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Tia Ray (simplified Chinese: 袁娅维; traditional Chinese: 袁婭維; pinyin: Yuán Yàwéi; born 12 December) is a Chinese singer-songwriter from Hunan, China. She rose to fame in 2012 as a contestant on the televised singing competition The Voice of China, where she finished as one of the final contenders. She has since released four commercially successful albums, all of which she co-wrote and co-produced.

Tia Ray
袁娅维
Tia Ray in 2020
Born	Yuan Yawei (1984-12-12) December 12, 1984 (age 37) Huaihua, Hunan, China
Occupation	Singer, songwriter
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	袁婭維
Simplified Chinese	袁娅维
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yuán Yàwéi
Musical career
Genres	C-pop, R&B, Neo Soul
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, piano
Labels	Warner Music China
Musical artist

Prior to breaking into the mainstream, Ray has spent close to a decade performing in smaller venues, music festivals and collaborating with musicians in Beijing, where she pursued her studies of performing arts. In 2010, she formed her jazz band The Knutz with Chinese and African American musicians, with whom she wrote, recorded and performed mainly R&B and neo soul music.

Ray had her international breakthrough in 2018 with the hit “Be Apart”, which generated 1.8 billion streams and was the seventh bestselling single in the world that year.[1] She has since collaborated with various artists from the United States, including Kehlani,[2] Jason Derulo,[3] Gallant[4] and Far East Movement,[5] blending Chinese elements with traditionally Western music styles. Domestically, she has worked with singer-rapper Jackson Wang[6] from the K-pop group GOT7 and Masiwei from Chengdu rap group Higher Brothers.[7]

Ray's popularity in Taiwan and Chinese-speaking communities has grown over the years. In 2021, she released her fourth studio album “ONCE UPON A MOON” and received the “Most Popular Female Singer of the Year” award from state-broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).

Life and career

Ray was born and raised in the town of Huai Hua, in the southwest province of Hunan. Ray's interest in music began at a young age, after being introduced by her friend to American singer Mariah Carey. In Grade 7, she won her first award in singing at a school competition. A few years later, she left her hometown for Beijing in pursuit of performing arts studies.

2000 - 2010: Career Beginnings

Inspired by neo soul artists like India Arie, Stevie Wonder, Eryka Badu and Jill Scott, Ray formed her first band Soulside with fellow young musicians in Beijing. Soulside focused on R&B and soul music, which were niche genres in the local live music scene, occupied largely by old-school rock and jazz musicians. The band gained a following through live-house and festival performances.

In 2010, Ray started her second band The Knutz. They continued to play at emerging venues and record original music.

2012 - 2014: The Voice of China; release of debut album T.I.A.

Ray's mainstream breakthrough came in 2012, when she joined the televised singing competition The Voice of China. Her blues-infused rendition of the Chinese folk classic "The Curvy Moon" (弯弯的月亮) received critical acclaim from the judges. She signed with Gold Typhoon Group, one of China's largest independent music companies before being acquired by Warner Music Group in 2014, and released her debut album T.I.A., writing or co-writing all songs, including the hits "Lost In Traveling" and "Love Can Fly".

2017 - 2018: Breakthrough hit; TIARA

In 2017, Ray recorded "Be Apart" for the soundtrack of the movie The Ex-File: The Return of the Exes, which became her biggest hit and the seventh highest-selling song on IFPI's Global Singles chart. The following year, she released her sophomore album TIARA and kicked off her first solo concert tour. She collaborated with R&B singer Kehlani on "Just My Luck”, Jackson Wang on "Lucky Rain" and Will Pan on his single “Moonlight”.

2019: International collaborations; 1212

In 2019, Ray released an EP titled 1212, written, produced and recorded mainly in Los Angeles, where she worked with local musicians including The Rascals, frequent collaborator of Ariana Grande, Kehlani and Babyface, whom she met in one of the studio sessions.

