Taiwanese lady-killer Vic Chow (Zhou Yumin) is ready to "kill" again: two years after releasing his hit debut album "Make a wish", Chow is back with a second album "Remember that I love you". It was released on January 2 - a New Year's gift for his fans.
To make every song on the album the best possible, Chow has been busy with vocal training. "It's hard, but I love it," says Chow with a smile. "Singing well needs not only your full devotion, but also vocal skills. So, this time, I didn't just 'make a wish', I tried my best to make my dream come true."
It's almost certain that the 22-year-old will have female fans swooning again with his tender, sentimental voice.
Chow has been a good-looking guy since childhood, but he might well have remained a complete unknown if it hadn't been for the Taiwanese hit TV series "Meteor Garden", a modern Cinderella story about a strong-minded girl and four good-looking boys from rich families.
"Meteor Garden" launched the careers of the phenom 4-boy group F4, namely Jerry Yen (Yan Chengxu), Vic Chow, Ken Zhu (Zhu Xiaotian) and American-born Vanness Wu (Wu Jianhao), transforming them into pop idols who inspire mass hysteria when they enter a room.
Their rise to stardom has been nothing short of meteoric. The series debuted in Taiwan in April 2001. And within just nine months, these four guys became household names not only in Taiwan, but throughout Asia. Their debut album "Meteor Rain" (2001) sold over 180,000 copies in Taiwan and took the third spot on the local charts three days after it hit the shelves.
Chow is the silent but cool type of the four members, and his boyish good looks and
megawatt smile is enough to send hearts a-flutter. And the most amazing thing about his charm is that his fans are not limited to young schoolgirls. There are serious working women in their 20s and 30s, mothers with toddlers and even grandmothers, who become as giggly as fresh-faced youngsters when talking about their idols. "I am not sure whether I should love him as my ideal son-in-law or treasure him as my dreaming prince," said Ms Jiang, a Nanjing fan in her 50s.
Encouraged by the great success of "Meteor Rain", Chow launched his first solo album "Make a wish" in 2002, establishing his own boyish but gentle style of love song.
"I'm growing up, so are my songs," says Chow about his new album. "This album is about those subtle and complex feelings in love, the multifaceted, more mature love. And I hope that my fans can remember that I love you, all of you."
(21st Century January 14, 2004)
