Agnes Chan

Music Home >> Music Genres >> World Music



< < < < < > > > > > More Info on Agnes Chan Similar World Music Search Artistopia

Biography

Agnes Chan or Agnes Miling Kaneko Chan () is a pop singer , a television personality ( Gaijin tarento ), a Doctor of Education , a professor at Japan ese universities, an essayist , a novelist . Since 1988 Chan is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador http://www.unicef.org/people/people_nationalambassadors.html http://www.unicef.org/people/japan_53128.html and also supports the Japan Committee for UNICEF, a Japanese private corporation unaffiliated with United Nations Children's Fund|UNICEF . http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/japan_31778.html

Career

Agnes Chan began singing and playing guitar in her junior high years in Hong Kong, as volunteer work for fundraising events. She had a chance to record a cover of Joni Mitchell 's "The Circle Game" with her elder sister, actress Irene Chan, and it became a hit song in Hong Kong. She became famous throughout southeast Asia through several of Chang Cheh 's movies, including Young People and The Generation Gap .

Chan was brought to Japan by Japanese singer/songwriter Masaaki Hirao. In 1972 she recorded her first Japanese pop hit, "Poppy Flower (??????)." Her clear voice, pretty looks, and imperfect Japanese made her a teenage idol. In 1973, Chan's third single, "Splendor in the Grass (?????)," earned her the Japan Record Grand Prix "Rookie of the Year" award. She graduate from The American School in Japan in 1973.

Chan enrolled in Tokyo's Sophia University and studied for two years, after which she decided to take a break from the entertainment business and study social child psychology at the University of Toronto in Canada .

After graduating in 1978, Chan returned to Japan to resume her singing career. Her first Yue Chinese|Cantonese album was released in Hong Kong in 1979. She won a prize for her peace thesis for International Youth Year , 1984. Her first concert in People's Republic of China|China , a benefit for Soong Ching-ling 's child fund, was held in 1985 at Beijing 's capital gym for an audience of 54,000.

Chan's 1984 visit to Ethiopia during a drastic drought and food shortage was covered for the Nippon Television|Nippon Television Network 's annual "24-Hour TV" charity special. Through these events, she began volunteer work once again, aside from continuing her entertainment career.

In 1986, Chan married her former manager, Tsutomu Kaneko , and gave birth to her eldest son in Canada. After returning to Japan the following year, she began bringing her infant son to the workplace. This was seen as highly controversial ("Agnes" became something of a buzzword in Japan) and raised the question of a mother's place in the working world.

In 1989, Chan began studying with Stanford University 's department of education. During her stay in the United States , she gave birth to her second son. With Myra H. Strober , Chan investigated the situations of ten graduates from University of Tokyo|Tokyo University and Stanford University|Stanford ten years after their graduation. This showed significant differences between the men and women of Japan and the U.S., and earned Chan her Ph.D. Chan returned to Japan as a lecturer, essayist, and university professor.

In 1996, Chan gave birth to her 3rd son.

In 1998, Chan was appointed the first ambassador of the Japan Committee for UNICEF, established as an independent local non-governmental organization in Japan, under agreement with United Nations Children's Fund|UNICEF . http://www.unicef.org/about/structure/index_natcoms.html

Chan's education had a profound impact on her singing career - by the year 2000, her recordings had taken a darker, moodier tone.

In 2002, Chan began her work as a novelist with Perfect Couple and Bullet Ring .

Chan released her first self-cover single, "Splendor in the Grass 2005 (?????2005)," in 2005, and it was used as a TV commercial song for a herbal tea by Asahi beverage. Chan's latest single is "Flower of Happiness (??????)". She won the 14th Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi|Pestalozzi Education Award presented by Hiroshima University on October.

Her new English-language album Forget Yourself , including a duet with the legendary Chinese performer, Jackie Chan , was released in the United States in February 2006.

Chan is planning to release 3 Japanese new singles on the peace during 2007 and making an album. She's also planning to perform 35th anniversary concerts in about 100 of Japanese cities and Beijing , China in 2007 and 2008.

