Vic Zhou

Infobox musical artist


Img_size = 170
Name = Vic Zhou
|Background = solo_singer
Nick_name=仔仔 (zh-p|p=Zàizài)
Birth_name = 周育民 (zh-p|p=Zhōu Yùmín)
Alias = Zhou Yumin, 周渝民
Born = birth date and age|1981|06|09
Origin = Republic of China (Taiwan)
Genre= Pop, C-pop, Mandopop, Rock music
Occupation=actor, singer, model
Blood_type= O
Years_active = 2001-2007 (F4 / JVKV)
2001-present (acting)
2002-present (solo)
Label = Sony Music Entertainment

Vic Zhou (zh-tp|t=周渝民|p=Zhōu Yúmín) is a Taiwanese actor, singer and commercial model from Taiwan. He is a member of the famous Taiwanese boy band JVKV, also known as F4, and has starred in many Taiwanese dramas. His stage name, 周渝民, literally means “a completely changed person”. It had a variation only in the middle character (from 育 to 渝) from his birth name, 周育民 (zh-p|p=Zhōu Yùmín), which literally means “a completely nourished or reared person”.

Biography

Vic Zhou was born on June 9 1981, making him the youngest of the F4 members. He is considered the baby of F4, being treated the best by other F4 members. His grandmother gave him the nickname Zàizài "仔仔", meaning "little child", which has become a nickname for him among fans.

Vic dated actress Barbie Hsu, a fellow Taiwanese who is most well-known for her role in the Taiwanese drama "Meteor Garden", after filming Mars (戰神). Their relationship was highly publicized. They dated for two and a half years, beginning in July 2005 but broke up towards the end of 2007/early 2008. He now lives in an apartment near Barbie Hsu. He is known to have a fascination with cars, treating them very well. When asked if his fellow F4 members could drive his car, he jokingly likened his car to a girlfriend.

Education

*Department of Business Administration,Hsing Wu College
*Department of Industrial Management,China University of Technology Chung Kuo Institute of Technology
*Department of Machinery,National LoTung Industrial Vocational High School
*Luodong Junior High School
*Gong Zeng Elementary School

At first, he tried to finish his degree in machinery technical school (NOT mechanical engineering). But persistent fans prompted him to transfer schools twice. Eventually, he quit school due to his very hectic schedule. Now, he is studying business administration at Hsing Wu College.

Entering the Industry

He was discovered when he accompanied a friend auditioning for a role in Meteor Garden. While waiting for a friend at their auditions, he was huddled in a corner near one of the Meteor Garden staff's office, who said he looked like Huā Zé Lèi and was asked to audition. Meteor Garden was adopted from a Japanese, "Boys Over Flowers" (Japanese romanization: Hana Yori Dango). He was asked to play the role of Huā Zé Lèi, a very silent and sensitive guy who befriends the female protagonist Shān Cài, played by Barbie Hsu. It was in this particular role that many fans acknowledged him and supported him in subsequent roles.

Individual Success as Singer and Actor

Recording career

He was the first F4 member to release his own album when "Make a Wish" (album) was released in January 2002. It was followed by "Remember, I Love You" which was released in January 2004. He also sang some solo songs included in F4’s albums like two songs in "Meteor Rain", released in March of 2002 and 2 songs in "Fantasy 4ever", released in January of 2003. His third album, I'm not f4 was released in October of 2007. He has 2 solo songs in F4/JVKV's most recent album "Waiting for You Here" [在这里等你] , released in December of 2007. His solo songs also appear in the Original Soundtrack (OST) of "Wish to See You Again" [ 這裡發現愛】。 His and F4’s albums were all released under Sony Music Taiwan.

Acting career

Aside from "Meteor Garden" [流星花園] , Zhou has appeared in many Taiwanese series such as the four-episode "Meteor Rain" [流星夢幻楽園] ,"Poor Prince" [貧窮貴公子] , "Meteor Garden II" (sequel of "Meteor Garden I"), "Come To My Place" [来我家吧] , and "Love Storm" [狂愛龍捲] . All of the above mentioned dramas had a lighter tone to them, and are considered to be very "typical" idol drama faire. However, with his next role in "Mars" 【戰神】, co-starring Barbie Hsu, Zhou has publicly acknowledged that this was a turning point for his career. Zhou plays a set of twins, one of which on the surface seems happy-go-lucky but ends up committing suicide, and the other of which struggles with mental illness and post-traumatic stress syndrome. The plotline of the series delves deep into issues not generally explored in idol dramas such as the frailty of the human pysche, violence, goodness and evil, and sexual abuse, just to name a few. In many interviews, Zhou has pinpointed this as the moment where his interest in acting was truly piqued. Since then, Zhou has taken on increasingly more multi-faceted roles deliberately varying them one from another. "Qi Wei Yi" in Silence. was an ambitious but lonely business man who's only moment of happiness took place 13 years ago with a mute girl. He finally finds love only to come down with cancer. "Zhi Tian" in "Sweet Relationship," [美味哦关系] is a cranky but perfectionist chef who spends most of his time yelling at his apprentices. "Xu Le" in "Wish to See You Again" [這裡發現愛] is an awkward but passionate best-selling novelist who innocently falls in love for the first time. Soon he will play a rough and tough policeman in "Ruffian Hero." His next role in "Black and White" will depart slightly from his typical "idol drama" genre, being his first action series. He will play a policeman. This series is expected to air in the summer of 2008.

Of F4, Zhou has been slower to get into the movie making business, but as of November 2007, his first movie "Linger" [蝴蝶飞] / Hu Die Fei was released. Mid-summer 2008, Zhou will be coming out with his second movie, "Tea Fight."

Filmography

Product Endorsements

He also appeared as model for anti-smoking campaign and a department store, Parco, in Japan.

Release of photographic album

He also released a photographic album in October of 2002, entitled "Travel Dream" (流浪夢, zh-p|p=Liú Làng Mèng) which contains his pictures shot during one of his trips to Hokkaidō, Japan.

His second photobook entitled 4Faces: Taipei & Tokyo was released in October 2006. It showcased ZaiZai's flexibility in front of the camera. There are 4 themes: Natural Face, Cool Face, Stylish Face and Fashionable Face. The first 2 themes were shot in Taipei while the last 2 themes were shot in Tokyo. This photobook is one of the bestsellers in HMV, a leading music and book store.

Vic Zhou's Quotes

*"The saddest thing in my life was when my parents divorced. They are also the people I want to say sorry to. When they broke up, I was 8 or 9 years old and stayed with my mother in Taiwan. My dad was living at Luo Dong and even had a new family. Despite the far distance, I will always find time to visit him to do my part as a son. Also, I have never thought about becoming a star or becoming famous. However, I cannot deny that I am popular. Yes, it is a happy matter, but I really hate it as it affected my family a lot. Reporters knocked and took photos at my dad’s house, scaring him and he dared not go out. I never expected my rise to fame to harm them…"

*"Without F4, I wouldn't be where I am today."

*"Even though we (F4) are doing our own stuff, it is so our strength is greater when we're united together."

External links

* [http://www.vicpower.net/ VicPower.Net]
* [http://www.vic-fanclub.com/ Vic International Cooperation - Official Fan Club]
* [http://www.zaizaiaini.com/ Zai Zai Ai Ni]
* [http://www.amw168.com/search-lyrics/artist/Chou,%20Vic%20周渝民-10658.html Vic's Lyrics]
* [http://www.viczhou.kit.net/ Vic Zhou Brazil]