Zhang Liyin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zhang Liyin
张力尹
Zhang in 2010
Born	(1989-02-28) February 28, 1989 (age 36) Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Occupation	Singer lyricist
Years active	2006–present
Musical career
Genres	Mandopop K-pop R&B Ballad
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	SM Show City Times Beijing S.W. Culture Media iFlytek Music
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	張力尹
Simplified Chinese	张力尹
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhāng Lìyǐn
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhāng Lìyǐn Bopomofo ㄓㄤ˙ㄌㄧ˙ㄧㄣ˙ Wade–Giles Chang Li-yin Tongyong Pinyin Jhāng Lìyǐn
Korean name
Hangul	장리인
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Jang Ri-in McCune–Reischauer Chang Ri-in

Zhang Liyin (born February 28, 1989) is a talented singer and songwriter from China. She sings in both Chinese and Korean. Zhang made history as the first Chinese female artist to start her music career in South Korea. Her first song, "Timeless," came out in 2006 and quickly became a number one hit. She also won the Best Newcomer award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, being the first non-Korean artist to do so.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Zhang Liyin was born in Chengdu, China. Her parents loved classical music and took her to many concerts. This helped her discover different kinds of music early on. When she was just three years old, she started learning to play the violin.

Zhang was very interested in classical, American, and European pop music. She even said she never sang children's songs when she was little. She had a special talent: she could sing a song perfectly after hearing it only once. At age nine, she showed off her amazing voice by singing Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

As she got older, Zhang loved pop music even more than classical. She would secretly listen to pop songs because her parents preferred classical music. When she was twelve, she got into a special music school for her violin skills. But she decided she wanted to be a singer instead.

Her parents eventually supported her dream. Zhang gained confidence after being chosen as one of the top 10 adult singers in a big competition in Shanghai, China.

Starting Her Training in Korea

In 2002, a Korean entertainment company called DR Music found Zhang. This happened while she was at a concert in China. She signed an eight-year contract with them. The next year, at age fourteen, she moved to South Korea to begin her training.

Later, Zhang signed a new contract with SM Entertainment. This led to a disagreement between the two companies. But Zhang continued her journey to become a K-pop star.

Music Career Highlights

2006–2007: Debut with "Timeless"

In August 2006, SM Entertainment announced Zhang's official debut. She would perform her first song, "Timeless," on a TV show called MBC's Music Core. Before the song was officially released, "Timeless" was available for free download in five Asian countries.

Her debut song, "Timeless," came out on September 8. It was an R&B song, which is a Korean version of a song by Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini. The music video for "Timeless" was split into two parts. It starred famous actors Lee Yeon-hee and Super Junior members Han Geng and Siwon. The video was very popular, ranking number one on Melon's Video Chart for four weeks. Within ten days of her debut, Zhang was already on the "Take 7" chart on SBS's Inkigayo.

Zhang also promoted another song from her debut single, "Y (Why...)." This song's music video showed her hard times during training. It also included behind-the-scenes clips of her promoting "Timeless." After a short time, promotions for "Y (Why...)" ended. Zhang then took a break to get ready for her big debut in China.

She made surprise appearances at TVXQ's concerts in 2007 and 2008. She sang "TRI-ANGLE" with TVXQ, taking the part that BoA usually sang.

2008: First Album I Will

Zhang's first album in Mandarin Chinese was called I Will. It was released in China starting March 3, 2008. The album then came out across Asia on March 28, 2008. Before the album's release, two music videos were shared on February 27, 2008. These videos, for "I Will" and "The Left Shore of Happiness," told one story in two parts. Han Geng, Siwon, and Lee Yeon-hee also starred in these videos.

After the album came out, many music experts praised Zhang. Famous singer-songwriter Leehom Wang was surprised by her strong voice at only nineteen years old. Hong Kong singer-songwriter Hins Cheung compared her "soulful" voice to stars like Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera. He was very impressed by her "international-level music."