In October, 2007 it was reported that Chan had undergone surgery for breast cancer in a Tokyo Hospital, and is expected to make a full recovery.

Since April 2009, Chan has been the dean of the Agnes University, an unaccredited virtual university (not to be confused with accredited St. Agnes College in Kyoto) founded by Record China Co., where an honorary Bachelor's degree is awarded on completion of twelve essays of 10-400 words.

Her eldest son, Arthur, graduated from Stanford University in 2009. Her 2nd son, Alex, studies music at the same university, and has gained some attention through his acoustic YouTube performances. And her youngest son, Apollo, studies in Japan.

She is a Roman Catholic.

Present Main Regular Programs

Television

TV Tokyo - Kitajima Wink Heart (Ended by Sep., 2007)

Chiba TV - ''Agnes' Music Salon (Ended by Jan., 2006)

Radio

Radio Nippon (RF) - ''Agnes' Sunny Side Up

RTHK - City Snapshot (September 2005 - March 2006)

Discography

Albums

1971 Will the circle game be unbroken

1972 ORIGINAL(1) , Poppy flower , With Love from Agnes

1973 As Stars, As Flowers , Splendor In The Grass , Flower Concert

1974 ''Agnes's small diary and The Concert for Your and Me , Fly of Swallows

1975 The Story of Small Love , Family concert , Hello To Youth , Say Thank You To You , Loving Songs , I Am In Love

1976 Mei Mei - Dream all the time , See You Again Some Day , Where shall I go to look for my lover , Agnes Chan , Memorial of Love

1977 How are you? and My lover , With love from Canada

1978 Happy Again , Ready, Go!

1979 Agnes in Wonderland , ABC AGNES , Carnation in the rain , Beautiful days

1980 Message , Morning Star, Love robber, Wonderer , Swallow has came back

1981 Love Me Little Love Me Long , Mystic words for love , Absorbed in love, Anxiety-forgetting grass

1982 Song of Lijiang River , Half Time, Christmas Song Medley

1983 Small question , Girl Friends , Wish you to being mellow

1985 Loving Harmony , Love will be found - City romance

1990 Dear Agnes - Carpenters collection

1992 World nursery rhyme and baby-sitter song complete volume I-V

1997 Agnes Chan Cantonese selection

1999 Famous baby-sitter song and nursery rhymes in the world

2000 Happy kids songs by Agnes , English songs by Agnes , Melancholy , Love, Peace & Freedom

2001 Private novel - My Love Story

2002 Now and Then , Agnes Chan CD BOX

2005 Lost & Found -Come to Me-

2006 Forget Yourself (Audio CD with DVD)

2008 Peaceful World

Charted singles

Title
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28

Commercials

Ajinomoto

Bridgestone

ECC (eikaiwa)|ECC Junior

Meiji Seika|Meiji

Mitsubishi Electric

Suntory

Written Works

1983 My Chinese dishes by Agnes

1984 Be peaceful with songs

1984 We all are the people who live on the earth

1993 Neo Woman

1994 ''Mama You Don't Need to be a Doctor

1996 We all are the people who live on the earth Part2

1997 Hong Kong Guide by Agnes

1999 The Road Winds Uphill All The Way (collaboration with Myra H. Strober ), We all are the people who live for the future

2001 Positive child care by Agnes

2002 Perfection couple , Ring of bullet

2003 This road leads to the hill (Japanese translation)

2004 Cheers to the world! , Japan, where I love , Messages from little lives

2005 The Right Track -To people who live for the future- , What the Marriage Life is ? (collaboration with Yoko Kitajima )

2006 ''Agnes' Style Aging - Chinese Herbal Detoxification , Flowers , Colors and Birthday Messages (collaboration)

2007 We all are the people who live on the earth Part3 , 26 words of love for finding happiness by Mother Teresa

Copyright Citations

This article is licensed under the GNU License
Click here for original article: Agnes Chan

Agnes Chan Photo by: www.newyeargala.ntdtv.com


1. Faye Wong

World Music Artists