Liang Yanling
Annie Leung Yan‑ling (born 6 August 1964) is a Beijing‑born Hong Kong singer and actress, former chair of Fitto Records, known as the “Karaoke Queen.” She is best known for Mandarin pop songs. She has since retired from the entertainment industry. Her given name “Yan‑ling,” chosen by her father, signifies ambition and outstanding future development.
Early life
Annie Leung was born in Beijing and has an older brother and younger brother[1]. Her father was a Vietnamese Chinese choreographer and her mother a dance performer and teacher. Because her father was classified among the “Five Black Categories,” she was sent with family to live in Guizhou and other rural towns. She studied in local primary and secondary schools, joined the school dance troupe and promoted performing arts in villages. She was selected for the Shanghai Ballet Company but could not join due to her family background. After her family was rehabilitated, she returned to Beijing and completed secondary school, then enrolled in the Opera Department at Beijing Social Music Academy for one year before dropping out. She also studied martial arts at a Beijing amateur school for two years. In 1983 she moved with her family to Hong Kong to reunite with relatives and lived in Quarry Bay. She worked as a QC inspector in an electronics factory for two years, as a waitress and dishwasher in a Vietnamese restaurant, and as a sewing worker in a garment workshop, assembling button batteries and other factory jobs.
Career
In 1985 she auditioned for the TVB New Talent Singing Awards with Su Rui’s songs “The Feeling of Heartache” and “When Will You Sell the Wine You Drink?” and reached the finals but did not win[2]. She planned to enter the Miss Hong Kong pageant but was ineligible, so instead joined the first Miss Asia pageant[3]. She then signed with ATV, acted in dramas and performed on variety shows, singing theme songs such as for “Sai Jin Fa” and hosting “Asia Morning.” She also worked as a public relations manager for a band at the North Sea Village in Tsim Sha Tsui.
After her ATV contract ended, she invested HK$1 million with others in 1986 to found Fitto Entertainment, producing karaoke music videos. In 1991 she launched her singing career with Fitto Records, becoming its boss and a Fitto Records artist due to lack of suitable talent and licensing issues. Her debut single “Like Mist, Like Rain, Like Wind” became a hit and her first album went double platinum. From 1991 to 1994 she released eight albums and in 1993 represented Hong Kong at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. She also co‑invested in KTV lounges in Hainan, acted as production coordinator, and provided ghost vocals for karaoke tracks. She invested in a furniture factory but suffered losses[4].
In 1995 she became Fitto Records chair but retired early in 1996 due to rampant piracy. She continued performing in Mainland China, opened a bridal photography studio in Yantai, but closed it due to poor sales. After marrying in 1995 she moved abroad, earned international beauty therapist and diving licenses, worked in beauty salons and from 2000 became an insurance broker, gaining relevant qualifications in 2001[5]. She now lives in Beijing, Hong Kong and Guangzhou and continues in insurance sales. She occasionally returned to music: signed with a Guangzhou management company in 2004, released the Mandarin album “Hidden Heart” in 2005, and appeared as a guest at concerts by Chen Haode (2009), Sandy Lam (2012) and held a solo concert in Hong Kong in 2017[6].
Personal life
Annie Leung is married to a medical doctor whom she reconnected with at a 1993 class reunion and married in 1995. They have no children[1].
Film and television
ATV Dramas
- 1986: “Yan Zhi Lei” as Lui Lai‑ping
- 1986: “Ah Sui Mister”
- 1986: “Qin Shi Huang” as the restaurant owner’s daughter
- 1987: “Hong Kong Love Story” as Yu Suk‑mei
- 1987: “Thirteen Qing Dynasties: Kangxi” as Lu Zi‑ying
Film
- 1986: “Sister Collision” as Annie Leung
Variety shows
- 1992: “Loop Bubble” (CTS)
- 1993: “Brothers of the Dragon and Tiger” (TTV)
- 1993: “Diamond Stage” (CTS)
- 1993: “Golden Melody Rankings” (CTS)
- 2017: “Classic Pop 50 Years” (TVB)
- 2017: “TVB Entertainment News” (TVB)[7]
Discography
Studio albums
(See detailed track listings in original release histories)
Chart achievements (Hong Kong)
Most of her early singles charted on TVB but did not top radio charts except “Not Should Love,” which reached number 1 on TVB in 1993.
Hosting =
- 1986: Asia Morning (ATV)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “Annie Leung regrets having no children: used to independent life,” On.cc, 8 April 2017.
- ↑ “Rumours of marriage and daughter denied by Annie Leung,” Wah Kiu Yat Po, 20 July 1985.
- ↑ “Controversy over Annie Leung’s marital status,” Wah Kiu Yat Po, 24 July 1985.
- ↑ “Annie Leung’s rise and retreat,” Epoch Times, 26 January 2006.
- ↑ “Annie Leung as insurance broker,” Apple Daily, 8 April 2017.
- ↑ “Annie Leung’s comeback concert,” Ming Pao, 9 May 2017.
- ↑ “Annie Leung never won awards,” Sing Pao, 22 April 2017.