David Tao (Chinese: 陶喆; Hanyu Pinyin: Táo Zhé; born July 11, 1969) is a popular Taiwanese singer-songwriter. He is well-known for his signature R&B tunes and for having popularized this genre in the Mandopop industry. Motto Three Principles of the People (三民主義 San-min Chu-i) Anthem National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei (de facto)  Nanking (de jure)1  Largest city Taipei Official languages Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  -  President Chen Shui-bian  -  Vice President Annette Lu  -  Premier Chang Chun-hsiung... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For popular music (music produced commercially rather than art or folk music), see Popular music. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Shock Records is Australias largest independent record label. ... The EMI Group is a major record label, based in Kensington in London, in the United Kingdom. ... Pinyin (拼音, Pīnyīn) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to Hànyǔ Pīnyīn (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... Mandopop (or mandapop) is a colloquial abbreviation for Mandarin pop music. The term refers to C-pop in which the lyrics are in Mandarin Chinese. ...

Biography

Early life

David Tao was born in 11 July 1969 in Hong Kong, as Tao Xu Zhong (Traditional Chinese: 陶緒忠; Simplified Chinese: 陶绪忠; Hanyu Pinyin: Táo Xùzhōng), to parents who were considered famous entertainers in Taiwan. His father, Tao Da Wei (Traditional Chinese: 陶大偉; Simplified Chinese: 陶大伟; Hanyu Pinyin: Táo Dàwěi) (the latter two characters which can also be read as "David", hence essentially David Tao Senior), was an actor/singer/composer and his mother, Wang Fu Rong (Traditional Chinese: 王復蓉; Simplified Chinese: 王复蓉; Hanyu Pinyin: Táo Wáng Fùróng), a very well known Chinese opera singer. Traditional Chinese (Traditional Chinese: 正體字/繁體字, Simplified Chinese: 正体字/繁体字) refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Pinyin (拼音, Pīnyīn) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to Hànyǔ Pīnyīn (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of... Traditional Chinese (Traditional Chinese: 正體字/繁體字, Simplified Chinese: 正体字/繁体字) refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Pinyin (拼音, Pīnyīn) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to Hànyǔ Pīnyīn (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of... Traditional Chinese (Traditional Chinese: 正體字/繁體字, Simplified Chinese: 正体字/繁体字) refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Pinyin (拼音, Pīnyīn) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to Hànyǔ Pīnyīn (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of...

Tao spent part of his childhood in Hong Kong (something which he shared with his audience during his Soul Power concerts in Hong Kong). His parents supposedly eloped when his father could not get approval to marry his mother. David Tao had his education in Taiwan from kindergarten to the junior high school level at the Bethany Campus of Morrison Academy in Taipei. Later, his father decided to pursue his dream of working for Walt Disney, and they migrated to US where David Tao Sr. realised his dream and worked as an animator in Disney Burbank. Morrison Christian Academy (at Taichung Main Campus) Morrison Academy was established in 1952 and offers a rigorous, college preparatory, American-based Christian affiliated education to expatriate children living in Taiwan. ... For other uses, see Taipei (disambiguation). ...

His parents later returned to Taiwan where his father began his singing career, leaving David to complete his education in the United States. Left to fend for himself, David took on many jobs, including a stint as a policeman in the LAPD, without the knowledge of his parents. Eventually, he graduated with a Masters degree in Psychology from UCLA. The Los Angeles Police Department (usually known as the LAPD) is the police department of the City of Los Angeles, California. ... Binomial name Ucla xenogrammus Holleman, 1993 The largemouth triplefin, Ucla xenogrammus, is a fish of the family Tripterygiidae and only member of the genus Ucla, found in the Pacific Ocean from Viet Nam, the Philippines, Palau and the Caroline Islands to Papua New Guinea, Australia (including Christmas Island), and the...

