Four Golden Princess facts for kids

The Four Golden Princesses (also known as 四千金) was a popular Malaysian girl group. The group had four members: Ginger Keong Hueh Chin, Mins Eng Lee Min, Samantha Ee Kai Chee, and Richell Lee Lian Hong. They were often called by their stage names: Chin Er, Min Er, Kai Er, and Hong Er. The word "er" means "child" or "young" in Chinese. Later, they started using their real names more often.

Their Music Journey

Starting as "Four Little Golden Princesses"

The group first started around 1995. They were called "Four Little Golden Princesses" and were often shortened to FGP or 4GP. A company called Ya-Ko Enterprise found them. This happened after another child star, Crystal Ong, became very successful.

When they started, the girls were very young, about 5 or 6 years old. Ginger was born in 1988, and the others were born in 1990 or the mid-1980s. The girls came from different parts of Malaysia. They would meet in Kuala Lumpur during school holidays and weekends. This was for recording songs and doing promotions. As they grew up and stayed popular, the word "Little" was removed from their group name.

Early Success and New Company

Their first album was released in August 1996. Under Ya-Ko Enterprise, the Four Golden Princesses released three "Happy Children’s Songs" albums. They also released one "Chinese New Year 1997" album. Each of these albums sold over 50,000 copies around the world. This was a huge success for local artists.

In September 1997, the group's parents changed their recording company. The Four Golden Princesses then joined Wayang Tinggi Entertainment (WTE) on October 1, 1997.

Becoming "Super Child Stars"

With WTE, the Four Golden Princesses recorded and filmed more than 20 albums. These included eight albums in the "Children’s Wonderland" series. They also made three albums in the "Golden Folk Songs" series. Plus, they released ten Chinese New Year albums. All their albums sold very well, earning them the title "Super Child Star." They also sang many popular songs, especially as teenagers. Some of these songs mixed Chinese and American tunes.

Their Chinese New Year albums were especially famous. Around 1999–2001, when they were most popular as a child group, their albums sold incredibly well. For example, "Dancing Dragons Dazzle in Beijing City 1999" sold over 100,000 copies in Malaysia. It sold another 450,000 in China! "Lovable Dragon Year 2000" sold over 125,000 copies. Their "Dance of the Golden Snake 2001" sold over 100,000 copies in Malaysia alone.

A Member Stays and 10th Anniversary

In early 2003, Min Er thought about leaving the group. She wanted to focus on her studies. She had always been very good at school and dreamed of becoming a doctor. But her friends and fans convinced her to stay. This made many fans happy.

On June 5, 2004, the Four Golden Princesses celebrated their 10th anniversary. They held a mini-concert in Malaysia. They were the first child group from Malaysia to last 10 years (or even 5 years!). As they grew up, they sang different types of songs. They started with nursery rhymes, then children's songs, and later folk songs and love songs. They performed all these types of songs at their concert.

Unexpected Popularity in Taiwan

Around November 2004, an old video of the group became popular online in Taiwan. It was called "The Laughing Song." The video showed them shaking their heads and singing funny lyrics. This video quickly spread on the internet. Lines like "Why is Math class your favorite? Because my teacher is always absent!" became popular quotes among Taiwan teens. Young people in Taiwan even made their own versions of the music video. Even though this sudden fame came from being teased, it also helped many people discover the group. Some even became new fans.

The Group Disbands

The Four Golden Princesses released their last album for Chinese New Year 2008. After that, the group officially stopped performing together. They said they wanted to live normal lives. However, the members sometimes got together to perform during Chinese New Year celebrations.

Later Reunions

In late September 2012, two members, Ginger and Richell, were seen filming a Chinese New Year album. They were with six other artists. It was confirmed that the group "Eight Superstars" would reunite. The Four Golden Princesses had been part of their 1999 and 2000 Chinese New Year albums. This new album was released in December.

