Bichang Zhou
If you are outside of China and the Far East, Zhou Bichang (or "Bibi" as she is known to most of her fans) is probably the most talented and versatile actress, recording artist, musician that you have never heard of. Bibi arose from near obscurity in 2005 after entering a female-only Chinese version of Pop Idol called the "Super Girls" competition and only narrowly missed placing first despite being an almost total unknown. Since that time she has released a series of highly-successful studio recordings and began a several months-long concert tour "Sing Along the Travel" that kicked off in May 2010 in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou with the most recent performance in Shanghai in March 2011. In April she released a best-selling DVD of her July 2010 performance at Beijing's National Indoor Stadium.
Bibi's skills as a vocalist are often regarded as a once-in-a-generation talent that are to R&B and Mandarin popular music what Mozart was to the classical genre of his time. Her voice is one of the most powerful and yet controlled across the full spectrum of volume. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her performances and recordings.
During her recordings and performances she sings in Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese and English. She has also demonstrated considerable skills as an actress and an impersonator, as well as being a composer in her own right. Her most current CD is in production and is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2011.
Her following consists of a massive army of fans called "Biqin," who are as devoted to her as Beatlemania fans were to the Fab Four in their time. Her millions of fans not only have the deepest love and strongest appreciation for her talent and music, but also to her gentle and unassuming personality. Many of them are young women who look up to her example as maintaining an extremely humble and down-to-earth existence, and with not even a hint of the boyfriend and substance abuse scandals that are so common with American pop stars. If you look up the word "wholesome" in a Chinese dictionary you would probably see a picture of her.
She lives in Beijing, China, but travels frequently throughout China and Asia for what sometimes seems like an endless string of personal appearances. Her production company are now exploring options for her to star in more feature films. Do not be surprised if you soon see her name on a list of Hollywood film credits proceeded with the words "and introducing..."