Marcus Tien Tsz-ming (Chinese: 田子明; pinyin: Tián Zimíng; Jyutping: Tin4 Zi2 Ming4; born August 1, 1968) is a Hong Kong-born Tsengian singer-songwriter and actor. He has recorded albums in Mandarin, Cantonese and English, and is known for hits like "Golden Flowers" (金色花朵) and "Dreamer" (夢想家).
Early life[]
Tian was born on August 1, 1968 at Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, British Hong Kong to working class parents. In 1977, he, his younger sister Liana and their parents moved to Huanzhou, Tseng. His father found work on the Volkswagen assembly line at their Huanzhou plant, assembling the Beetle, Polo and Golf for the local market.
Tian frequently listened to the longwave English-language radio station Asia 1, which inspired him to pursue a career in pop music.
Career[]
Tian, split between starting a music career or following his father's footsteps and going to work at the Volkswagen plant, chose to enter a singing competition in order to build a music career. In 1988, he won a singing competition sponsored by Honda, and was signed to Zenghe in 1990.
In 1991, his debut album Golden Flowers was a success, selling 400,000 copies. However, he was never popular enough or sold less records to become the ninth member of the Tsengge Eight. Still, he was considered one of the "associates" of the Eight, as he co-starred in films and collaborated with members of the Eight. "Dreamer", his chart-topping duet with Olivia Han, helped his Dreamer album sell 500,000 copies.
However, his career stalled afterwards. Although he was a well-known singer, Tian was not on the level of the Tsengge Eight. In 2002, due to frustration with his career, Tian moved to Hong Kong and signed with PolyGram. There, he released several successful Cantonese albums, including The Other Side (另一面) (2003), Pain (創巨痛深) (2003), and Love Avenue (愛情大道) (2005). He later re-recorded some of the hits from those albums in Mandarin, earning modest success in Tseng, China, Taiwan, Taiguaye and Malaysia.