEM, was released in 2008. She won several awards for the album, earning the nicknames '巨肺少女' ('girl with giant lungs') and '巨肺小天后' ('young diva with giant lungs'), for her vocal range and covers of Whitney Houston and Beyoncé songs.^[9]

2009–2010: 18...

In May 2009, G.E.M. traveled to Los Angeles to record her first full-length studio album, 18..., with Hummingbird Music co-founder and producer Lupo Groinig. That year, she visited Toronto and Richmond Hill in Canada for a mini-concert and held an autograph session in Pacific Mall.^[10] She also appeared in two feature films, Love Connected (保持愛你) and Trick or Cheat (愛出猫). Between 20–22 November. G.E.M. held her first concert, 18 Live, at the Hong Kong International Trade & Exhibition Centre Star Hall (香港國際展貿中心). The concert featured guests including Jan Lamb (林海峰),^[11] who worked with G.E.M. for the song "食煙飲酒講粗口", and Justin Lo (側田),^[12] who sang "合唱歌" ("Sing Together") with G.E.M. at the concert.

In 2010, she promoted the Taiwanese edition of 18... in Taiwan^[13] and returned to Los Angeles to record her next album, My Secret.^[14] The album was recorded over ten days in Santa Monica. During her time in Los Angeles, G.E.M. also made an appearance at the US Swimming National Open Water Swimming Championships in Long Beach as a youth ambassador for Project Kaisei.^[14]

2011–2012: Get Everybody Moving tour and Xposed

In May 2011, G.E.M. played three shows at the Hong Kong Coliseum, becoming the youngest Hong Kong female soloist to do so. She performed a further five shows at the same venue in September and toured in eight countries for the Get Everybody Moving tour.

In June 2012, she performed alongside Jason Mraz and Khalil Fong at the iTunes Live concert in Hong Kong, singing a duet of "Lucky" with Jason Mraz. Her third studio album, Xposed, was officially released in July. Its lead single "What Have U Done" charted at number one on all four major pop charts in Hong Kong.

2013–present: X.X.X. Live World Tour,I Am A Singer and Heartbeat

G.E.M. began her X.X.X. Live World Tour in April 2013 with five shows at the Hong Kong Coliseum, going on to play a total of 73 dates in arenas including The Forum in Los Angeles and Wembley Stadium in London. In May, she became the youngest ever nominee for the Best Mandarin Female Singer award at the 24th Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan.

In January 2014, she appeared on the Hunan Television program "I Am A Singer" and became a household name in China after her song "Bubble" (from the Xposed album) became a hit. That year, she was nominated alongside Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey, Shila Amzah and many more for the World's Best Female Artist award at the World Music Awards, and was also nominated for Best Mainland China & Hong Kong Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.

G.E.M. performing in Shanghai in 2015

In November 2015, she was the face of the Chinese launch of Apple Music, releasing the studio album Heartbeat with music videos accompanying all ten tracks. Upon its release, she dominated the iTunes charts in China. To date, G.E.M.'s songs have been played over 9.8 billion times on Kugou, a music platform in China.

In 2016, she appeared on the Forbes 30 Under 30: Music lists in both the United States and China.^[3] She collaborated with the Coalition Against Bullying for Children & Youth (CABCY) for a campaign against bullying and performed at the QQ Music Awards Ceremony in Shenzhen in March.

G.E.M. is billed to voice the lead role in the upcoming animated film Charming, due for a late-2016 release, alongside Demi Lovato, Ashley Tisdale, and Avril Lavigne.^[15][16]

Freelance Tour

In 2012, G.E.M. released a series of episodes of a "Freelance Tour" during which she embarked on a series of paid work experience stints in different industries, as she became a full-time singer at 16, and had never worked prior to that. The first episode was aired on 24 February, with G.E.M. working at a juice stand in Causeway Bay.^[17] In subsequent episodes, she assumed the roles of a weather anchor for Asia Television Limited, a domestic helper,^[18] a professional motorcyclist, an excavator,^[19] a salesperson,^[20] an editor, and an educational officer for the World Wildlife Fund at Mai Po Nature Reserve.

Filmography

Discography

Studio albums:

• 18... (2009)
• My Secret (2010)
• Xposed (2012)
• Heartbeat (2015)

Charted singles

^A charted May 2010 in Taiwan & Went to No. 1 in KKBOX Hong Kong in September 201
^B Bolded Word refers to no.1 single
^C * represents the song(s) is/are still on chart

Charted albums

Concert tours

Get Everybody Moving (2011–2012)

Get Everybody Moving was the first worldwide concert tour by G.E.M. Launched in support of her second studio album, My Secret, the tour began on May 14, 2011 in Hong Kong and concluded on December 2, 2012 in Guangzhou. She was the youngest singer to hold five concerts in the Hong Kong Coliseum.^[23]

Shows

Philanthropy

Awards and Nominations

• List of awards received by G.E.M

References

External links

• Official website (Chinese)
• G.E.M. Weibo (Chinese)