Tan Boon Wah
Tan Boon Wah (born 21 October 1975; simplified Chinese: 陈文华; traditional Chinese: 陳文華; pinyin: Chén Wénhuá) is a Singaporean songwriter. He is also a practicing real estate lawyer.
Early life and education
[edit]Tan Boon Wah studied at The Chinese High School between 1988 and 1991 for his secondary school education, and subsequently at Hwa Chong Junior College between 1992 and 1993 for his pre-university education.[1][2] He studied law in National University of Singapore, and was called to the bar in 2001.[3]
Career
[edit]Legal career
[edit]Since graduating from NUS, Tan Boon Wah has been working at Allen & Gledhill, a Singapore law firm, and is a real estate lawyer and a partner at the firm.[3][4][5]
Songwriting
[edit]Tan started writing songs during his undergraduate days, with his first song Don't Wish To Let You Know (不想讓你知道) sang by Where Chou in 1999.[6] The song was also Chou's debut song. Its EP was 50,000 copies when it was released.[7][8] The song was shortlisted by China Music Awards as one of the top performing songs in 1999.[9][10] Over the years, he cooperated with singers like Stefanie Sun, Stella Chang, A-Mei, Elva Hsiao, Andy Lau, and Tiger Huang. The songs he’s written included Tanya Chua’s Starting Point (原點), Stefanie Sun’s Love Dictionary (愛情字典), Jolin Tsai’s The Choice I Want (我要的選擇), and A-Mei’s A Brighter Future (海闊天空).[11]
Tan took a break from songwriting to concentrate on his legal career in 2005, before resuming songwriting after his career was established.[12] He subsequently started writing songs in his free time, with the earnings from his legal career providing him a stable income.[12][13][14]
In 2020, Tan co-wrote the theme song Your Name Engraved Herein (刻在我心底的名字) for the movie of the same name (in English, its Chinese title 刻在你心底的名字). The movie box office exceeded more than 100 million NT dollars in Taiwan, and the theme song won the first place in various major charts. The song’s music video hit more than 7.5 million views on YouTube in two months. The song also won the “Best Original Song” in the 57th Golden Horse Awards and the “Song of the Year” in the 32nd Golden Melody Awards. It has been covered by singers such as Fish Leung, Waa Wei, and Weibird.[15] The song, however, has been accused of plagiarism. The three co-writers and Warner Chappell Music together issued a statement through their lawyers denying the allegations.[16][17]
Singer
[edit]In 2021, Tan released his first single Everlasting (長長久久), which he completed during his quarantine at the hotel for the trip to Taipei to attend the Golden Horse Awards Ceremony in 2020.[18][19]
Works
[edit]| Singer | Works |
|---|---|
| Tanya Chua | 愛情的路、失憶症 |
| Stefanie Sun | 愛情字典 |
| Tanya Chua & Stefanie Sun | 原點 |
| Amei | 海闊天空 |
| Where Chou | 不想讓你知道、Hold me tight |
| Stella Chang | 看花火 |
| Crowd Lu | 刻在我心底的名字 |
| Tiger Huang | Lonely Christmas |
| Elva Hsiao | 你看不見的地方 |
| Andy Lau | 未知數 |
| Jolin Tsai | 我要的選擇 |
| Angel Hou | 心想飛 |
| Sun Ho | 安徒生 |
| Sharon Kwan | 不遠的親人 |
| Lei Zhang | 後來你好嗎 |
| wow 頭號人物 | I believe in love |
| Yisa Yu | 假設 |
| Afalian Lufic | 離心力 |
| Janice Yan | 閻羅王 |
| Tian Tian Han | 摘花人與花 |
| Celest Chong | 愛的副作用 |
| Ambrose Hui | 愛情倒退 |
Awards
[edit]| Year | Organization | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 57th Golden Horse Awards | Best Original Song | Your Name Engraved Herein 刻在我心底的名字 | Won |
| 2021 | 2020 YAHOO! Asia Buzz Awards | Popular Taiwanese Film Song | Your Name Engraved Herein 刻在我心底的名字 | Won |
| 2021 | 2nd Taiwan Film Critics Society Awards | Special Recognition - Original Theme Song | Your Name Engraved Herein 刻在我心底的名字 | Nominated |
| 2021 | 2021 Hito Pop Music Awards | Hito Theme Song for Movies | Your Name Engraved Herein 刻在我心底的名字 | Won |
| 2021 | 32rd Golden Melody Awards | Song of the Year | Your Name Engraved Herein 刻在我心底的名字 | Won |
References
[edit]- ^ Hwa Chong Alumni Association - 第57届台湾金马奖“最佳原创电影歌曲”得奖者 - 音乐人陈文华 华侨中学 （1988 - 1991) 华中初级学院 （1992 - 1993） 恭喜文华！ | Facebook [Hwa Chong Alumni Association - 57th Taiwan Golden Horse Awards "Best Original Movie Theme Song" Awardee - Musician Tan Boon Wah The Chinese High School (1988 - 1991) Hwa Chong Junior College (1992 - 1993) Congratulations Boon Wah! | Facebook]. www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ "一举夺金马 陈文华感谢母校双语教育 | 早报". www.zaobao.com.sg. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ a b "Tan Boon Wah". Allen & Gledhill. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ "Singaporean Golden Horse Award Winner Was Mistaken For A Reporter By Mark Lee". 8 Days. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ Lee, Karin (2019-08-12). "Beyond the Bar". The Singapore Law Gazette. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ "57金馬獎得主—新加坡作曲人陳文華專訪". Rti 中央廣播電臺 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ 1109天才衝衝衝-1, retrieved 2021-11-15
- ^ 1109天才衝衝衝-2, retrieved 2021-11-15
- ^ "1999年第六届华语音乐榜中榜获奖名单_影音娱乐_新浪网". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ "第六届华语音乐榜中榜获奖名单(1999年)-搜狐娱乐". yule.sohu.com. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ a b ETtoday新聞雲. "《刻在》奪雙金爆抄襲！ 幕後作曲人「超狂背景」曝光 | ETtoday星光雲 | ETtoday新聞雲". star.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ a b 人物專訪：《刻在》主題曲創作人 — 陳文華 ｜ 創作歌曲沒你想像中的浪漫！, retrieved 2021-11-08
- ^ ETtoday新聞雲. "《刻在》奪雙金爆抄襲！ 幕後作曲人「超狂背景」曝光 | ETtoday星光雲 | ETtoday新聞雲". star.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ "Singaporean Golden Horse Award Winner Was Mistaken For A Reporter By Mark Lee". 8 Days. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ ""刻在我心底的名字" 律师搞音乐入围金马奖 | 早报". www.zaobao.com.sg. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ "「刻在我心底的名字」3位創作者駁抄襲 尊重各界意見 | 娛樂 | 重點新聞 | 中央社 CNA". www.cna.com.tw (in Chinese). Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ Lim, Ruey Yan (2021-08-30). "S'pore songwriter denies Your Name Engraved Herein plagiarism claims". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ "Golden Horse Winner Tan Boon Wah: From 'Your Name Engraved Herein' Songsmith to Singer". KKBOX. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ "陈文华初当歌手 即宣布退出乐坛 | 早报". www.zaobao.com.sg. Retrieved 2021-11-08.