Tian Yuan

Biography: Tian Yuan is a Chinese singer-songwriter, actress, novelist and photographer. Born in Wuhan, China, she majored in English at Beijing Language and Culture University, and graduated in 2007. Music career: At age of only 16, she joined local band Hopscotch as vocal and lyricist. The band was signed under to major label Modern Sky in 2002, and released their first English-language album that year, titled "A Wishful Way". The album was influenced by trip hop and indie rock, and well received by some critics and general public in China due to its fresh sound. Tian Yuan's singing career paused temporarily when a contract dispute occurred between her and Modern Sky. After, Tian Yuan recorded her first solo album under a new label, Dong Music. Her 11-song solo album Tian Yuan was released in 2010. Writing career: In 2002, Tian released her English-language novel, "Zebra Woods", which received some international acclaim, and wrote a collection of short stories while touring for "A Wishful Way", which was later published in China. In May 2007, Tian Yuan released her second novel "Double Mono", a novel about love, youth and self-discovery. Acting career: Tian's acting debut was in the 2004 Hong Kong film "Butterfly", which she starred as a lesbian singer, alongside Josie Ho. Her performance won an award as the Best New Performer at the 24th Hong Kong Film Award and Taiwan's Golden Horse Film Awards.