Jane Zhang

Jane Zhang (born October 11, 1984 ) is a Chinese singer-songwriter.

She is known for her signature whistle register and has been dubbed the "Dolphin Princess" (海豚公主).

Zhang began performing as a teenager by singing in pubs to help earn money for her family.

Zhāng Liàngyǐng, known popularly as Jane Zhang, was born in Chengdu, Sichuan, on October 11, 1984.

She took the English name "Jane" when she was at school, stating in an interview that she had "always liked the novel Jane Eyre" and paid homage to the novel in an EP.

Her father, Zhang Huaqing (张华清), was a long-distance truck driver whose work frequently took him away from home; her mother, Zhang Guiying (张桂英), was a department-store assistant during that time.

Zhang entered Sichuan University Foreign Language College for undergraduate studies in 2003.

In July 2004, Zhang won the "Chinese College Student Singer Competition", organized by Warner Music.

After signing with Huayi Brothers Media Corporation in 2005, Zhang released her first studio album, The One (2006).

She began her singing career by winning third place at the Chinese singing contest, Super Girl, in 2005, and signed with Huayi Music the following year.

Her 2006 debut studio album, The One, sold more than a million albums in China.

She has been included in the annual Forbes China celebrity lists from 2006 to 2013.

Her second album, Update, was released in 2007.

Zhang's second studio album, Update, was released in 2007.

Promoted by the success of her pop single "We said", Update became one of the best-selling albums of 2007 in China.

Zhang noted in an interview that "her parents divorced early [though she] did not realize the secret until years later".

At the age of 15, Zhang's father died and "her mother was laid off from her job", so Zhang sang at a public bar to help support the family, adding to the 100 yuan per month she received from her late father's family.

She told an interviewer in 2007 that she "lived in a bar for 6 years".

In 2008 she released a song with Andrea Bocelli—"One World, One Dream", which was used for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Zhang's third studio album, Jane@Music, was released in 2009.

After signing with Universal Music Group in 2009, Zhang released her fourth studio album, Believe in Jane (2010), which included the successful single "If This Is Love".

Her fourth studio album, Believe in Jane, was released in 2010.

In 2011, Zhang released her fifth studio album, Reform, which was certified double platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

Her fifth studio album, Reform (2011), sold 80,000 copies within a month in China and was certified double platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

Her live album, Listen To Jane Z Live, was released in 2012 and achieved No. 1 in the Chinese music charts.

In 2014 she signed with Sony Music Entertainment and released her sixth studio album, The Seventh Sense (2014), which incorporated songs from R&B and pop genres.

In 2014, Zhang was a jury member at the 38th Montreal World Film Festival.

Zhang's English-language song "Dust My Shoulders Off" was released in 2016 and became the background music for Hulu in the US.

In 2016, Chengdu government documents announced her annual output value of 1.1 billion yuan.

Jane performed in the 2017 Victoria's Secret Show and was featured in the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Her single "Dust my shoulders off" topped iTunes 4th and 1st in music video.

She was invited and attended the Grammy twice.

She was the judge for the Montreal international film festival.

She has 40 million followers on China twitter Weibo and won 7 times of China best female artist.

In November 2017, she was invited to perform at a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

She was the first Asian singer to perform songs that placed her in the top ten on the iTunes Instant List.

In 2018, the World Tour Concert of "Jane's Secret" was held; the show ranked 45th in the US in single-event mobilization.

Zhang released her first English-language studio album Past Progressive in 2019.

In 2019 she released her first full English-language album Past Progressive simultaneously around the world.

Zhang has received many awards, including nine Beijing Pop Music Awards for Best Female Singer, two China Gold Record Awards, and an MTV Europe Music Award.