Their rise to the forefront of the regional entertainment scene has been nothing short of meteoric. The name of the drama that propelled them from complete unknowns to super idols in six short months is Meteor Garden. The name of their debut album, which was released in August and has already gone platinum - selling over 200,000 copies - in Singapore and 1.5millions copies in Taiwan, Hongkong and Asia, is called - you guessed it - Meteor Rain. Two of the songs on the album, the title track and Di Yi Shi Jian, have since shot to the top of the local pop charts.
Yes, we are talking about Taiwanese sensation, F4. These four gorgeous hunks are so hot at the moment that the mere mention of their names is enough to make many a teenage girl breathless. And whereever they will go, throes of young, screaming females thronged the airport and shopping complexes where they appeared, causing more than a mini storm on our tiny island. Back home, their popularity has already reached stratospheric levels. Not since the days of the Little Tigers has any Taiwanese boy band caused such a furore.
So what exactly is the appeal of these four young guys? For sure, they look good. Standing at the uniform height of 1.80 m, Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Ken Zhu and Vanness Wu all boast of chiselled features and the quintessential model-like build. And yes, they have the deadly "boy-next-door" charms and have already been hailed as the Taiwanese version of Japan's SMAP.
Undoubtedly, the top-rated Meteor Garden (MG), in which they play the wealthy and enigmatic gang called F4 (short for Flower Four, alluding to their pretty boy looks), is the main key to their success. It is adapted from the manga or Japanese comic, Hana Yori Dango, a cult favourite that has already spawned a highly popular animated series.
So who are they exactly:
Jerry Yan, 25
Who: He was a part-time model, won Taiwanese Magazine Men's Uno Model competition in 1998, starred in many commercials and even MTV - amazing!
Vic Zhou, 21 Who: He was a mechanical engineering student at a Taiwanese Technical Institute, love collecting artistic stuff.
How he was founded to play Dao Ming Si: After starred in rows of advertisement, unsurprisingly he was handpicked to offer the role. WOW~
Flower that describes him best: "A rose, because it can withstand humidity and stays beautiful for a long time."
On coping with stardom: "Learn to be stoic, don't dwell too much on things. I think that's the best way to relieve stress."
More about him:He likes to collect sunglasses. His mother is very happy since he is becoming a celebrity. Basically he is a type of person that didn't like to go out or even do window shopping. "Coz if i go out, it'll turn to spend some money at the end," said Zai Zai. So before being famous like now, he spent most of his time at home. In high school he majors in machine, but he actually didn't really like it, so he also joined a business course which he prefer ^_^ Last year before joining F4, he worked in two nightclubs. If things go well, he planned to continue his study.He enjoyed going to the internet cafe and playing game, just like other guys did.If he got fever, flu, and so on, he needs more time to recover. He is satisfied enough with his hairstyle now. Still he didn't get used with his new title as "Super Idol".
How he was founded to play Hua Ze lei:He was accompany his friend to an audition. While waiting, he received a phone call, and the Meteor Garden producer [Chai Zhi Ping] saw how he was in phone and decided to offer him to play the character "Hua Ce Lei". Zai zai at first reject the offer, but Chai Zhi Ping didn't just give up so easily, so she continue to convinced Zai Zai to take an acting lesson for few months. Zai Zai then agreed with that, and while he was in acting class, Chai Zhi Ping take the MG director to see him, and they decided to take him to play as "Hua Ce Lei".
Flower that describes him best: Mimosa
Who: He was born in Taiwan but raised in Singapore for 8 years, attended Bukit Merah Primary and Boon Lay Secondary, worked as a cook at a restaurant.
How he was founded to play Xi Men:Was discovered while working as a captain in a Japanese BBQ restaurant earlier this year. This pretty boy is also a good cook who likes to whip up 'simple dishes'hmmm interesting huh~
Flower that describes him best: The flower that comes to mind right now is Singapore's national flower, the orchid, Vanda Miss Joachim
Who: He is an American-born Chinese, been in the entertainment industry since 13 with his ex-band: LA Boyz.
How he was founded to play Mei Zhou: When he was 13, he started practising dance moves with ex-ABC boyband, The L.A. Boyz. He wanted to make a record last September, but it fell through. His sister, Stacy Wu Jia Jia, cut an album in 1995 with the group Babes.'I've always been interested in acting. So I came to Taiwan to be a part of the entertainment scene.' He joined Super Sunday's YMCA segment, a male talent contest-cum-pageant. He was spotted by the series' producers, who asked him to audition.
Flower that describes him best: "Sunflower, because I have a sunny nature."
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