Na Ying (born 27 November 1967) is a Chinese singer and musical judge. She is known for her prominent roles as a judge on Chinese TV singing shows such as The Voice of China.[1] She later transferred to the show Sing! China and remained there until 2017.

Na Ying
East Asian woman wearing blue jeans and a black top, standing on a podium, holding a trophy, with a smile on her face
Na Ying in 2002
Born (1967-11-27) 27 November 1967 (age 56)
Shenyang, Liaoning, China
OccupationSinger
Years active1988–present
Spouses
(m. 2004; div. 2005)
Meng Tong
(m. 2006)
Children2
AwardsGolden Melody AwardsBest Female Mandarin Artist
2001 Romantic Bitterness

MTV Asia AwardsFavourite Artist, Mainland China
2002

Chinese name
Chinese那英
Musical career
Also known asNatasha Na
OriginChina
GenresMandopop, Chinese Romantic Music

Biography edit

Debut edit

Na was born in Shenyang, Liaoning of ethnic Manchu parents.[citation needed] She became a member of the Liaoning Juvenile Broadcasting Chorus in 1979, and the Shenyang Singing and Dancing Troupe in 1983. In 1983, Na won the "Sunshine Ring" national singing contest and received vocal training from the famous composer Gu Jianfen (谷建芬).[2]

Na began her recording career in 1988 in Taiwan and Hong Kong. In 1991 she released her first album entitled "A single woman like me" (像我这样的单身女子), which had a very moderate reception. Two years later, in 1993, she released a new album called "I hope my dreams come true" (但愿好梦都成真) which was not very popular either.

Success edit

She released her first major album Dreaming With You, in 1994. Following the release of that album, she released several additional albums, becoming one of the most popular Mandarin-language artists of Mainland China.[citation needed]

At the 1998 Spring Festival Gala show hosted by CCTV, Na sang a duet "Meet in '98" (相約一九九八) with Faye Wong. Wong had already achieved fame in Hong Kong and elsewhere, but the performance with Na brought her to superstar status in China itself.

Na had a relationship with Chinese footballer Gao Feng and a son by him, they separated in 2005.[3] She married Meng Tong in 2006, and they had a daughter in 2007.

Although she devoted time to her family and children from 2002 to 2009, she never quit singing, and had a prominent role at the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.

At the close of 2009 she performed the concert "20 Years of Na", a retrospective of her stage career, at the Capital Gymnasium. Although her 2009 single "The Journey of Love" topped the charts wherever it was released, her early song "Follow Your Instinct" remains her favourite.

After a hiatus of nearly nine years, Na returned to the music scene in 2011, releasing a new album called So... What?. The album reached the number one position on both the mainland China and Taiwan album charts.[citation needed]

The Voice of China edit

In 2012, Na became a coach and judge on the first season of the popular television singing show The Voice of China, along with Yang Kun, Liu Huan and Yu Chengqing. She returned to the judges panel in 2013 for the second season of The Voice of China, along with Wang Feng, Zhang Hui-mei and Yu Chengqing. Na continued being a judge on the third and fourth season of that show with Wang Feng, Yang Kun, Jay Chou and Yu Chengqing.

In 2016, Na appeared on the first season of the show Sing! China, along with Wang Feng, Zhou Jielun, and Yu Chengqing. In 2017, she was also on the second season of the show along with fellow judges Zhou Jielun, Eason Chan, and Liu Huan.

On 11 October 2017, Na announced through a letter that she would be resigning as a coach from Sing! China.[4]

Other projects edit

In 2017, she released NASING, an EP featuring three songs that were used in film soundtracks.

In 2018, Na Ying and Faye Wong performed together on the CCTV new year's gala singing the song "Lunar year".

In early 2021, Na participated in a popular Chinese reality TV show called Sisters Who Make Waves.[5] After winning first place during the second season, she was invited back during the third season as one of the two group captains in Spring 2022.[6]

In 2023, Na Ying served as the resident singer in "The Everlasting Sound·Treasure Island Season", and a group of young singers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait participated in the form of "flight" to perform Taiwanese songs of different eras for the audience.[7]

Discography edit

The following are a selection of her albums released from 1991 to 2015.

Studio albums edit

  • 1991: 像我这样的单身女子 (A single woman like me)
  • 1993: 但愿好梦都成真 (I hope my dreams come true)
  • 1994: 為你朝思暮想 Wèi nǐ zhāo sī mù xiǎng (Dreaming with you)
  • 1995: 白天不懂夜的黑 Bái tiān bù dǒng yè de hēi (The day doesn't know the night)
  • 1998: 征服 Zhēng fú (Conquering)
  • 1999: 乾脆 Gān cuì (Totally)
  • 2000: 心酸的浪漫 Xīn suān de làng màn (Sad and romantic)
  • 2001: 我不是天使 Wǒ bù shì tiān shǐ (I'm not an angel)
  • 2002: 如今… Rújīn… (Nowadays)
  • 2011: 那又怎樣… Nà yòu zěn yàng… (So what?)
  • 2015: 默... Mò... (Sadness)
  • 2016: NASING (EP)[citation needed]

Compilations edit

  • 2001: Na Ying selected hits

Live albums edit

  • 2001: Na Ying live in concert

References edit

  1. ^ "Chinese living legend Na Ying talks about "The Voice of China" and the secrets of her success". hello asia!. 2016-03-26. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  2. ^ ""东北歌后"的彪悍情史!". 163.com. December 22, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  3. ^ 那英:走出离婚阴影和儿子一起快乐成长 (in Chinese)
  4. ^ hermes (2017-10-13). "Na Ying quits as Sing! China mentor". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  5. ^ hermes (2021-01-20). "Sisters Who Make Waves' new contestants unveiled". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  6. ^ Auto, Hermes (2022-05-19). "Chinese reality show Sisters Who Make Waves unveils third season line-up | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  7. ^ "两岸音乐人共话时代弦歌--台湾频道--人民网". tw.people.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

External links edit

Awards and achievements
Top Chinese Music Chart Awards
Preceded by
First Year Awarded
Favorite Female Artist, mainland China
2002
Succeeded by
Na Ying
Preceded by
Na Ying
Favorite Female Artist, mainland China
2003
Succeeded by
Na Ying
Preceded by Best Female Artist, mainland China
2003
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Na Ying
Favorite Female Artist, mainland China
2004
Succeeded by