On May 25, 2008, Zhang won her first award for her Chinese album. It was for "Female Mainland Newcomer with Most Potential." In her speech, she asked for help for the 2008 Sichuan earthquake victims. Zhang did many interviews and TV shows to raise money for the earthquake. She also held a fan meeting in Beijing, where she sang songs from I Will and covers of R&B hits.

2009–2013: "Moving On" and Album Delays

In early 2009, Zhang finished her activities in China to prepare for her second album. She joined Super Junior-M for Chinese New Year events. This included her first time on China's biggest TV channel, CCTV. She also flew to Thailand for the SMTown Live '08 tour.

On March 7, 2009, Zhang opened for the Super Show concert in Chengdu. She sang "I Will" and "The Left Shore of Happiness." After this, she stayed in South Korea to record her new music.

A year and a half after her first album, a preview for her new song, "Moving On," was released on October 15. The full music video came out four days later. It showed Zhang remembering a past relationship. Even though the video was mostly photos, fans were very excited.

After promoting "Moving On" for three months, Zhang returned to South Korea. She announced she was preparing for her second Chinese album. However, the album was delayed many times. In 2013, her labelmate Zhou Mi hinted that a new album was finally coming.

2014: SM The Ballad and New Singles

On February 3, 2014, it was announced that SM The Ballad would return. Zhang joined other artists like Shinee's Jonghyun and Girls' Generation's Taeyeon. They released a new album called Breath. Zhang sang the Chinese version of "Breath" with Exo's Chen. They promoted the song on TV shows in China and Korea.

In May 2014, news came that Zhang would release a new song. f(x)'s Victoria was the main actress in the music video. Later, EXO member Tao and actor Song Jae-rim joined the cast. Zhang's third digital song, Agape, was released on August 2, 2014. She promoted "Agape" on Korean and Chinese TV shows.

On August 7, Zhang announced that a new song would be released after "Agape." This new song and its music video would be a sequel to "Agape."

On September 20, Zhang released her fourth song, Not Alone. It was a remake of a song by Tiffany. This song continued the story from "Agape." To celebrate, Zhang had a showcase in Beijing. EXO members Chen and Tao were special guests. Zhang performed many of her songs at the event.

2017–Present: Return to China and New Music

On February 28, 2017, Zhang shared that her contract with SM Entertainment would end in April. She decided to focus on her music career in China. She later signed with a Chinese company called Show City Times.

With Show City Times, Zhang released three new songs: a duet with Henry Huo called "Lonely," a song for a TV drama called "Answer," and "Ashes of Time" for a movie. Later, she signed with Beijing S.W. Culture Media in 2020. In July 2022, she joined iFlytek Music.

On September 26, 2022, Zhang released a Korean song called "Sense." This was her first Korean single in several years.

2023–Present: Back in Korea

On October 26, 2023, Zhang appeared on a Korean TV show called Sing Again - Unknown Singer Competition. This was her first time on South Korean national television in 15 years. She was singer No. 70 and competed until the seventh episode.

On December 19, 2023, Zhang released her second album, The Tide of Life. It had ten songs that she had released since 2022. On December 29, 2023, Zhang sang "Timeless" with Kim Junsu at his concert. This was their first time performing the song together in 15 years.

On February 16, 2024, Zhang released a duet song with Lee Jung-bong called "How Have You Been?". It was a remake of Lee Jung-bong's song and came out in both Korean and Chinese. On June 29, 2024, Zhang and Super Junior-M's Zhoumi released a song called "Don't Go Today." It was a remake of a song by Ben and Lim Sejun.

Discography

• I Will (2008)
• The Tide of Life (2023)

Tours

Appearances

• "O": The 2nd Asia Tour (TVXQ) (2007)
• SM Town Summer Concert (2007)
• SM Town Live '08 (2008–2009)
• Super Show (Super Junior) (2009)
• SM Town Live '10 World Tour (2010–2011)
• SHINee World (SHINee) (2011)
• SM Town Live World Tour III (2012–2013)
• SM Town Live World Tour IV (2014–2015)

Filmography

Television Shows

Radio Shows

Awards

See also

In Spanish: Zhang Li Yin para niños