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Elva Hsiao. Photo by 摄影师俊熙.

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Elva Hsiao

Elva Hsiao is a singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and businesswoman from Taiwan. She was born on 24th August 1979. Hsiao has released fourteen studio albums and achieved significant commercial success in the Chinese pop music industry since signing a record deal in 1998 after participating in a singing competition.

Hsiao has since released fourteen studio albums and has enjoyed considerable commercial success in the Chinese pop music industry. Elva’s First Album (1999), known for her R&B-influenced ballads, was considered one of the first to incorporate R&B in the Chinese market. Naked Truth, her most recent album, was released in 2020.

1. She got her first record deal in 1998

Virgin EMI Records logo. Photo by Enaeq1489.

Hsiao was signed to EMI Virgin Records as their first artist in 1998 after being scouted through the Hong Kong TV channel TVB’s singing competition New Talent Singing Awards. She was one of a total of twelve finalists. That year, singers Jacky Chu and Ruby Lu competed as well. Hsiao was a member of the girl group Phenomenon at first but left to pursue a solo career after her bandmates dropped out.

2. Elva pursued design at the undergraduate level

Before beginning her music career, she attended the John Casablancas Institute. The school is named after American modeling agent John Casablancas. Casablancas is remembered for pioneering the supermodel concept during his career. The John Casablancas Institute is a private college in Vancouver, Canada that was founded in 1978. JCI takes pride in providing well-trained and talented professionals to the Fashion, Makeup, Hair, and Esthetics industries.

3. Hsiao was managed and mentored by Yao Chien

Chien Yao is a Taiwanese lyricist and author who is well-known for launching the careers of many artists. Yao is known for writing about female emotions. He has helped many A-list singers advance their careers. He was also the president of Virgin/EMI in Taiwan at the time when Elva was embarking on her music career. Yao would also have a hand in writing for many of Hsiao’s albums released under Virgin/EMI.

4. She released her first album in 1999

Elva Hsiao. Photo by 摄影师俊熙.

Hsiao’s debut album was self-titled and focused on pop and R&B. The album, which was released in 1999, was regarded as a forerunner for the R&B genre in Chinese-speaking markets. The following year, the album was a commercial success, selling 800,000 copies in Asia. The album’s success paved the way for her first solo concert in Taipei later that year. The single “Cappuccino” quickly became popular in Chinese karaoke establishments. Hsiao was also tapped to record the jingle for the Broadcasting Corporation of China’s rebranding effort in Taiwan.

5. Elva made her film debut in 2002

Hsiao made her feature film debut as the ex-girlfriend of Tony Leung’s character in the Hong Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs. The film was remade in the United States as The Departed, which won an Academy Award. In 2004, Hsiao voiced the animated film The Butterfly Lovers, based on the classic Chinese fairytale of the same name. Two songs from Hsiao’s next album, 5th Avenue, were also featured on film and television show soundtracks.

6. Hsiao vanished from the public eye in 2017

Elva Hsiao. Photo by George Chen.

She went on hiatus in August 2017, disappearing from public view for an unspecified period of time, delaying the release of a new album that she had reportedly been working on for three years. She was also forced to cancel 13 tour dates in China scheduled for April 2018. The singer broke her silence in August of the following year to explain her absence, claiming that she had suffered chest injuries in a fall and was unable to sing due to breathing difficulties.

6. Her song achieved 1 million views a day after its release

One Million Love Notification Icon . Photo by NatanaelGinting.

Hsiao, along with fellow Taiwanese pop star Show Luo, signed with Sony Music in the Greater China region in 2013. Shut Up and Kiss Me was released by Hsiao, and it was preceded by a single of the same name. The music video for the single received 1 million views on YouTube within a day of its release, thanks to Sony’s NTD 4 million marketing blitz. In Taiwan, a song from the same album served as the main promotional song for The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

7. Elva won a defamation lawsuit against an internet user

Elva won a lawsuit against a Chinese Internet user who spread rumors about her being HIV-positive. A Beijing court ruled that the Internet user, Ho, had defamed the 41-year-old celebrity and sentenced the offender to publish an apology for 10 days.
According to the China Times, a Taiwanese daily, the court ordered Ho to pay Hsiao 80,000 yuan (S$16,000) for causing mental anguish. Ho, who made the defamatory statement in May, claimed to have received confirmation from Hsiao’s manager.

8. Hsiao has undergone plastic surgery multiple times

White and black concrete building with the word surgery. Photo by Greg Rosenke.

The star opened up about her plastic surgery procedures in an Instagram live video, and she was very transparent with her fans who tuned in. Elva hosted the live stream without make-up and in her pajamas, which is unusual for the diva. Many netizens were drawn to her appearance during the stream.

Elva claims she was hit in the face by her uncle as a child and has had double eyelid surgery, in addition to laser and botox treatments.

9. Her net worth is 53 million dollars

Person holding 10 us dollar bill. Photo by Brittany Bendabout.

Elva’s total net worth is 53 million dollars, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDB, and other online sources, the majority of which she earned as a professional pop singer. She has also served as a brand ambassador for Motorola, Sprite, De Beers, Avon, Pantene, and Ford. Hsiao was named one of Taiwan’s highest-paid singers in 2014, earning more than 18 million dollars.

10. Elva is famed for dating younger men

Hsiao is also known for her relationships with younger men in the entertainment industry. She made her relationship with Justin Huang, a 24-year-old model, public on her 40th birthday. She captioned four photos of herself with Justin Huang, “Love requires us to be together.”
Elva Hsiao has previously confirmed several relationships, usually with boyfriends who are younger than her. Sunny Wang was three years her junior. Elroy Cheo was 5 years younger than Kai Ko, who was 12 years younger.