Coco Lee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Coco Lee
|
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg)
Lee in 2013
|
|||||||||||
| Born |
Ferren Lee
17 January 1975 |
||||||||||
| Died | 5 July 2023 (aged 48) Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
|
||||||||||
| Occupation | Singer, songwriter, actress, dancer | ||||||||||
| Years active | 1992–2023 | ||||||||||
| Spouse(s) |
Bruce Rockowitz
(m. 2011) |
||||||||||
| Musical career | |||||||||||
| Origin | British Hong Kong | ||||||||||
| Genres | Pop, C-pop, dance-pop, hip hop, R&B, soul | ||||||||||
| Labels | Capital Artists Fancy Pie Sony Music Entertainment 550 Music Epic Sony BMG Warner Music Group Universal Music Group |
||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 李玟 | ||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Birth name | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 李美琳 | ||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Ferren Lee (born 17 January 1975 – died 5 July 2023), known as Coco Lee, was a famous singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. She was born in Hong Kong and later became an American citizen.
Coco Lee's music career started in Hong Kong. It quickly grew to Taiwan and then became popular around the world. She released many albums, including her first English album, Just No Other Way.
Her song "Do You Want My Love" became very popular internationally. It even appeared on music charts in the United States and Australia. Coco Lee also sang "A Love Before Time" from the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She performed this song at the 73rd Academy Awards, becoming the first Chinese American to sing at the Oscars. She was also the first Chinese person to be an ambassador for the fashion brand Chanel.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Coco Lee was born Ferren Lee in Hong Kong on 17 January 1975. Her mother was from Hong Kong, and her father was Malaysian. She had two older sisters, Nancy and Carol. Sadly, her father passed away before she was born.
When Coco was nine, her mother moved the family to San Francisco, USA. Coco went to middle school and high school there. After finishing high school in 1992, she went back to Hong Kong.
While visiting, she joined a singing competition called the New Talent Singing Awards. She won second place, singing Whitney Houston's "Run to You". The very next day, a music company called Capital Artists offered her a contract.
Music Career Highlights
Starting Out with Sony Music: 1992–1998
After getting her first music contract, Coco Lee began her career. She appeared on several music collections. In 1994, she released her first solo albums in Mandarin, Love from Now On and Promise Me.
In 1995, she released an English cover album called Brave Enough to Love. She also released her third Mandarin album, Woman in Love. In 1996, Coco Lee signed with Sony Music Entertainment. Her album Coco Lee became the best-selling album in Asia that year.
She continued to release successful albums. In 1998, her Mandarin album Di Da Di sold 1 million copies in less than three months.
Becoming an International Star: 1998–2005
Coco Lee's music started reaching a global audience. Her song "Colors" was used for the opening of the Football World Cup. She also sang "Reflection" and voiced the character Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney's Mulan.
In 1998, Coco performed a huge concert in Taiwan for over 30,000 fans. She also performed at a charity concert with Michael Jackson. In 1999, she released her first international English album, Just No Other Way. This album included her hit song "Do You Want My Love".
Her love song "Before I Fall in Love" was featured in the movie Runaway Bride. She also sang a duet with Kelly Price called "Can't Get Over". In 2001, Coco Lee sang "A Love Before Time" for the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She performed this song at the Oscars.
She continued to release albums like Promise Coco (2001) and D. Is Coco (2002). Coco Lee also sang charity songs and anti-racism songs with other artists. In 2003, she performed and hosted the "MTV Asia Awards" with Shaggy. She also acted in the Chinese comedy movie Master of Everything.
Later Albums and Tours: 2005–2023
In 2005, Coco Lee released her second English album, Exposed. Her next Mandarin album, Just Want You, came out in 2006. In 2008, she was chosen to sing one of the Olympics songs, "Forever Friends".
She then joined Warner Music Group and released her Mandarin album East to West in 2009. This album included songs about protecting the environment. In 2010, Coco Lee started her "East2West" World Tour Concert. She performed in cities like Taipei, Las Vegas, and Singapore.
In 2011, Coco Lee helped record a charity song called Succumb not to sorrow. She also sang the theme song for the 14th FINA world championships. In 2013, she released her album Illuminate.
In 2016, Coco Lee competed in the Chinese reality show I Am A Singer. Even though she had faced voice problems before, she won the competition. This made her the first singer from outside mainland China to win the show. She later returned to the show as a guest performer.
Personal Life
Coco Lee married Canadian businessman Bruce Rockowitz on 27 October 2011, in Hong Kong. Their wedding included performances by famous artists like Bruno Mars and Alicia Keys. For her wedding, she recorded a song called "I just wanna marry u". Coco also had two adult step-daughters from her husband's previous marriage.
Death
Coco Lee passed away on 5 July 2023, at the age of 48. She had been admitted to Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong a few days earlier.
See also
In Spanish: Coco Lee para niños
