Momo Wu: Rising International Star

January 22, 2013
Editor: Sun Xi
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Momo Wu at the 2012 China Charm Awards hosted by the Southern People Weekly magazine in Beijing [news.China.com.cn]

Rising new singing star Momo Wu, also known as Wu Mochou, won the Different Glamour Award of 2012 at the 2012 China Charm Awards hosted by the Southern People Weekly magazine on December 12 in Beijing. She was the youngest person to take away an award from the evening.

Born in 1992, she was also the only post-90s generation talent to win an award. "It might be because I have something different from others that make people remember me. Music has no boundaries. Everyone can express things they want to. No matter what, we need to stick to our true colors. I will certainly carry on my caravan plan. I want to sing happily. It is just that simple," Wu said.

Wu had traveled with her father, who was also a singer, in a caravan and performed all over the country; and she would like to do something similar with a group of musical friends.

It was the second award she won during the week following the Asian Annual New Star Award from the Modern Media Group, again proving her popularity and influence.

Being only in the spotlight of the media for a few months, Wu has rocketed to popularity at an incomparable speed. With 15,200,000 Web searches, 30,000,000 hits for one of her videos, many invitations from abroad, as well as appearing on the covers of many magazines, she has set a batch of new records in entertainment circles. At the same time, she has mapped out her own style and territory.

Wu gained overnight fame taking part in the singing contest The Voice of China last year. Her Western-style powerful and exaggerated performance won the favor of one of the judges Harlem Yu, a Taiwanese singer who later became her mentor. She was placed second in the final.

A large group of fans has been following her ever since. She has been given nicknames such as Rocker and China's Lady Gaga. In January, 2012, she took the No. 1 spot of the 2012 Top 50 Most Beautiful New Stars.

Born in Tsitsihar in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Wu and her mother followed her father in a caravan and performed all over the country. Her father gave her a passion for music, by singing to her all the time.

Wu's father was good at harmonizing with female voices. He drove his caravan and sang popular songs from place to place. When Wu was small, she and her father shaved their heads bare. Wherever they went, they got immediate attention.

"My father, mother and I, we drove to Inner Mongolia, Beijing and cities around Shenyang, the capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province. Besides singing, my father also performed cross talk. He was a very hilarious person," Wu said.

When Wu was in the fourth grade at primary school, her parents transferred her to a music art school in Shenyang and she studied there for nine years. Wu can still remember her school life clearly. "It is like yesterday. It was the most important nine years in my life, and it is crucial to my music career as I learned solid skills," Wu said.

She believed the nine years of study gave her the foundation for her success today.

In 2011 she was admitted into the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, to study popular performance in the Pop Music Department. When she applied for the Voice of China competition, she was still a freshman in college.

When Wu was 16, her father passed away. At age 18, she and her mother sold the caravan. Wu said her dream now is to own a caravan and go on a trip to perform all over the country with friends who also love music.

She also said her parents had always supported her dream of a career in music. "They are very supportive. No matter how expensive the things I wanted for learning music were, my mother would buy them for me."

Wu comes across like a maniac whenever performing on stage. But her teacher from art school, Chen Gang, said Wu is a quiet girl off stage, no different from ordinary people. "She becomes a totally different person on stage. She puts all her emotions in her song and lets go completely. Only those who really love music can do that."

Currently, Wu is a celebrity with considerable popularity. Her Internet support ranking is No. 1 of all the contestants on the Voice of China.

Taking about her future plans, she said: "I am still a student in college. I still have a lot to learn. I will concentrate on my college study first. I don't want to be regretful in the future."

Wu has also been attracting international attention since her outstanding performance in the competition. Renowned hip hop producer Mr. Fantastic, who has worked with singer Jennifer Lopez, sent an invitation to Wu, hoping to work with her.

In fact, they did work together on the CCTV's (China Central Television) program Dream Chorus, and the effect of blending the minds of an Asian and a Westerner was quite amazing.

Appraising the chances and opportunities to work with top international musicians, Wu responded with confidence and modesty, "I never thought I would have the opportunities to work with so many top international musicians to create music. It is like a dream. I will redouble my efforts and bring the good voices of China to the world, blend outstanding musical ideas from China and the West and share our cultures through music."

Although she was not the champion at the competition, Wu is absolutely the rookie of the year all the way. We expect to see and hear big things from her as a rising star on international stages in the future.

(Source: news.China.com.cn/Translated and edited by womenofchina.cn)

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