By Ed Diokno
WHO IS Jane Zhang and how did she get on the Billboard charts?
In October, there was Jane amidst the pop stars Bruno Mars, The Weekend and The Chainsmokers on the Billboard charts. The video of her hit Dust My Shoulders Off was in the top five for YouTube views.
Seemingly, out of nowhere, there was this Chinese woman the world began asking about.
In 2005, Jane was the second runner-up in Super Girl, a TV singing contest in China. She didn’t win but her singing style captured a huge fan base. Since then, she has launched albums and performed around the globe, including a guest stint on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2009.
But it was her hit Dust My Shoulders Off that broke into the American charts that introduced her to the U.S. market, one of the few artists from Asia to do so. It’s not an impossible feat, but she’s off to a great start.
Recently, she was chosen to sing the song Battlefield from the controversial movie The Great Wall starring Matt Damon that will undoubtedly give her more exposure and maybe an Oscar nomination.
Ed Diokno writes a blog :Views From The Edge: news and analysis from an Asian American perspective.
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