Hello and welcome to Newsmakers. I’m your host Itamar Waksman. This week we’re going to take a look at the life of singer Miu Chu. On Monday Chu’s family announced that the artist had passed away from cancer at the age of 40.
Chu was born in 1981 in Taipei. From a young age she showed a special talent for music. At the age of four she began studying classical music. As a child, she also learned how to play the piano as well as perform various dance styles. Chu received a degree in information management before working various jobs prior to her big break.
That came in 2009, when she won the third season of the hit show “Super Idol.” Her performance of the song “I Surrender” received the highest score in the show’s history. After that, Chu was put on the map of Taiwan’s music scene. In 2010, she was named the singer with the most potential by Yahoo. Over the next few years she would go on to win or place in various competitions in Taiwan and China.
For some time, Chu’s music could be heard in all kinds of places. She had been known for her song "Ten Million Times Tears," the theme of Taiwanese pop idol television series "Love Around". Her other notable hit, the "Power Of Existence", was also used as the opening song for the 2012 South Korean drama series "Wild Romance”. Apart from her hit songs, she also released three albums.
In 2020, Chu revealed in an interview that she had been diagnosed with cancer. But she continued performing and creating music. Last year she performed at the Tainan Summer Music Festival.
The news of Chu’s death was met with mourning throughout Taiwan and various important figures expressed their sadness. Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che posted on Facebook, "Thank you Miu. There is no more pain in heaven. Wish you a good journey." Taiwanese TV host Li Jing said "My baby Miu, tears cannot stop coming down. You are a sunshine angel and we all love you."