During her stay in the city, she also collaborated with hip-hop group Far East Movement on "Paint the Clouds", Gallant on "Trust Myself," and Jason Derulo on "Champion", the theme song of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

2020 - Present: Beijing Winter Olympics theme song; release of ONCE UPON A MOON

In 2020, Ray released “Starfall” featuring electronic group HOYO-MiX, the theme song of Chinese video game Honkai Impact 3rd.

She recorded the original version of the Beijing Winter Olympics theme song "Together for a Shared Future" with Hong Kong singer William Chan, which developed into a final version featuring over 200 artists.[8]

In 2021, she released her fourth studio album ONCE UPON A MOON, spanning the singles "I'M NOT GOOD", "EMO WHISKEY" and "LITTLE TOO MUCH". She also recorded an hour-long performance of new and old tracks, released together with the album.

Musical style

Ray's music is heavily influenced by urban and African American genres like R&B, Soul and Jazz. She believes in the ability of music to transcend race.[9] Critics and peers, including singer Hua Chenyu have described her as an "innovator" injecting new elements into the Chinese music industry.

Discography

Studio albums

• T.I.A. (2014)
• TIARA (2018)
• 1212 (2019)
• ONCE UPON A MOON (2021)

Lead Singles

• "You Know I Love You" (2004)
• "Because of Love" (2004)
• "Stage Sisters" (2008)
• "Love Passes Love" (2008)
• "Tacit Understanding of Love" (2008)
• "Sweet Things" (2009)
• "Blossom" (2015)
• "Uncle Long Legs" (2016)
• "Love Herby" (2016)
• "Be Apart" (2018)
• "Starfall" (2020)
• "I'M NOT GOOD (2021)
• “TIVA000” (2021)

Collaborations

• "Just My Luck" (featuring Kehlani) (2018)
• "Lucky Rain" (featuring Jackson Wang) (2018)
• "Moonlight" (Will Pan featuring Tia Ray) (2018)
• "Paint the Clouds" (Far East Movement featuring Tia Ray) (2019)
• "Trust Myself" (featuring Gallant) (2019)
• "Complicated" (featuring Victor Ma) (2019)
• "Champion" (Jason Derulo featuring Tia Ray) (2019)
• "Be The Legend" (featuring Rtruenahmean) (2020)
• "Together for a Shared Future" (with William Chan) (2021)
• "DANCE TO THE MOONLIGHT" (featuring Nigel Tay) (2021)
• "Slow Ride" (with Matt Lv) (2022)
• "Like Me" (Masiwei featuring Tia Ray) (2022)
• "It Isn't Me" (with 22Bullets and Kshmr) (2022)

Achievements

MUSIC AWARDS

Year	Name of Award	Organizer
2021	Ranked #1 Song 《Little Too Much》	TME Wave Chart	WON
2021	The Most Popular Female Singer	CCTV Global Chinese Music Top 10 Awards	WON
2020	Top 10 Golden Song for song 《不亏不欠》	27th Chinese Top Ten Music Awards (东方风云榜)	WON
2020	Most Popular Female Singer	27th Chinese Top Ten Music Awards (东方风云榜)	WON
2019	Female Singer of the Year	2019 Chinese Songs and Music Festival	WON
2018	Most Popular Female Singer	12th Migu Music Awards	WON
2018	Top 10 Songs of the Year for song 《说散就散》	12th Migu Music Awards	WON
2018	Female Singer of the Year Recommended by all Media	Beijing Pop Music Awards	WON
2017	Media Recommended Song Award 《流花 Love Herby》	21st China Music Awards	WON
2017	Singer Composer Award	17th Annual Music Awards	WON
2015	Outstanding Young Singer Award for album T.I.A	CNTV Chinese Music Awards	WON
2015	The Best Performance Award for album T.I.A	CNTV Chinese Music Awards	WON
2015	Jury Recommendation Award for album T.I.A	16th Chinese Music Awards	Nominated
2015	Best Soul/R&B Album of the Year for album T.I.A	Chinese Jazz General	WON
2012	Hottest Musician Award	BQ Weekly Awards	WON

I Am a Singer performances

Singer 2017

Ray first appeared in the I Am a Singer series as one of eight "Initial singers" for the season. After Ray narrowly avoid elimination for the first two shows (on the first week however, she was declared safe due to a contestant's withdrawal from the competition), she was eliminated on the third week. Ray later advanced to the semi-finals after reinstating her in the Breakout rounds, and finished in seventh place.