On July 22, 2013, another artist, Nick Chung, shared a photo of himself with Ginger and Richell. They looked like they were recording an album. On July 30, it was confirmed they were making a new Chinese New Year album. This album, called "Golden Princess Celebrate the New Year," had three songs sung by Ginger and Richell. It was their final album together, as Richell later opened a ballet school.

In December 2018, Starmedia (their former company) released a special Chinese New Year album. It was called "Best of Golden New Year Songs." This album was released to remember the Four Golden Princesses. The group is officially no longer together.

In 2019, Samantha Ee Kai Che, one of the band members, got married.

Albums Released

Happy Children's Songs

• 1995. Volume 1
• 1995. Volume 2
• 1996. Volume 3
• 1996. Volume 1–3 (a collection of the first three volumes)

Children Wonderland Series

• 1997. Volume 1 自己貼到自己爬 (Stick Yourself to Yourself)
• 1998. Volume 2 友誼萬歲/荷包蛋 (Long Live Friendship/Poached Egg)
• 1999. Volume 3 數蛤蟆 (Number Frogs)
• 2000. Volume 4 雪人不見了 (The Snowman is Gone)
• 2000. Volume 5 DOREMI
• 2001. Volume 6 小蜜蜂 (Little Bee)
• 2001. Volume 7 大公雞 (Big Cock)
• 2002. Volume 8 捉泥鰍 (Clay Mud)

Golden Folk Songs Series

• 2003. Volume 1 豆芽梦 (Bean Sprout Dream)
• 2004. Volume 2 你那好冷的小手 (Your Cold Little Hand)
• 2005. Volume 3 东拼西凑 (Chinese and English Songs)

Chinese New Year Albums

• 1999. 威龍揚舞耀京城 (Dancing Dragons Dazzle in Beijing City)
• 2000. 龍年多可愛 (Lovable Dragon Year)
• 2001. 金蛇狅舞齊拜年 (Dance of the Golden Snake)
• 2002. 馬到功成慶豐年 (Arrival Of The Horse Year Brings Success)
• 2003. 年年豐收好 (Prosper Every Year)
• 2004. 春風催花開 (Flowers Blossom in the Spring) (with M-Girls)
• 2005. 不要你的紅包 (Don't Want Your Red Envelope)
• 2006. 同歡共樂 (Celebrate Together) (with M-Girls)
• 2007. 世外桃源 (Paradise) (with M-Girls)
• 2008. 喜年一開財富來/飛躍新年 (Chinese New Year)
• 2013. 八大賀歲 新春獻黃金 (Golden 8 Superstars) (Ginger & Richell only)
• 2014. 千金慶新年 (Golden New Year) (Ginger & Richell only)

Other Chinese New Year Songs

• 1997. 欢乐新年 (Chinese New Year)
• 1998. 欢乐庆新年 (Chinese New Year)
• 2019. 最佳千金贺岁精粹 (Best of Golden New Year Songs) (A collection of their best CNY songs)

Other Albums

• 1999. ABC小天地 (ABC Small World) (with Elaine Kang)
• 2004. 10年記事本 1995–2004 (10 Years Diary 1995–2004)
• 2004. 10年記事本1995–2004迷你演唱會 (10 Years Diary 1995–2004 Mini Concert)
• 2004. 兒歌王國 (Kingdom of Children Songs)
• 2005. 11週年新旅程 (11th Year New Journey)
• 2006. 新歌+精選 (New Songs & Best Selections)

Commercials and TV Shows

Commercials

The Four Golden Princesses appeared in several commercials:

• CNI-Cocoa
• Ginvera Garfield Shampoo
• Nesh Life Water
• Six Happiness Mooncake (Richell only)

Television Shows

Some members also appeared in TV shows:

• Adik-Beradik (Kai Er only)
• Gung Xi Fa Cai Grandmother 2006 (Kai Er only)
• Love 9 9 (Jun Er only)

See also

• M-girls
• In Spanish: M-girls para niños