Angela Zhang

Biography

Angela Zhang Shao-han (traditional Chinese: 張韶涵; simplified Chinese: 张韶涵; pinyin: Zhāng Shàohán; born 19 January 1982), also known as Angela Chang, is a Taiwanese singer and actress.
Zhang gained recognition with the Taiwanese television dramas My MVP Valentine (2002) and At Dolphin Bay (2003). Since 2004, following the instant success of her first album, Over the Rainbow×Over the Rainbow6 January 2004 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Over the Rainbow3:322寓言4:073都只因為你3:474我的最愛4:225天邊4:176聽見月光4:517吶喊4:168雨後4:089明明愛你4:3510真愛冒險3:5711遺失的美好4:2212Journey3:44, she has focused on her singing career, releasing popular albums like Aurora (2004) and Pandora (2006), along with starring in another hit TV drama, Romantic Princess (2007). Her career was derailed in 2008 by a public row with her family, which was further worsened by a falling out with her label, Linfair Records. She did not revive her career until the Hunan TV reality show Singer 2018, where she participated as both a host and contestant. Since then, she has shifted her focus to mainland China.
Zhang has embarked on seven concert tours since her debut, including three stadium tours. Her Fable World Tour (2019–2024) spanned 36 shows across mainland China and attracted over one million people.

Early life

Zhang was born into a Hakka family from Zhongli, Taoyuan, Taiwan, as the eldest of three children. She has a sister, Connie Chang Shao-hsuan, and a brother, Carson Chang Po-yu, who is the youngest of the three. Zhang's maternal grandfather was ethnic Uyghur of Taoyuan in Changde, from the Jian family descended from Uyghur Buddhist general Hala Bashi who came to Taoyuan in Changde over 600 years ago, she is related to Jian Bozan, with the rest of her family Hakka. At the age of ten, Zhang moved to Singapore to study. After a few months, she returned to Taiwan because she "was not able to adapt (to life) there". At 12, she and her family migrated to Vancouver, where she attended Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School. She moved back to Taiwan at 19.

Early Career (2002-2007)

Zhang gained recognition in 2002 when played a leading role in the Taiwanese television drama My MVP Valentine with Taiwanese boy band 5566, followed by a leading role in another Taiwanese television drama At Dolphin Bay with Taiwanese actor Wallace Huo, in which she also sang the ending theme song "The Beautiful Days We Lost" (遺失的美好) and "Journey", a cover of Corrinne May's 2001 song.
Zhang first signed with Linfair Records, making her music debut. She released her first two albums, Over the Rainbow×Over the Rainbow6 January 2004 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Over the Rainbow3:322寓言4:073都只因為你3:474我的最愛4:225天邊4:176聽見月光4:517吶喊4:168雨後4:089明明愛你4:3510真愛冒險3:5711遺失的美好4:2212Journey3:44 (Chinese: 飛越彩虹) and Aurora (Chinese: 歐若拉), in 2004, and her third album, Pandora (Chinese: 潘朵拉), in 2006.
In 2007, Zhang released her fourth and fifth albums, Flower in the Wonderland (Chinese: 夢裡花) and Ang 5.0×Ang 5.014 December 2007 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1我戀愛了3:262不想懂得4:363親愛的 那不是愛情4:194床邊故事4:425頭號甜心3:416重來3:467能不能勇敢說愛4:028失憶5:139樂園4:2410誰愛誰3:0611不想懂得 (鋼琴弦樂演奏版)2:4312樂園 (華爾滋弦樂演奏版)4:35. She played in another TV drama, Romantic Princess, and sang the theme song "Don't Want to Understand" (Chinese: 不想懂得).

Career hiatus and setback (2008-2012)

Zhang took a break from her career in early 2008 and went to Canada for medical treatment. In June 2008, Zhang became a torchbearer for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Between 2008 and 2009, she was embroiled in a highly publicized dispute with her family, which led her to sever ties with her parents. A series of allegations made by her family, though unverified, significantly disrupted her career.
Zhang released her 6th album, The 5th Season, in 2009. In 2010, Zhang became a spokesperson of Shanghai Expo 2010 and sang the theme song "The Window of the City". Zhang performed at the first Formula 1 Festival in Shanghai.
Zhang and her younger sister started a new talent agency, Tianhan Music (Chinese: 天涵音乐), in 2012 and continued her career focusing on the market in mainland China.

Health issues

In 2008, Zhang was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse and went to Canada for medical treatment while taking a break from her career.

Family conflicts and estrangement

During her career hiatus in 2008 for medical treatment, Zhang found out that her mother, who has been her manager since her debut, emptied her bank account. In 2009, Zhang was accused by her parents of neglect, while she disputed the accusation. The parents later accused her of drug use, and she later had to come out with a negative drug test to clear her name. That year, she said in an interview that she has cut ties with her parents.
As a result of her family conflict, she has shifted her career focus to mainland China and resides in Shanghai as of June 2023.