Richie Jen

Jen was born and grew up in Tianzhong Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. He attended Changhua County Tianzhong Senior High School^[2] and at the age of 21 he entered Chinese Culture University, majoring in physical education.^[3] He also started to work at a musical instrument store while learning how to play guitar.^[4]

In 1990, while a senior at CCU, Richie Jen signed a contract with Synco Cultural Corporation [zh] and released a compilation album named Towards the Rainbow (奔向彩虹).^[5] In December of that year, he released his first solo album Ask Again (再問一次). He released two more albums in 1991, Cold & Tender (冷漠與温柔), and Fly to My Own Sky (飛向自己的天空),^[6] before enlisting in the military.

In 1996, he joined Rock Records, and released the album I Feel Good! (依靠), which sold 160,000 copies in Taiwan and was multi-platinum certified.^[7][8] His breakthrough came when the album Too Softhearted (心太軟) was released in December of that year, which sold over 1,000,000 copies in mainland China and 600,000 copies in Taiwan. The title track became largely popular in China and Taiwan.^[8][9][10]

In August 1998, Jen's album Love Like Pacific Ocean (愛像太平洋) was released. The tracks "Unknown Pleasures" (任逍遥) "The Sad Pacific" (傷心太平洋) from the album were the opening and closing theme songs of the 1998 series The Return of the Condor Heroes, respectively.^[11] The record peaked at number one on the IFPI Taiwan album chart and sold over 1,200,000 copies in Taiwan, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time in the country.^[12] Jen also starred in the Condor Heroes, playing Yang Guo.^[13] In 2005, Jen joined EMI, and his first album from EMI Old Place (老地方) was released a year later.^[14] In 2008, Jen signed a contract with East Asia Records (東亞唱片).^[15]

In July 2001, prior to his concert in Shenyang, Jen donated ¥30,000 to a family who was unable to afford heart surgery for their one-year old daughter after learning about their situation through a news report. In May 2023, the same girl and her mother attended Jen's concert in Shenyang and publicly thanked him for his life-saving donation. The woman's expression of gratitude was captured on video and quickly became viral on Weibo.^[16]

In 2002, Richie Jen married former fashion designer Tina Chen (陳則妤). They have two children together, a daughter and a son. They live in Hong Kong.^[17]

• Ask Again (1990)
• Cold & Tender (1991)
• Fly to My Own Sky (1991)
• I Feel Good! (1996)
• Too Softhearted (1996)
• Hurt Badly (1997)
• Love Like Pacific Ocean (1998)
• Desperate With Love (2000)
• Angel Brother and Hunk (2000)
• A Flying Bird (2001)
• One Richie (2002)
• So Far So Close (2004)
• Old Place (2006)
• If Life's Goin' Without You (2007)
• R.S.V.P (2009)
• Daredevil Spirit (2011)
• On My Way (2023)