David Tao
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David Tao | |
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陶喆 | |
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| Education | University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles (BA) |
| OccupationTemplate:Pluralize from text | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1997–present |
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| SpouseTemplate:Pluralize from text | Penny ChiangTemplate:Pluralize from text |
| PartnerTemplate:Pluralize from text | Template:Pluralize from text |
| Father | Tao DaweiTemplate:Pluralize from text |
| Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.Musical career | |
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| Origin | Taiwan |
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David Tao (Chinese: 陶喆; pinyin: Táo Zhé; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tô Tiat, born 11 July 1969) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter. His signature style blends elements of R&B and rock.[citation needed] Tao's accolades include six Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan.
Biography
Tao was born on July 11, 1969, in Hong Kong, to parents who were entertainers in Taiwan. His father, Tao Dawei (David Tao Sr.) (September 28, 1942 – September 12, 2012),[1] was an actor, singer, composer and TV host, and his mother, Wang Furong (Catherine), is a Chinese opera singer.
Tao spent part of his childhood in Hong Kong. He was educated in Taiwan from kindergarten through junior high at the Bethany Campus of Morrison Academy in Taipei. His family relocated to Arcadia, California, while his father pursued a career with Disney.[citation needed] Tao attended Arcadia High School.[2]
Tao's parents later returned to Taiwan, where his father began his singing career, leaving him to complete his education in the United States. Left to fend for himself, Tao took on many jobs, including a stint as a civilian employee at the Los Angeles Police Department without the knowledge of his parents. He attended the University of California, Irvine first. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.[citation needed]
In July 2015, Tao held a press conference in Taipei addressing reports about his private life and acknowledged he had dated Chinese artist manager Yang Ziqing prior to his marriage, a story that received wide media coverage at the time.[3][4]
In 2024, Tao returned to large-scale concert touring with the “Soul Power II” tour, announcing and staging dates across Taiwan and the surrounding region, including shows in Taipei, Kaohsiung and Macau.[5][6]
Career
Whilst working as a salesman, Tao was offered a job by Taiwanese producer Wang Chih-ping and went back to Taiwan, initially writing, and later producing songs for many singers before releasing his self-titled album David Tao in 1997. He has since released four more albums, a live concert recording and a compilation of his best songs. Tao is a prolific composer and songwriter and has written songs for fellow artists such as A-Mei and S.H.E.
David Tao (1997)
In 1997, with the help of Wang and another Taiwanese producer, Jim Lee, Tao released his self-titled first album (David Tao), under an independent label called Shock Records, set up by Taiwanese pop singer Jin Ruei-yao and her husband. This album set a record in Taiwan during the 9th Golden Melody Awards as the first album from a new singer ever to be nominated for a total of five awards: Best Newcomer, Best Singer, Best Producer, Best Song and Best Album.
The song Airport 10.30 first caught people's attention, but it was the simply arranged, melodic I Love You that became one of Tao's signature tunes. The album also featured an a cappella track sung entirely by Tao, Spring Wind, which was a "modern" R&B version of Bāng Chhun-hong, a famous Taiwanese folk song.
Airport 10.30 was also nominated for the MTV Awards for Best Chinese Video in 1998 along with Coco Lee, who became the eventual winner.[citation needed]
Tao won two of the awards, namely Best Newcomer and Best Producer, becoming the first newcomer to also win the Best Producer award. Tao's first album was produced entirely at his home in Los Angeles. The album experimented in musical style and arrangement with its distinctly Western R&B sound.[citation needed]
Between David Tao and his next album, besides releasing a remixed Bastard Pop EP, he wrote and produced songs for various hit Taiwanese singers, notably a theme song which became one of Taiwanese boyband Tension's hit songs, I'll Be With You. Tao was not heard on the Mandarin-Pop scene for a long while as he quietly disappeared into obscurity.
I'm OK (1999)
In 1999, two years after his first album, Tao released his second album I'm OK. This sold 600,000 copies, yet various critics had claimed that the impact of I'm OK was not any stronger than his previous work in terms of style and arrangement.[citation needed]
Notable hits include:
- Rock ballad Rain, Angeline
- Country-flavored Small Town Girl
- R&B-influenced Just a Friend
- Leave, a soul number.
- Close to You, a love ballad.
- Tuberose, a catchy a cappella remake of a traditional Chinese song.
Tao was nominated for six GMA awards for I'm OK – Best Album, Best Producer, Best Singer, Best Video, Best Song and Best Song Arrangement. He only won the Best Producer Award on the GMA, but Rain later went on to win Best Chinese Video at the 2000 MTV Music Awards.
Black Tangerine (2002)
In 2002, Tao released "Black Tangerine". Some notable songs in this post-9/11 album, of which he derived much of his inspiration from:
- Black Tangerine, a hard-hitting rock song.
- Moon Over My Heart, an updated old Mandarin hit re-rendered in R&B style.
