Wu Yingyin 吳鶯音

Wu Yingyin 吳鶯音 (1922-2009), formerly known as Wu Jianqiu, was born in a senior intellectual family in Shanghai. Her father was a chemical engineer and her mother was an obstetrician and gynecologist. She liked to sing since she was a child, and she often listened to radio song programs. She has a talent for singing, and she can hum when she hears the songs on the radio. After graduating from high school, Wu Yingyin originally planned to apply for the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, but her parents strongly opposed her wish. Her mother hoped that she would inherit the mantle and practice medicine in a white coat in the future; her father criticized her as "a person who has no ambition and refuses to study hard." Wu Yingyin couldn't figure it out, and in a fit of anger, she went to an elementary school to become a "teacher" and became a music and English teacher. But at night, she sings on the radio and does children's shows. In order to sing outside without telling her family, she changed her name to her current stage name "Wu Yingyin". At the age of 24, Wu Yingyin participated in the famous Cairus nightclub singing competition in Shanghai. In the fierce competition with a strong lineup of singers and countless singers, she stood out and became the champion in one fell swoop. After Zhou Xuan, she became another shining red singer, and soon became a signed singer of EMI Records. Since then, she has traveled to famous dance halls such as "Xianlusi", "Paramount" and "Dahu" in Shanghai. Wu Yingyin's singing voice has a unique flavor, hearty and nasal, and is good at lyrical and sad songs. The song "A Thousand Miles of Bright Moon Sends Lovesickness" became popular after she sang it. In just three years from 1946, EMI recorded more than 30 songs including Wu Yingyin's "Since I Married You", "Spring Is Infinitely Good", and "Broken Heart". At the same time, Wu Yingyin has also established her status as the "superstar of the emperor" in Chinese Mandarin pop songs. In 1955, Wu Yingyin entered the Shanghai People's Broadcasting Station Radio Choir to receive orthodox vocal training. Her singing has improved to a higher level, with a brighter tone and more charm. In 1957, EMI Records, which had moved to Hong Kong, invited her to Hong Kong to record famous songs such as "Southern Wind" and "Red Lights and Green Wine Night". Wu Yingyin's song series album "EMI China Era Songs" is also loved and welcomed by fans. Wu Yingyin's comeback in the pop music scene has become a grand event in the Chinese music scene. In 1983, at the invitation of EMI Records, she went south to Guangzhou to record the album "Hello! I am Wu Yingyin". For more than 50 years, Wu Yingyin, the "Queen of Nasal Songs", may be regarded as one of the oldest active singers in the world. In July 1984, she went to settle in the United States via Hong Kong and spent her later years in Pasadena, Los Angeles. Wu Yingyin did not give up singing in her later years, and often sang a few popular songs in Chinese communities, celebrations of overseas Chinese groups, and charity performances. Once when she went to sing in Singapore, her face suddenly burst into blisters, which were painful and itchy. The doctor suggested hospitalization, but in order not to disappoint the fans, she insisted on singing with heavy makeup, and went to the doctor after 5 concerts treat. Her love for singing and sincerity to her fans are touching. After the return of Hong Kong, she "came out of the mountains" again, and held concerts at the Red Hall for 4 consecutive years, and the venues were sold out. On January 4, 2003, the Shanghai Grand Theater held singer Fang Qiong's "Shanghai New Dream" Shanghai old song concert. Wu Yingyin was invited to fly back to Shanghai from Los Angeles to be a guest. This was her first return after nearly 20 years away from Shanghai. Performed on stage in Shanghai. She "showed" several old songs at the concert, which aroused enthusiastic response from the audience. "I want to forget you, but your shadow occupies my heart. I want to forget you, but your singing voice is lingering beside me..." This familiar singing echoed in the Grand Theater... 2009 On December 17, 2010, Wu Yingyin died in Los Angeles, USA, at the age of 87 due to pulmonary edema. Nowadays, there are still many elderly people who can hum a few of her famous songs. Her original song "Return to Spring" has been widely circulated overseas, and it is still sung as a festive song for the Spring Festival in North American Chinese areas.