Emma Wu

Emma Wu
Wu at the Elle Run with Style event in 2019
Born
Wu Ying-chieh (吳映潔)

(1989-08-11) 11 August 1989 (age 35)
Keelung, Taiwan
Occupation(s)Singer, actress
Years active2005–present
Musical career
Also known asGemma
Gui Gui (鬼鬼)
Oh Young-gyul (오영결)[1]
GenresMandopop, K-pop
Labels
Wu Yingjie
Traditional Chinese吳映潔
Simplified Chinese吴映洁
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinWú Yìngjié

Emma Wu Ying-chieh (Chinese: 吳映潔; pinyin: Wú Yìngjié; born 11 August 1989), also known as Gui Gui (Chinese: 鬼鬼; pinyin: Guǐ guǐ), is a Taiwanese singer and actress.

Early life

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Wu Ying-chieh, nicknamed Gui Gui, was born in Keelung City, Taiwan on 11 August 1989, and is the only child of divorced parents.[2][3] In her early childhood, the family moved frequently, and this resulted in her having to attend five different elementary schools. Wu briefly attended the Dao Jiang Senior High School of Nursing & Home Economics (臺北市私立稻江高級護理家事職業學校) before transferring to Zhuangjing Senior Vocational School in the Xindian District of Taipei, where she became classmates with JPM's Wang Zi.[4]

Regarding the origin of her alias, Gui Gui (literally: Ghost), Wu has explained that she is "full of reckless things" (Chinese: 古靈精怪) [5] and adopted a phonological pun on the Chinese idiom (Chinese: "鬼”靈精怪) to describe herself as having an eccentric or impish personality.

Career

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2005–2009: Variety and musical debut

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In November 2005, Wu debuted as one of the original members of Blackie's Teenage Club (Chinese: 我愛黑澀會), a variety show seeking talents for the television network, Channel [V]. After three rounds of casting, Wu was recruited to join Hei Se Hui Mei Mei (Chinese: 黑澀會美眉), a nine-member Taiwanese girl group established c. 2006. Though the group's name was a clever play on the words "Hei She Hui" (Chinese: 黑社會; lit. 'black society', 'triad') and "Mei Mei" (Chinese: 妹妹; lit. 'sisters'), it was renamed Hey Girl (Chinese: 黑Girl) after a label change and the launch of their first self-titled album in August 2008.

In April 2009, Channel V's director, Andy Chang, responded to rumors of Wu leaving his agency. He expressed that though she was unlikely to renew her contract, the singer would partake in group activities per usual since Hey Girl's record contract did not belong to Channel V. Yet, despite Chang's statement, Wu was notably absent from their album promotions, and on 6 May 2009, he confirmed her departure from both Hey Girl and Channel V's management.

2007–2015: Transition into acting

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In 2007, Wu announced her acting debut with the idol drama, Brown Sugar Macchiato. However, the drama was viewed more as an "introductory chapter" to the two groups, Hey Girl and Lollipop F, than a major production.[6] After thirteen episodes, the series ended on 7 October 2007, and an official soundtrack was released with songs from Lollipop and Hey Girl.[7]

In 2008, Wu starred in Mysterious Incredible Terminator, opposite of Aaron Yan from Fahrenheit and Alien Huang. After the completion of M.I.T., Wu and Aaron, both widely praised for their on-screen chemistry and closeness, were to co-star in Taiwanese drama Momo Love. Yet, filming was halted due to Yan's scheduling conflicts, and once resumed, Wu and Aaron were replaced by Cyndi Wang and Jiro Wang, respectively.

Following a two-year hiatus, Wu signed with Polyface Entertainment Media Group in 2011 and returned to the small screen with I, My Brother (我和我的兄弟·恩). Later that year, Wu was cast in the television version of Painted Skin (TV series),[8] in collaboration with Fiona Sit, Chen Yi Rong, and Li Zhong Han. It was also this opportunity that allowed Wu to shift her focus to the Chinese market.

In 2012, Wu debuted on the big screen with a three part-film series, The Four, starring Ronald Cheng, Anthony Wong, Deng Chao, and Liu Yifei. In February 2013, she was cast in the Korean reality show, We Got Married with Ok Taecyeon, of South Korean boy band 2PM, as her virtual husband. Regarding this experience, she has commented, "I feel thankful that you found me. I think the fact that I was able to do this show was a gift from the up above."[9]

In the consecutive years, Wu has starred in Chinese TV dramas: Legend of Lu Zhen, Incisive Great Teacher (犀利仁師), A Different Kind of Pretty Man (不一樣的美男子), Roommate Diaries (一男三女合租記), The Four (2015 TV series), The Girl Wearing Tassel Earrings (戴流蘇耳環的少女) and The Legend of the Flying Daggers (飛刀又見飛刀 (2016年電視劇)).