Singer 2017 Performance List for Tia Ray
Episode	Round	Broadcast Date	Song Title	Original Singer	Song Introduction	Ranking	Percentages of Votes	Remarks
1	1st Qualifying Round	January 21, 2017	"阿楚姑娘" (Mandarin)	Frankie Liang	Lyrics: Meng Ye Composer: Frankie Liang Arranger: Zhao Zhao	7	3.74%	Singer voting in third place
2	1st Knockout Round	January 28, 2017	"Love On Top" (English)	Beyoncé	Lyrics／Composer: Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Youngdell Nash, Shea Taylor Arranger: Ni Ke	6	9.24%	Singer voting in second place Overall ranking is sixth (6.49% of votes)
3	1st Challenge Round	February 4, 2017	"蒙娜丽莎的眼泪" (Mandarin)	Terry Lin	Lyrics／Composer: Zheng Huajuan Arranger: Kubert Leung	8	8.50%	Eliminated (finished last)
4	2nd Knockout Round	February 11, 2017	"Golden" (English)	Jill Scott	Lyrics: Jill Scott Composer: Anthony Bell Arranger: Fergus Chow	Non-ranked performance (Return Performance)
11	Breakout Round	April 1, 2017	"开往春天的地铁" (Mandarin)	Yu Quan	Lyrics: Wu Xiangfei Composer: Zhang Yadong Arranger: Michael Ning, Phil Wen	6	8.22%	Breakout Success
			"Kiss from a Rose" (English)	Seal	Lyrics／Composer: Seal Arranger: Michael Ning, Phil Wen
12	Semi-Finals	April 8, 2017	"Sex Machine" (English)	James Brown	Lyrics／Composer: James Brown, Bobby Byrd, Ron Lenhoff Arranger: Nick Pyo	7	8.84%	Advanced
			"爱是怀疑" (Mandarin)	Eason Chan	Lyrics／Composer: Hanjin Tan Arranger: Nick Pyo
13	Finals	April 15, 2017	"奋不顾身" (Mandarin)	Liu Huan, Summer	Lyrics／Composer: Liu Huan Arranger: Zhao Zhao, Meng Ke	8	6.39%	Overall ranking is seventh (7.61% of votes) Assisted by guest singer Liu Huan
			"凤凰于飞" (Mandarin)	Liu Huan	Lyrics／Composer: Liu Huan Arranger: Zhao Zhao, Meng Ke
14	2017 Biennial Concert	April 22, 2017	"Misty" (English)	Johnny Mathis	Lyrics: Johnny Burke Composer: Erroll Garner Arranger: Chang Shilei	Non-ranked performance Assisted by guest singer Chang Shilei
			"来日方长" (Mandarin)	Isabelle Huang, Joker Xue	Lyrics: Chang Shilei Composer: Tia Ray, Chang Shilei Arranger: Chang Shilei

Singer 2018

Ray was invited as one of the four guest singers from the 2017 season during the season's biennial concert along with a guest Victor Ma. That season was currently the latest season to feature a concert airing after the finals held a week prior. The 2018 season also featured runner-up Hua Chenyu, who would also later compete along with Ray and two other singers two years later, and Hua gone on to win the season.[10]

Singer 2019 Performance List for Tia Ray
Episode	Round	Broadcast Date	Song Title	Original Singer	Song Introduction	Ranking	Percentages of Votes	Remarks
14	2018 Biennial Concert	April 20, 2018	"下个，路口，见"	Li Yuchun	Lyrics/Composer: Li Yuchun Arrangement: Chen Hanwen Chang Shilei	Non-ranked performance (as Guest Performer)

Singer 2019

Ray was again invited as a guest singer on the seventh season to accompany with Liu Huan (the eventual winner for that season) once more during the semi-finals.

