Cheng Mai-hu (Chinese: 程邁虎; born April 14, 1963) is a Tsengian singer, guitarist, and actor. Called the "Prince of Tsengian Rock", he is known for being the lead guitarist for the band Belgian Flu and having a successful solo career. Cheng is one of the Tsengge Eight, a group of famous musicians that dominated Tsengian pop from the late-1980s to the early-2000s.
Cheng is also an accomplished actor, winning the Spring Festival Film Awards and Tseng City Screen Award (the most famous film awards in Tseng) for Best Actor 2 times (4 in total).
Early life[]
Cheng Mai-hu was born on April 14, 1963 in Xida City (now a district of Hillsborough), Tseng City-Capital. His father, Cheng Heng-da (程恆達), was a singer, and, with approval of his mother, Cheng followed his father and started to learn how to sing. At age 14, Cheng got a black Jackson Warrior for Christmas and learnt to play guitar.
Before he started his first band, Cheng worked a variety of odd jobs, such as a window cleaner, a lawn mower, and a waiter. Cheng joined the school concert band when he enrolled in Hillsborough High School in 1978, where he played bass guitar.
Career[]
Musical[]
See also: Cheng Mai-hu discography and Belgian Flu discography
The Gobstoppers (1980)[]
In March 1980, he and several other band students formed a rock band called The Gobstoppers. The band never released any songs and only played covers of songs by bands like Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac and Queen at clubs, talent shows, and competitions. Only 3 months later they disbanded.
Belgian Flu (1980-1985)[]
In September 1980, new student Alexander Yu arrived at Hillsborough High School and he and Cheng became friends. They decided to form a band. When fellow band students Chris Xiang and Jeremy Jia joined, the band now known as Belgian Flu was formed. Cheng was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist. After finishing his military service in 1983, he helped compose most of the songs for the albums New Country (1984) and Discombobulated (1986). Cheng and the band became symbols of the anti-government song genre.
Cheng in 1991
Solo career (1985-present)[]
After Belgian Flu disbanded, Cheng became a solo artist. His first solo album, Nightlight (1987) was certified Gold after selling 40,000 copies. The 1988 song "Pain in Love" topped the charts not only in Tseng, but also in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even charted high in mainland China (Relations between Tseng and China were strained since the founding of the PRC). Cheng won the 2nd Golden Tune Award for Best Male Mandarin Singer in that year.
Despite his age, Cheng's continued popularity made him a member of the Tsengge Eight, and his albums continued to sell many copies.
In 1994, he released the album Xin Chang Li Duan. The title track was the opening theme song of the TV series Laughing in the Wind.
From 1996-97, Cheng embarked on his first world tour. At the Tseng City leg on March 1, 1997, he was joined by former Belgian Flu members Jeremy Jia and Robert Mays, where they played several of their hits.
In 1999, Cheng worked with Flâneur drummer Adrien Zhong on his studio album Paladin, which had a heavier sound compared to his previous poppier albums.
Film[]
See also: Cheng Mai-hu filmography
In 1983, Cheng was offered a role as an extra in the movie "Plum Blossom" (梅花), beginning his acting career. In 1992, he won his first acting award, the prized Spring Festival Film Award for Best Actor in his role of Dr. Koo, an evil psychotic doctor who tortures and hurts his patients in the movie "Escape" by Sam Hsiang. Cheng often played the role of a "strict boss or parent" such as in films like V. Khatri's "The School" (學校) and Jason Ling's 1995 "Floral Love Story" (花的愛情故事), of which he got a Tseng City Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Personal life[]
Cheng was married to Carla Siu, a Hong Kong model and baker from 1995 to 2010. They had 2 children.
Cheng speaks fluent Mandarin, English, and Cantonese.
Discography[]
- Nightlight (1987)
- Pain in Love (1988)
- Who Knows? (1991)
- Xin Cheng Li Duan (1994)
- Paladin (1999)
Filmography[]
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Awards and nominations[]
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