Singer/Writer/Composing Career

Later working as a salesman, he was offered a job by reputed Taiwanese producer Wang Zhi Ping, when the latter found out who he was. So Tao went back to Taiwan, initially writing, and later producing songs for many singers before releasing his self-titled album David Tao in 1997. He has since released four more albums, a live concert recording and a compilation of his best songs. His works have influenced many singers to acknowlegde his works more than the normal listener. Singers that actually listen to David Tao include Eason Chan, Jay Chou, Wang Lee-Hom, JJ Lin, Tank (Taiwanese singer), Bibi Zhou, etc. Eason Chan Yik-Shun (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Born July 27, 1974 in Hong Kong) is a prominent male singer and is considered to be a part of the skilled class (實力派) in Hong Kongs music industry. ... Jay Chou (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún; Wade-Giles: Chou Chieh-lun; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chiu Kia̍t-lûn), born 18 January 1979, is a World Music Award-winning, arguably one of the most successful and influential Taiwanese musician, singer, and producer. ... Alexander Lee-Hom Wang (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; born May 17, 1976; better known as Leehom Wang or Wang Leehom) is an American singer-songwriter of Taiwanese descent who has achieved success in Taiwan, Malaysia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia. ... JJ Lin is a Singapore singer who recently won the Best New Artist award in Taiwan. ... Tank (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: , born February 6, 1982) is a Taiwanese singer/songwriter. ... Zhou Bichang (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; also known as Bibi Chow), born on July 26, 1985, is a Chinese singer and songwriter. ...

Trivia

His personalities are best described as "creative, subjective and nervous". He is a typical perfectionist. His hobbies are watching movies & dramas, visiting museums and reading psychology books.

David Tao is a firm believer of Christianity. He has written songs that have underlying Christian themes and references to them such as, Butterfly, Rain and Sweet Hour of Prayer. He also widely preaches in the concept of love, which is central to the Christian belief. Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ...

It would seem that his songs contains names of women, the reasons which is unknown. Among the more popular songs using the names of women are "Catherine, Katrina, Angeline, Angel, Olia, Melody and Susan Says.

The Taiwanese Media later uncovered the intention of the song 'Melody' which is named after one of David Tao's ex-girlfriends from LA. She also returned to Taiwan for a music career but ended up in second-rate shows and soon married a wealthy businessman twice her senior. She dated David Tao at the age of 18.

Discography

David Tao

In 1997, with the help of Wang and another Taiwanese producer, Jim Lee, Tao released his self-titled first album (David Tao), under an independent label called Shock Records, set up by Taiwanese pop singer Jin Ruei-yao, and her husband. This album set a record in Taiwan during the 9th Golden Music Awards, as the first album from a new singer ever, to be nominated for a total of 5 awards - Best Newcomer, Best Singer, Best Producer, Best Song and Best Album. Shock Records is Australias largest independent record label. ...

Airport 10.30 first caught people's attention, but it was the simply arranged, melodic I Love You that became one of Tao's signature tunes. The album also featured an a cappella song, Spring Wind, which was a new R&B version of a favorite old Taiwanese song. David sang all the vocals in this song, which still stands today, widely regarded as one of the best a cappella songs in Chinese. A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ... A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ...

Airport 10:30 was also nominated for the MTV Awards for Best Chinese Video in 1998 along with Coco Lee, who became the eventual winner. This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Tao won two of the awards, namely Best Newcomer and Best Producer, becoming the first newcomer/singer to also win a Best Producer award. Tao's first album was notable for the excellent production which, remarkably, was done in Tao's home in Los Angeles entirely. The album also broke new ground in the music style and arrangement with its strong Western-influenced R&B flavor. Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ...

Tao shot to an unprecented meteoric rise to fame following the release of David Tao. Unable to cope with the sudden media attention, he flew back to Los Angeles soon afterwards.

Between David Tao and his next album, besides releasing a remixed Bastard Pop ep, writing and producing songs for various hit Taiwanese singers, notably a theme song which became one of Taiwanese boyband Tension's hit songs, I'll Be With You, David was not heard on the Mandarin-Pop scene for a long while as he quietly disappeared into obscurity. Bastard pop is a musical genre which, in its purest form, consists of the combination (usually by digital means) of the music from one song with the a cappella from another. ...

I'm OK

In 1999, two years after his first album, Tao released his second album I'm OK. This album was claimed to be a best-selling album by breaking the previous record by selling 600,000 copies, yet various critics had claimed that the impact of I'm OK was not any stronger than his previous work in terms of style and arrangement.

Notable hits include:

• Rock ballad Rain
• Country-flavored Small Town Girl
• R&B-influenced Ordinary Friends
• Leave, a soul number.
• Close to You, a love ballad.
• Tuberose, a catchy a cappella remake of the traditional Chinese folk song.

In this album, Tao attempted many musical styles, including, unsurprisingly, his favorite rock music. In fact, some critics have noted that each of his songs are different from one another, in terms of their style and music arrangement. Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles, however saxophones have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since the 90s. ... In political geography and international politics a country is a geographical entity, a territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ... Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles, however saxophones have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since the 90s. ...

David was nominated for six GMA awards for I'm OK - Best Album, Best Producer, Best Singer, Best Video, Best Song and Best Song Arrangement. He only won the Best Producer Award on the GMA, but Rain later went on to win Best Chinese Video at the 2000 MTV Music Awards.