- My Anata, a Japanese-influenced rock number.
- Angel, a love ballad.
- 22, a catchy tune depicting the woes of a girl in crossroads.
- Butterfly, an under-rated song which he penned about his relationship with God.
- Katrina, a surprise demo he wrote and sang entirely in English.
- Dear God, a song he wrote for 911.
- Melody, a song for an important woman in his life.
What set Black Tangerine apart was the strong social commentary, including a track consisting of various actual Taiwanese news snippets of unrelated family tragedies and public incidents, placing the state of Taiwanese society in a somewhat negative point of view.[citation needed]
Dear God narrates a tragedy in which a mother of a 9/11 victim stares at her son's picture, expecting him to come back to life. Tao uses his song as weapon to bitterly criticize terrorists. This song expressed Tao's sentiment that love has been gradually neglected by society; today, people are concerned more and more about money and drama than love. Melody was written for his ex-girlfriend. Tao has described his feelings towards Melody through a monologue in his music video: "When you saw someone that gave you the same feeling of your first love in your sixteens, you gonna know that she is the right one". This song was one of two songs he actually admitted to be dedicated to his ex-girlfriends.
Black Tangerine won various awards in Asia but was incidentally overlooked for the Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan, for which the album was originally intended.[citation needed]
Tao has since held a series of concerts in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore in 2003, having already won many fans over with his signature simplistic style.
The Great Leap (2005)
In 2005, Tao released his fourth album, The Great Leap. It earned four nominations at 17th Golden Melody Awards and won the "Best Album Award".
Notable songs in the album include:
- Ghost (鬼), the first single of the album, showcasing an eclectic mix of 80's Disco synth with Linkin Park-esque Metal & Rap elements. The lyrical style, a continuation of the social commentary from the previous album, describes a person's fears among a mass media-driven society that is getting too close for comfort.
- Susan Said (Susan 說), a track that combines Beijing Opera's unique singing accent and instrumental arrangement with Tao's signature R&B style.
- Love Can (就是愛你), A sing-along ballad about love. A throwback to his signature tune, "I Love You" from his debut album.
- Who Do You Love (愛我還是他), The first ballad single off the album which had tremendous commercial appeal.
- Art of War (孫子兵法), a rock song nominated for Best Arrangement in 2006's Taiwan 17th Golden Melody Awards, featuring the "12 Girls Band" (女子十二樂坊). Tao and co-arranger Goh Kheng Long fused hard metal and traditional Chinese instruments into a song leaden with socially critical lyrics.
Beautiful (2006)
A fifth studio album by Tao was released on August 4, 2006. "Beautiful" was a successful album which had three nominations in GMA, being nominated with Best Song, Best Composer and Best Male Vocalist. Despite Tao being a GMA veteran, he never won Best vocalist, and this time this was also no exception with Tao only winning Best Song with his Marry Me Today. Among the more popular songs in the album are the title song Too beautiful, another old song restyled into Tao's signature arrangement, Can't Get You Outta My Mind, and a duet song with Jolin Tsai, Marry Me Today.[citation needed]
Opus 69 (2009)
Tao's sixth album, named after his birth year of 1969, was released on August 21, 2009. It marks the return of Tao, and he developed the album with a blend of R&B, rock and soft ballads.
Hello Goodbye (2013)
Hello Goodbye was released on June 11, 2013, four years after Opus 69.[7]
Personal life
Tao speaks in fluent Mandarin, English, and Cantonese.
Tao married Penny Chiang on August 31, 2014.[8] It was revealed in 2015 that Tao had engaged in an extramarital affair with artist manager Ada Yang Zi Qing, whom he had first met at a post-concert celebratory dinner in late 2010, which continued even after his 2014 marriage with Chiang.[9] When the website Quan Min Xing Tan published an interview with Yang which revealed their affair though WeChat chat screenshots in June 2015, Tao denied the cheating and threatened to file charges against Yang and the publishing website for the "malicious lies." However, Yang responded with a vow to release more evidence of her affair with Tao, and challenged him to file the charges, saying she too could afford to hire a lawyer.
