Bobby Chen
Taiwanese male singer-songwriter and music producer, born in Xizhou Township, Changhua County, on October 29, 1958; he began working in behind-the-scenes production in 1982 and released his first solo album, "擁擠的樂園," in 1988.
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About the artist
Bobby Chen, whose birth name is 陳志昇, was born in Xizhou Township, Changhua County, on October 29, 1958, and is a Taiwanese male singer-songwriter and music producer. After graduating from the automotive repair program at National Changhua Senior Industrial Vocational High School, Chen went to Taipei and, before his debut, worked in elevator maintenance, auto repair, graphic design, at a lounge bar, in photo processing, and in record sales. During military service, he signed up for a detail after mishearing "musical instruments" as "paint," unexpectedly joining the Air Force band. The band required him to learn several instruments within six months; he ultimately played trombone in the band for three years.
After leaving the military, Bobby Chen first worked at a friend's advertising company and applied unsuccessfully to record companies three times; he later applied under the name "Bobby Chen" and joined 綜一唱片. Chen recalled working at a record company for four or five years after military service to make a living and learning a great deal about the record industry there.
Beginning in 1982, Bobby Chen worked as an assistant to 劉家昌 and later produced records for 齊秦, 馬尚仁, and 楊林. After 麗風錄音室 owner 徐崇憲 introduced him to Rock Records, Chen released his first solo album, "擁擠的樂園," in 1988. During his time at Rock Records, he encountered musicians including Lo Ta-yu, Jonathan Lee, and 張艾嘉.
Bobby Chen also produced records or served as producer for singers including 齊秦, 楊林, Michelle Pan, 林強, 陳淑樺, 金城武, 黃鶯鶯, Rene Liu, 葉璦菱, Richie Jen, and 馬尚仁, and wrote songs for numerous singers. Beyond record writing and production, he wrote magazine columns, published personal essays, novels, and music books, directed music videos, and took part in endorsements for environmental and ecological causes. Chen also won the Best Composer Award for "歡聚歌."
Since 1992, Bobby Chen has written and performed with 黃連煜 as the duo New Formosa Band, using Taiwanese and Hakka in their work. When the two were advised to debut as a group, the proposed name was initially "寶島康樂隊"; 詹宏志 later suggested adding the character "新" to the front. When the band released its fourth album, Pingtung native 阿VON陳世隆 joined. 黃連煜 left in mid-1997 because of differing views with Chen on their creative direction and returned to the group in mid-2011.
The "上山下海" series and large outdoor concerts were held in Jiufen, Zhouzi Bay in Tamsui, Wuling at an elevation above 3,000 meters, Penghu, Green Island, and other locations. Bobby Chen's New Year's Eve concert series is held annually in Taipei. Beginning in 2009, Chen formed "三個好男人" with 張宇 and Huang Pin-yuan and held concerts around the world.
In 2014, Bobby Chen released the album "延安的秋天." Discussing the title of the "我不是搖滾歌手" concert, Chen said that creativity should not be constrained by frameworks but should change with time and move toward a freer musical path. His "我不是摇滚歌手2025" concert was scheduled for the evening of September 20, 2025, at the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore.
Overview
- Born
- October 29, 1958age 67
- Born in
- Taiwan
- Career start
- Entered from another field · 1982
- Active
- 1982 – present44 years
- Gender
- Male
- Aliases
- Bobby Chan, Sheng Chen, 陈升
- Instruments
- Vocals
Catalogued works & releases
No catalogued works yet.