Black Tangerine

In 2002, Tao released Black Tangerine. Some notable songs in this post-911 album, of which he derived much of his inspiration from:

• Black Tangerine, a hard-hitting rock song.
• Moon Over My Heart, an updated old Mandarin hit re-rendered in R&B style.
• My Anata, a Japanese-influenced rock number.
• Angel, a love ballad.
• 22, a catchy tune depicting the woes of a girl in crossroads.
• Butterfly, an under-rated song which he penned about his relationship with God.
• Katrina, a surprise demo he wrote and sang entirely in English.

What set Black Tangerine apart was the strong social commentary, including a track consisting of various actual Taiwanese news snippets of unrelated family tragedies and public incidents, placing the state of Taiwanese society in a somewhat negative point of view.

Black Tangerine won various awards in Asia but was, incidentally, overlooked for the Golden Music Awards in Taiwan, where the album was originally intended for.

David has since held a series of successful concerts in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore in 2003, having already won many fans over with his signature simplistic style.

The Great Leap 2005

In 2005, David Tao released his fourth album, The Great Leap 2005. The Great Leap 2005 is David's most successful album so far. The Great Leap had 4 nominations at "17th Golden Melody Awards" however he was only able to grab the "Best Album Award". Notable songs in the album include:

• Ghost (鬼), the first single of the album, showcasing an eclectic mix of 80's Disco synth with Linkin Park-esque Metal & Rap elements. The lyrical style, a continuation of the social commentary from the previous album, describes a person's fears among a mass media-driven society that is getting too close for comfort.
• Susan Says (Susan 說), a track that combines Beijing Opera's unique singing accent and instrumental arrangement with David Tao's signature R&B style.

The Great Leap 2005 Album Cover

• Love Can (就是愛你), An infectious sing-along ballad about love. A throwback to his signature tune, "I Love You" from his debut album.
• Love Me or Him (愛我還是他), The first ballad single off the album which had tremendous commercial appeal.
• Art of War (孫子兵法), Nominated for Best Arrangement in 2006's Taiwan 17th Golden Melody Awards, this rock hit featured the "12 Girls Band" (女子十二乐坊) as David and co-arranger, Goh Kheng Long fused hard metal and traditional chinese instruments into a song leaden with socially critical lyrics.

Beijing opera or Peking opera (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a kind of Chinese opera which arose in the mid-19th century and was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court. ... David Taos The Great Leap 2005 Album Cover File links The following pages link to this file: David Tao ... David Taos The Great Leap 2005 Album Cover File links The following pages link to this file: David Tao ...

Beautiful

A fifth studio album by David was released on 4th August 2006. Among the more popular songs in the album are the title song Too beautiful, another old song restyled into David's signature arrangement, Can't Get You Outta My Mind, and a duet song with Jolin Tsai, Marry Me Today. It has been rumored that during the filming of the MTV with Jolin on the song Marry Me Today, he refused to hold hands with her, perhaps out of sheer shyness. Jolin Tsai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Tsai Yilin) is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer. ...

Albums

• David Tao (陶喆, December 6, 1997)
• I'm OK (December 10, 1999)
• Black Tangerine (黑色柳丁, August 9, 2002)
• Ultrasound (the documentary film)(十一號產房, July 11, 2003)
• Ultrasound 1997-2003 (Compilation) (樂之路, August 8, 2003)
• Soul Power Live (陶喆現場原音專輯,December 20, 2003)
• Soul Power Live @ Hong Kong (陶喆香港演唱會實況,February 17, 2004)
• The Great Leap 2005 (太平盛世, January 21, 2005)
• Beautiful (太美麗, August 4, 2006)

December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Radio Beautiful – 0:18 Cant Get You Outta My Mind – 3:58 Too Beautiful – 2:55 Wish – 3:29 The Moment – 4:04 Walk On – 3:05 How Long – 4:07 I Dont Wanna Know – 3:57 Finally – 4:43 Marry Me Today (Featuring Jolin) – 4:32 So... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

• DavidTao.com OFFICIAL WEBSITE
• DavidTao.com OFFICIAL FORUM
• DavidTao.com TAIWAN Merchandise online store
• DavidCN.com DTFC NON-OFFICIAL FANSITE
• TaoZhe.com DISCUSSION FORUM
• ZHE XIAN SGFC
• TaoZhe FanBlog
• David Tao Shopping Portal
• David Tao Hong Kong Fans Site