Singer 2019 Performance List for Tia Ray
Episode	Round	Broadcast Date	Song Title	Original Singer	Song Introduction	Ranking	Percentages of Votes	Remarks
13	Semi-Finals	April 5, 2019	"City of Stars"(English)	Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone	Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul Composer: Justin Hurwitz	Non-ranked performance (as Guest Performer)

Singer 2020

Ray later returned for her second season in 2020, entitled Year of the Hits, as one of the four returning singers from seasons four to six (including Lala Hsu, Jam Hsiao and season's winner Hua Chenyu). Ray was again eliminated after week eight (and unlike previous seasons, Ray was not entitled to Returning Performances the following week due to safety concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak at the time), but she was reinstated upon her success in the Breakouts and went on to clinch as the season's runner-up, making her the best-performing previously eliminated singer in the series.[11][12]

Singer 2020 Performance List for Tia Ray
Episode	Round	Broadcast Date	Song Title	Original Singer	Song Introduction	Ranking	Percentages of Votes	Remarks
1	1st Qualifier Round	February 7, 2020	"我爱"	Tia Ray	Lyrics: Malay, Trey Cambell, Tia Ray, Li Cong Composer: Malay, Trey Cambell, Tia Ray Arranged: Michael Ning, Julian Waterfall Pollack	6	6.55%	Won "Surprise Challenge" against Jeryl Lee (247-232)
2	1st Knockout Round	February 14, 2020	"不亏不欠"	Tia Ray	Lyrics: Cheung Cho Kiu Composer: Khris Riddick-Tynes, Leon Thomas III, Debbie Aramide Arranged: Huang Yun Xun, Zhang Yiyu	3	14.36%	Overall placement is sixth (10.455% of votes)
3	2nd Qualifier Round	February 21, 2020	"有一种悲伤"	A-Lin	Lyrics: Gavin Lin Composer: Alex Chang Jien	5	10.67%
4	2nd Knockout Round	February 28, 2020	"Love Can Fly"	Tia Ray	Lyrics: Tia Ray Composer: Chang Shilei	4	15.92%	Overall placement is fifth (13.295% of votes)
5	3rd Qualifier Round	March 6, 2020	"凄美地"	Guo Ding	Lyrics/Composer: Guo Ding	4	15.15%	Lost "Surprise Challenge" against Jike Junyi (212-274)
6	3rd Knockout Round	March 13, 2020	"月牙湾"	F.I.R.	Lyrics: Kevin Yi, Xie Youhui Composer: Real Huang	2	17.13%	Overall placement is third (16.145% of votes)
7	4th Qualifier Round	March 20, 2020	"存·不存在"	Tia Ray	Lyrics: Yu Hong Long, Ape Kao Composer: Yu Hong Long	5	14.23%
8	4th Knockout Round	March 27, 2020	"我想"	Yu Jiayun	Lyrics/Composer: Yu Jiayun	7	7.78%	Eliminated/Overall placement is seventh (11.005% of votes)
			"I Love You 3000 II"	Jackson Wang	Lyrics/Composer: Jackson Wang, Stephanie Poetri
11	Breakout Round	April 17, 2020	"盛夏光年"	Mayday	Lyrics/Composer: Ashin	1	38.04%	Breakout Success Won Duel against Super-Vocal (328-157)
12	Grand Finals	April 24, 2020	"2020 So Crazy" medley			2	N/A	Round 1 performance - Guest singer is Victor Ma Won Duel against Misia (312-173)
			"So Crazy"	Coco Lee	Lyrics: Hanjin Tan, Coco Lee Composer: Coco Lee
			"Lover Boy 88"	Higher Brothers Phum Viphurit	Lyrics: Higher Brothers Composer: Higher Brothers, Phum Viphurit
			"Young Prince"	Victor Ma Rainbow	Lyrics/Composer: Victor Ma
			"Starfall"	Tia Ray	Lyrics: TetraCalyx Composer: Zoe Tsai		30.68%	Round 2 performance

References

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