'Yao Su-jung (Chinese name: 姚蘇蓉, P'inyin: Yáo Sūróng; born December 5, 1945) is a Taiwanese singer who rose to prominence in the 1960s. She is known as the Queen of Tears,[1][2] the Queen of Forbidden Songs and the Queen of Southeast Asian Songs.[3][4] In 1966, she won first prize in a singing competition organised by Cheng Sheng Radio, capturing the attention of the judges.[5] With the assistance of her teacher, Wong Cing-si, she signed with the Haishan Record Company and entered the entertainment industry.[6][7] Her hit song "Faithless Person" propelled her to stardom, and her theme song for the film "Not Coming Home Tonight" became a hit throughout Southeast Asia.[4] With her distinctive and powerful singing style, she quickly rose to superstar status in the Chinese music industry. She currently lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[8]
History
In 1967, she earned the title of "Queen of Tears" with her song "The One I Miss".[9] But her real success came with the theme song for the movie "Not Coming Home Tonight". This song combined both modern and traditional elements, thereby paving a new path of popularity for her.[10] The success of "Not Coming Home Tonight" was a positive and innovative recognition for both the composer, Charles Tso, and Yao Su-jung. They later collaborated on many songs that became known as the "Yao School" including "Faithless Person" (Chinese: 負心的人) and "Like Mist and Flowers" (Chinese: 像霧又像花).[11][12]
Formerly a singer who had performed theme songs for numerous films, Yao Su-jung had retreated from the limelight and had been living in seclusion in Kuala Lumpur after her public performance at the 30th Golden Horse Awards.[13] However, she made a comeback in the "Wei Wei Dao Lai (偉韋道來)" live broadcast programme created by Singaporean entertainment industry veterans Ou Wei-yi and versatile host Chen Wei-lin at the end of 2020. On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year in 2021, she made another appearance on the show and engaged in a video chat with iconic stars such as Chang Chia-chen, Hu Chin, and Debbie Chou.[14]
