Li Meng RY (Chinese: 李猛; pinyin: Lǐ Měng; born Li Youmeng on September 17, 1961) is a Tsengian singer-songwriter, lyricist, composer, actor, and businessman. He is one of Tsengge's most influential artists and is often citied as the greatest Tsengian male singer of all time. He is popular even to this day and his music is played all throughout the Sinosphere.
Early life[]
Li Youmeng was born to a troubled household. His father was an alcoholic and abusive while his mother suffered from mental illness. When Li was 8, one of his friends gave him a radio as a birthday present, and from there his joy of music started.
Career[]
Musical career[]
When Li was 17, he worked as a window cleaner to support his family. One of Li's clients was 1960s singer Pierre Wang. Li, who listened to Wang's songs on his radio, asked Wang if he could become a singer. Wang said to sing one of his songs, and when Li did, Wang was impressed and accepted Li, but due to school, Li did not sign a contract with Zenghe Inc (Wang's record label) until 1982, when he moved to Tseng City. He adopted the stage name Li Meng.
Li released his first album "Love Is Like a Waterfall" (愛如瀑布) in 1982, but it wasn't until 1985, with the album "Just a Dream" (只是個夢) that Li's career skyrocketed to new heights. He won 4 Golden Tune Awards for Best Male Mandarin Singer (a record) (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990) and was nominated for the Golden Melody Awards from 1991 to 1993. In 1989, he created the boy band RRI, which was a huge success, and made Li Meng into a influential singer. In 2018 he formed the superband Yuanfen.
Acting career[]
Li acted in many films since 1985, and received many awards. He won 2 Spring Festival Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor for the 1987 film Seoul Society and the 1989 film Time Flies.
Other[]
In 1997, Li created the Li Meng Foundation, which is to prevent child abuse in Tseng. He was given the Order of Honour of Tseng in 2004.
Personal life[]
Li Meng is married to Taiwanese actress Julianna Tsai since 1986. They have 2 daughters.
Political views[]
Li is a supporter of the National Prosperity Party (NPP), although he didn't make his views public until 2016. He criticizes modern music and heavily dislikes auto-tune, saying it makes the human "robotic" and that the modern music industry is run by "fakers" and "posers".
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 1st Golden Tune Awards | Best Male Mandarin Singer | Just a Dream | Won |
| 1987 | 2nd Golden Tune Awards | Best Male Mandarin Singer | Won | |
| 17th Spring Festival Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Won | ||
| 1989 | 4th Golden Tune Awards | Best Male Mandarin Singer | Won | |
| 19th Spring Festival Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Won | ||
| 1990 | 5th Golden Tune Awards | Best Male Mandarin Singer | Won | |
| 1991 | 2nd Golden Melody Awards | Best Male Vocalist | Nominated | |
| 21st Spring Festival Awards | Best Original Film Song | Nominated |