2016–present: Musical comeback

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On 7 March 2016, Wu signed with CJ E&M and returned to the music scene.[10][11] In preparation for her Korean debut, she underwent a rigorous 3-month training that included vocal, choreography and Korean lessons. On 26 September, Wu released her first official music video, Sugar Rush, and on 7 October, she launched her first self-titled EP, GEMMA.[12] Introducing the extended play, Wu stated that GEMMA represented a new identity. "G" was derived from her nickname, Ghost (Chinese: 鬼鬼), while Emma is her proclaimed English name.[13]

In June 2017, Wu parted ways with CJ E&M,[14] and established her personal agency Gemma Wu Studio. In October of the same year, she released the single "Knock Knock Knock" after investing NT$8 million in production works herself.[citation needed]

In August 2019, Wu joined Avex Taiwan and released the single "Love Me Love Me" in celebration of her thirtieth birthday.[15] On 22 September 2020, she released her first studio album GX to commemorate her 15th debut anniversary.

Filmography

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[16][17]

Television series

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Year Title Role Network Notes
2007 Brown Sugar Macchiato Gui Gui (as herself) FTV, Star Chinese Channel Acting Debut
2008 The Legend of Brown Sugar Chivalries Guardian of Cult Star TV Cameo, Ep. 13
Mysterious Incredible Terminator Li Xiao Xing / Tian Mo Xing GTV Female Lead
2009 K.O.3an Guo Huang Yue Ying FTV / GTV Cameo, Ep. 44–46
2011 I, My Brother Lu Wei Wei CTV Female Lead
Painted Skin Xia Bing TVS4, ZJTV, GTV,
Shenzhen Satellite TV
Supporting Role
Love Recipe Wang Mei Ya CTV Supporting Role
2012 Dream in Blue Shen Xiao Qi ZJTV Supporting Role
Summer Fever Chen Wen Qing / Chen Tian Qing CTV Female Lead
2013 Female Prime Minister He Dan Niang Hunan TV Supporting Role
2014 Incisive Great Teacher Song Wen Wen Dragon TV Supporting Role[18]
A Different Kind of Pretty Man Tong Yu Chen Hunan TV Female Lead
Roommate Diaries Li Mei Dai Supporting Role[19]
2015 The Four (2015 TV series) Ling Yi Yi Supporting Role[20]
The Girl Wearing Tassel Earrings Ruan Qing Tian Hunan TV, Anhui TV Female Lead
Slacker's Food Diary Zhang An An iQiyi, Viu (streaming media) Female Lead[21]
2016 The Legend of the Flying Daggers Fang Ke Ke Youku Supporting Role
TBA The Fairy Lady Chen Xian Qi Female Lead

Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2011 The Four Ding Dang Supporting Role
2013 The Four II
2014 The Four III
2015 Dream Holiday Dani Guest appearance
2016 Days of Our Own Chen Yinuo[22] Supporting Role
2018 More than Blue Bonnie Guest appearance
2021 My Fairy Girl Wu Xiao Xue Female Lead

Variety shows

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Year Title Notes
2005–2009 Blackie's Teenage Club Ep. 79-958
2006–2007 Mo Fan Bang Bang Tang Assistant host
2007 Mei Mei Pu Pu Feng DJ
2007–2008 Fashion in House Guest host
2009 Golden Taxi
Game GX
Mi Gu Celebrity School
2010 Ultimate Player
2011 Genius Go Go Go
2013 We Got Married World Ver. with Ok Taecyeon
2016 Who's the Murderer Season 1 Guest
2017 Who's the Murderer Season 2
Fans! Fans!
Who's the Murderer Season 3
2018 Twenty-Four Hours (TV series) Season 3
Best Friends’ Perfect Vacation
Back to Field Season 2
Who's the Murderer Season 4
2019 Who's the Murderer Season 5
2020 Mr. Player

Theatre

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Year Title Role Notes
2020 Shamlet Queen Stage production at the National Theater in Taipei, Taiwan

Music video appearances

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Year Title Artist(s)
2006 "Manservant (男傭)" Kenji Wu
2009 "The Sky You Can't See (你看不到的天空)" Evan Yo
2010 "Red" Wallace Chung
2011 "Missing You" Liu Zi Qian
"Sticking to You"
"Love's Secret Recipe (愛的秘方)" Kenji Wu
2013 "Love Away from Me One Meter" Hu Xia
2016 "Not Letting Go" Ben Wu
2020 "I Think I Love You" 曹楊 Young
2021 "Still Alone" 黃偉晉 Wayne Huang

Discography

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Studio album

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Title Album details
GX
  • Released: 22 September 2020
  • Labels: Avex Taiwan
  • Formats: CD, digital download
Track listing
  1. GO
  2. Go Home, huh? (你要不要先回家?)
  3. Me, Myself and GEMMA (一個人跳舞)
  4. Renee's Game (雷妮遊戲)
  5. Gugoo Game (feat. Pikotaro)
  6. What you gonna do (我是你的誰)
  7. Love Me Love Me (啦咪啦咪)
  8. Knock Knock Knock

Extended plays

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Title Album details
Gemma
Track listing
  1. Sugar Rush (Chn ver.)
  2. Waiting For Your Love (等你愛)
  3. Always (一直)
  4. By My Side (愛在我身邊)
  5. Sugar Rush (Kor ver.)