On July 7, 2015, Tao held a 40-minute press conference with his agent and lawyer, where he admitted that he was cheating on his wife with Yang. "Penny, Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, please forgive me. Mum, I let you down. But thank you for not leaving me and for loving me... I made a mistake, I am very sorry and I’m very ashamed of what I did," Tao said, thanking his friends and fans for their continued support.[10]
On February 14, 2019, Tao and Penny Chiang had their first son, who is nicknamed "Bonbon".[citation needed]
Discography
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- David Tao (1997)
- I'm OK (1999)
- Black Tangerine (2002)
- The Great Leap (2005)
- Beautiful (2006)
- Opus 69 (2009)
- Hello Goodbye (2013)
- Stupid Pop Songs (2025)
Awards
| Year | Number | Award | Nomination | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9th | Best Mandarin Album | David Tao | Nominated | [11][12] |
| Best Male Mandarin Artist | David Tao for David Tao | Nominated | |||
| Best Album Producer | David Tao | Won | |||
| Best Composer | "沙灘" (Blue Moon) | Nominated | |||
| Best New Artist | David Tao for David Tao | Won | |||
| 2000 | 11th | Best Mandarin Album | I'm OK | Nominated | [13][14] |
| Best Male Mandarin Artist | David Tao for I'm OK | Nominated | |||
| Best Album Producer | I'm OK | Won | |||
| Best Composer | "找自己" (Rain) | Nominated | |||
| Best Arrangement | Nominated | ||||
| Best Music Video | Nominated | ||||
| 2003 | 14th | Best Male Mandarin Artist | David Tao for Black Tangerine | Nominated | |
| 2004 | 15th | Best Male Mandarin Artist | David Tao for Ultrasound 1997–2003 | Nominated | |
| 2006 | 17th | Best Mandarin Album | The Great Leap | Won | [15] |
| Best Song of the Year | "孫子兵法" (The Art of War) | Nominated | |||
| Best Male Mandarin Artist | David Tao for The Great Leap | Nominated | |||
| Best Album Producer | The Great Leap | Nominated | |||
| Best Arrangement | "孫子兵法" (The Art of War) | Nominated | |||
| Best Music Video | "鬼" (Ghost) | Nominated | |||
| 2007 | 18th | Best Song of the Year | "今天妳要嫁給我" (Marry Me Today) feat. Jolin Tsai from Beautiful | Won | [16][17] |
| Best Composer | David Tao for "今天妳要嫁給我" (Marry Me Today) from Beautiful | Nominated | |||
| Best Male Mandarin Artist | David Tao for Beautiful | Nominated | |||
| 2010 | 21st | David Tao for Opus 69 | Won | [18] |
| Year | Category | Nomination | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Best Producer | David Tao | Won | [19] |
| Best Composer | "似曾相識" (Finally) | Won | ||
| Best Loved by Audience | "今天妳要嫁給我" (Marry Me Today) | Won | ||
| Top 10 Songs of the Year | Won |
References
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- ^ David Tao Sr. died from cancer, David Jr.'s agent confirms (Chinese)
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Chi, Amelyn Rose (August 1, 2025). "David Tao Profile and Facts (Updated!)". Kpop Profiles. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Taiwan singer David Tao admits extramarital affair". The Straits Times. July 7, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Staff writer, with CNA (July 7, 2015). "Singer David Tao admits extramarital affair". Taipei Times. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.陶喆11/9台北開唱 「Soul Power 2」巡演啟動. Central News Agency via Yahoo Taiwan (in 中文). October 21, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.天王回歸！陶喆宣布「Soul Power II世界巡演」 首站台北小巨蛋. United Daily News (in 中文). August 28, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."YESASIA: Hello Goodbye CD - David Tao, Seed Music (TW) - Mandarin Music - Free Shipping - North America Site".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Mandopop's biggest stars attend David Tao's wedding banquet". AsiaOne. September 2, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.ETtoday新聞雲. "楊子晴調情音檔爆婚前出軌 陶喆聲明：老婆Penny知情 | ETtoday星光雲". ETtoday星光雲 (in 中文（臺灣）). Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.「我做錯了」 陶喆坦承出軌. NOWnews 今日新聞 (in 中文（臺灣）). Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ Template:In lang GIO, Taiwan 9th Golden Melody Awards nominees list Script error: No such module "webarchive". January 3, 1998. Retrieved March 6, 2011
- ^ Template:In lang GIO, Taiwan 9th Golden Melody Awards winners list Script error: No such module "webarchive". January 3, 1998. Retrieved March 6, 2011
- ^ Template:In lang GIO, Taiwan 11th Golden Melody Awards nominees list Script error: No such module "webarchive". April 27, 2004. Retrieved March 6, 2011
- ^ Template:In lang GIO, Taiwan 11th Golden Melody Awards winners list Script error: No such module "webarchive". April 27, 2004. Retrieved March 6, 2011
- ^ Template:In lang GIO, Taiwan 17th Golden Melody Awards winners list Script error: No such module "webarchive". Retrieved March 6, 2011
- ^ Template:In lang GIO, Taiwan 18th Golden Melody Awards nomination list Script error: No such module "webarchive". June 4, 2007. Retrieved April 24, 2011
- ^ Template:In lang GIO, Taiwan 18th Golden Melody Awards winners list Script error: No such module "webarchive". June 16, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2011
- ^ Winners of Taiwan’s 21st Golden Melody Awards Retrieved March 6, 2011
- ^ Template:In lang HITO Radio 2007 HITO Radio Music Awards winners list February 4, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2011
External links
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- Official website Template:In lang
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