Kelly Chen - Career Beginning

Career Beginning

In 1994, while still a student at Parsons The New School for Design, Chen made two commercials, one for Shanghai Beer and one for the Bank of Hong Kong. After graduating from Parsons in 1995, Chen returned to Hong Kong. Chen was introduced to an acquaintance who owned a production studio and was chosen to feature in a Jacky Cheung music video.

1995: Chen made her film debut in Whatever Will Be, Will Be (仙樂飄飄), and sang the film's theme song. In September 1995, Chen performed the song "Mou Tian" composed by composer Steve Barakatt. She then released a compilation album, Break the Sky, along with 3 other singers, and then her first Cantonese album, Dedicated Lover (醉迷情人) in December. The album was a success in Hong Kong and furthered her acting and musical career.

1996: Chen released her first Mandarin language album, I Don't Think So (我不以為), in, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore, which sold over 150,000. Following the album's success, she produced another Cantonese CD in October 1996, Wind, Flower, Snow (風花雪). "Wind, Flower, Snow" is a very popular song in Hong Kong. In November, 1996, Chen released her first Japanese single, "Traveler." 1996 saw Chen's first stint as a Japanese singer when she released two Japanese singles.

1997: Chen performed her first ever concert, "Starry Dream of Love" (星夢情真) and released the partner CD in June, this album sold over 100,000 in Hong Kong. She held three concerts in Hong Kong in June, named "Kelly Starry Dream of Love Concert" (陳慧琳星夢情真演唱會). In July, she released "Morning", another Japanese single and her first Japan-based hit. Chen also provided the voice of Madame Trunk in the animated movie A Chinese Ghost Story. In the course of five months Chen released four albums. With the releases of her 2nd Mandarin album, Insight (體會), the compilation Kelly's Best Collection 97, the live CD Starring Dream of Love Live in Concert, and her next Cantonese CD A Movie (一齣戲). Insight sold 1.34 million in East Asia. Chen had established herself as a popular singer and actor in East Asia region.

1998: Chen embarked on a world tour, "Kelly Starry Dream of Love World Tour" (陳慧琳星夢情真世界巡迴演唱會), starting in Australia. Besides the world tour, Chen also performed 10 concerts for school children in Taiwan. She also released her Mandarin album, Love Me Or Not (愛我不愛), the hit single "Note Book" (記事本) is well-known all over Asia. This album sold over 2 million in Asia, Chen boosted her status as a Chinese pop music diva in Asia Entertainment industry.

1999-2000: Starring in the television drama Don't be a Cry Baby with Japanese star Kyoko Fukada and performing two concerts in Fukuoka, Japan in 1999, Chen increased her Japanese fanbase. She released a new album, Love of Colours which sold over 300,000 in Hong Kong from 9 December 1999 to 2000, and was the best selling album in 2000. She also won "The most popular female artist" in 1999 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation. Her albums sold over 230,000 in Hong Kong in 1999, the best selling female artist in Hong Kong. 2001:Chen released her remix album Kelly BPM Dance Collection in March, which sold over 150,000 copies. She embarked on another world tour, the "Paisley Galaxy World Tour" (陳慧琳花花宇宙世界巡迴演唱會), which started out with one show in Singapore and two shows in Genting Highlands in Malaysia. (She broke the record of best-selling Hong Kong singers' concerts in Malaysia.) Chen came to North America, where she performed concerts in Chicago, Atlantic City, Los Angeles and Toronto all as a part of her world tour in May. She later returned to China for a tour where she performed in Guangzhou, Huizhou, Zhongshan, Chengdu, Shanghai and Beijing. She released a Mandarin album, Flying (飛吧), in August. The album was the among the top 20 best-selling albums in Taiwan in 2001. Chen's movie Calmi Cuori Appassionati (冷靜與熱情之間), released in November, 2001, grossed more than 30 billion yen (HKD$220,000,000) in Japan. The film broke the pre-sale ticket record in Japan. The film was ranked as the 67th best-selling movie in history of the Japanese box office, it was ranked at 98th best-selling movie in 2006 in Japan's box office history. Chen won "Asian Pacific Most Popular Hong Kong Female Artist" at the 2001 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation.