DAVID TAO
- Simona
- Jun 13, 2023
- 3 min read
LIFE
David Tao (陶喆, Táo Zhé), was born Tao Xuzhong (陶緒忠), the 11th July 1969, in Hong Kong.
His father, Tao Dawei (David Tao Sr.) was an actor/singer/composer/TV Host and his mother, Wang Furong (Catherine), a Chinese opera singer. As the two didn't receive approval to marry, from her family, they left Hong Kong to live in Taiwan, and then moved to California, when the father decided to start working for Disney. Years later, they returned to Hong Kong, where the father started his career as singer, and they left David Tao jr in the USA to complete his studies there.
For this reason, David Tao jr, after spending his inital years in Hong Kong, then grew up in Taiwan, from kindergarten to the junior high school, and later in Arcadia, California, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Tao married Penny Chiang on August 31, 2014. In 2015 he admitted to cheat on his wife with artist manager Ada Yang Zi Qing. On February 14, 2019, Tao and Penny Chiang had their first son who is nicknamed "Bonbon".
CAREER
When he was offered a job by the Taiwanese producer Wang Chih-ping, he went back to Taiwan, writing, and later producing songs for many singers, until when he released his self-titled album David Tao in 1997.
DAVID TAO - 1997
This album set a record in Taiwan, as it was nominated for five awards—Best Newcomer, Best Singer, Best Producer, Best Song and Best Album: never happened before! He won two of the awards, namely Best Newcomer and Best Producer
I'M OK - 1999
This album became a new breaking seller, 2 years after David Tao exploded on the asian musical scene and disappeared. Tao was nominated for six GMA awards: Best Album, Best Producer, Best Singer, Best Video, Best Song and Best Song Arrangement. He only won the Best Producer Award, however he won Best Chinese Video at the 2000 MTV Music Awards for Rain.
BLACK TANGERINE - 2002
Black Tangerine won various awards in Asia but was, somehow, left out of the Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan.
THE GREAT LEAP - 2005
It earned four nominations at 17th Golden Melody Awards and won the "Best Album Award".
BEAUTIFUL - 2006
A successful album with three nominations in GMA: Best Song, Best Composer and Best Male Vocalist
Only winning Best Song with Marry Me Today.
OPUS 69 - 2009
A blend of R&B, Rock and Soft Ballads.
HELLO GOODBYE - 2013
David teamed up with Tanya Chua, Crowd Lu, Sharon Kwan, Waa and Ge Da Wei, Lin Xi, Huang Ting and Wu Hsiung.
Tao has held a series of successful concerts in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore.
SONGS NOT TO MISS
I love you - became one of Tao's signature tunes
Spring Wind - a new R&B version of a favorite old Taiwanese song, sang at a cappella fully by David Tao himself! This is, still today, widely regarded as one of the best a cappella songs in Chinese.
Rain - rock ballad
Black Tangerine - hard rock style
Moon Over My Heart - R&B version of The moon represents my heart (my beloved!)
My Anata, jap-rock style
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Katrina - fully in english
Dear God - written after his mother death at the 9.11
Melody - dedicated to his ex-girlfriend
Ghost (鬼) - 80's Disco, Linkin' Park Metal & Rap elements
Art of War (孫子兵法) - rock, metal and traditional chinese instruments melted together, this song was nominated for Best Arrangement in 2006's Taiwan 17th Golden Melody Awards
Marry Me Today - a duet song with Jolin Tsai
I'll be with you - sang by TENSION, Taiwanese boyband
STYLE
David Tao's signature style is a crossover genre of R&B and hard rock tunes, able to mix western influences with traditional instruments, music and songs.
Tao is also a prolific composer and songwriter and has written songs for fellow artists such as A-Mei and S.H.E, Tension...
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David Tao's collection album came to my hands very casually, back at those years when I was that college student, desperately looking for any good source of music and documents from the real China, while living and studying in Italy, in a time when internet existed but was not that huge point of reference that is today... boy, am I saying I might be slightly oldish?!
Nevertheless, I loved his songs' quality, understood that he was a multi-genre artist, also invested in social meaningful messages, thru his songs. Still today I can sing some of those, proudly.
I want to reply to those from Netizens that criticized his 52-year-old look. Are you literally kidding me?! David Tao is a highlander, never getting old! He looks always young, he sounds always young, new and fresh!
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