Lo Ta-yu
Taiwan singer-songwriter, music producer and physician. In 1982 Lo Ta-yu released a first Mandarin songwriting album, "之乎者也", later founded the production company 音樂工廠, and in 2021 received the Special Contribution Award at the 32nd Golden Melody Awards.
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About the artist
Lo Ta-yu is a Taiwan singer-songwriter, arranger, music producer, writer and physician, born July 20, 1954 in Taipei, from an upper-class family. The English name is also written Luo Dayou or Law Tai-yau.
Lo Ta-yu entered the music scene in 1976. In 1977 Lo Ta-yu wrote part of the score for the film "閃亮的日子" and wrote songs for collaborator 張艾嘉 (Sylvia Chang)'s album "童年". The English Wikipedia records that year as the debut year.
On April 21, 1982, a first Mandarin songwriting album, Pedantry ("之乎者也"), was released in Taiwan. The Chinese Wikipedia records that as soon as the disc came out it shook Chinese-language pop and Taiwan society, which still had publication censorship; that the lyric of "鹿港小鎮" looks at the sharp social change after Taiwan's economic takeoff and drew attention from all sides, some people saying that the critical current it set off among young intellectuals was like a "black whirlwind"; and that the album title is made entirely of classical empty words, the same disc also including "戀曲1980" and "童年".
In 1984 the third Mandarin songwriting album, "家", came out. In 1985 a first live album, "青春舞曲 演唱會實況精華", was released. After writing "明天會更好" together with 張艾嘉, 李壽全 and others, Lo Ta-yu left Taiwan and practiced medicine in the United States for two years.
After a year in New York, Lo Ta-yu moved to Hong Kong in 1986, shifted the center of the work there, and founded the production company "音樂工廠", influencing and working with Hong Kong musicians including 林夕, Anita Mui and James Wong Jim. One place in the Chinese Wikipedia dates the move to Hong Kong after the "亞洲最傑出藝人獎" in 1987.
In 1988 "愛人同志" came out. The Chinese Wikipedia records that its combined Hong Kong and Taiwan sales were 530,000 copies, making it Lo Ta-yu's most successful album commercially; that "戀曲1990" on it is the best-known song in the love-song series, with lasting words and a long melody, one of the most classic love songs in Chinese pop; and that "戀曲1990" was written six years after "戀曲1980", while the title song on the same disc turns a political slogan into a love song.
In 1992 a first solo Cantonese album, "首都", was released. In 1996 a second album, "寶島咸酸甜", was released with "OK男女合唱團". A fifth Mandarin songwriting album, "戀曲2000", was also released. On May 25, 2008 a concert was held at the San Jose State University Event Center. In September 2010 Lo Ta-yu married 李伊琳 in Bali.
In 2013 Lo Ta-yu took part in Hunan Television's music talent show "中國最强音" as a mentor. In 2014 Lo Ta-yu composed and sang the theme "只得一生" for the film "黃金時代", with lyrics by 林夕. In 2015 Lo Ta-yu composed and sang the theme "穿越漩渦" for the film "太平輪", again with lyrics by 林夕. In 2017 a seventh Mandarin songwriting album, "家III", was released, a return after thirteen years away.
In 2019 Lo Ta-yu wrote the end-credit song "叮嚀" for the mainland Chinese drama "都挺好", sung by 毛不易. On May 2 the Fairbank Center at Harvard held a forum, "華語流行音樂四十年", and invited Lo Ta-yu and three others to speak as representatives of different eras. In 2021 "之乎者也", written in 1982, became the opening theme of the drama "天橋上的魔術師". On August 21 Lo Ta-yu received the Special Contribution Award at the 32nd Golden Melody Awards.
In June 2025 the album "季春四望夜雨愁" was released. The lyric of "望青春風" rewrites "望春風" by 鄧雨賢, and Lo Ta-yu sang it with 黃韻玲. On August 15 and 16, 2026, "所以明天會更好", Lo Ta-yu's Spring Dragon symphonic banquet, was held at the Taipei Music Center.
Coolloud calls Lo Ta-yu the "godfather of Chinese-language pop", writing that in a high-pressure, depressed time Lo Ta-yu used music to mock and protest, and in a free but uneasy time used song to comfort and heal.
Overview
- Born
- July 20, 1954age 72
- Born in
- Taipei · Taiwan
- Career start
- First album · 1982
- Active
- 1982 – present44 years
- Gender
- Male
- Aliases
- 罗大佑, 音乐教父, Lo Ta-You
- Instruments
- Vocals, Piano / Keyboard, Guitar
Catalogued works & releases
No catalogued works yet.