Singles

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Title Year Peak chart
positions
Album
CHN[23]
"Knock Knock Knock" 2017 GX
"Love Me Love Me" 2019 37
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Collaborations

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Year Title Other artist(s) Album
2013 "I Love You" Ok Taec-yeon We Got Married Global Edition OST
2018 "Small Meteor" (小流星) Silence Wang 200 Million Years Old Classmate [zh] OST

Soundtrack appearances

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Year Title Album
2012 "Breaking Rules" (犯規) Summer Fever [zh] OST
"The Flavour Of Summer" (那年夏天的味道)
2018 "Kitty Bomb" More than Blue OST

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2009 1st Degree Idol Drama Awards Best Female Actress Pi Li MIT Won [24]
Best Onscreen Couple (with Aaron Yan) Won
2013–2015 Sina Weibo Dream Valentines Female Artist Won
2014 Taiwan CGC Award Most liked Female Artist Won
2014 Taiwan EToday Award Most popular Female Artist Won
2014 Asia Top Ten Goddess (Voting) Number 4 in Asia Actress Won [25]
2016 Asia Top Ten Goddess (Voting) Number 7 in Asia Actress Won [26]
2017 Hito Radio Music Awards Best New Artist (vocal and dance) Sugar Rush Won [27]
2017 Asia Top Ten Goddess (Voting) Number 9 in Asia Actress and Singer Won [28]

References

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  1. ^ Kang, Soo-jin (8 March 2016). "中스타 우잉지에(오영결), 한국 CJ E&M과 전속 계약 체결 화제 (Taiwanese star Wu Ying-Jie (Oh Young-gyul) joins CJ E&M for activities in Korea)". Kyunghyang Shinmun. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Appledaily, 黑人贈媽1500萬華廈 金屋藏鬼鬼". Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  3. ^ "Youtube, Kang Xi Lai Le (康熙來了): 親愛的!我真的好想再見你一面!". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Youtube, 100% Entertainment, 我家也有大明星". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Youtube, 我愛黑澀會,鬼鬼出道". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021.
  6. ^ "棒棒堂怎麼可能紅到香港去". 康熙來了. 3 October 2007.
  7. ^ "EMI Music Taiwan". Archived from the original on 8 June 2009.
  8. ^ 吴映洁29日做客腾讯微博 分享"鬼鬼"身边故事. Tencent QQ (in Chinese). 28 April 2011. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011.
  9. ^ "Youtube, 5ivesense TV, GWGM Making Film". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021.
  10. ^ "吳映潔與 CJ E&M 簽約 (Gui Gui (Emma Wu) signs up with Korea's CJ E&M)". Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  11. ^ CJENMMUSIC. "大势吴映洁访韩!与CJ E&M签署合约!(Wu Ying-Jie goes to South Korea! Joins the CJ E&M artist roster!)". Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2016 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ "Youtube, CJEM Sugar Rush". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Tencent Video, Star!調查團, 鬼精灵的甜蜜新世界 – 鬼鬼吴映洁专访". Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  14. ^ "傳慘遭韓經紀公司提前解約 鬼鬼經紀人出面回應了!". Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  15. ^ "鬼鬼吳映潔正式加盟avex taiwan 即將發行新單曲". Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  16. ^ "Emma Wu at douban.com". Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  17. ^ "Emma Wu at chinesemov.com". Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  18. ^ "Incisive Great Teacher" to Air on June 4. Archived 13 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine Cfensi Wordpress. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  19. ^ ShenZhen 2014 (Roommate Diaries) Archived 21 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  20. ^ Kisses & Hugs in the trailer of Idol Cdrama "The Four" Archived 2 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  21. ^ Slacker's Food Diary drops 14-minuter trailer with Gui Gui & Dylan Kuo Archived 2 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  22. ^ "我们的十年 Days of Our Own". Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  23. ^ "Billboard China Top 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  24. ^ "Gui Gui turns mature, popularity sky-rockets!". Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  25. ^ "亚洲女神排名吴映洁位列第四 超过杨幂郑爽郑秀晶" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  26. ^ "Unknown". [permanent dead link]
  27. ^ "即時更新/2017 hito流行音樂獎得獎名單 | NOWnews 今日新聞". www.nownews.com. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017.
  28. ^ "亚洲十美全新出炉 杨蓉赵丽颖郑秀妍郑爽惊艳众人 - 独家 - 青春娱乐网". Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
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