Born Michael Wong Kong Leong on 30 August 1970 in Ipoh, Malaysia, Malaysian-Chinese singer Michael Wong has forged a successful career as a Mandopop artist with a predilection for romantic ballads, which has earned him the title "Prince of Love Songs" (情歌王子). He developed an ear for music while singing in the church choir at school and began writing his own songs before moving to Kuala Lumpur where he began to focus more seriously on music. He formed a duo with Victor Wong called Michael & Victor, and the pair honed their voice on the Mandopop scene through a string of releases until eventually disbanding in 2000. The following year, Michael Wong launched his solo career with the aptly titled debut, Michael's First Album. His second album Ray of Light (光芒; Guāng Máng) landed in November 2002 and went to number one in Taiwan while third LP, Fairy Tale (Chinese: 童話; pinyin: Tóng Huà) followed three years later and spawned a megahit in the title track. In 2006, Michael Wong won the Top Ten Outstanding Youth Cultural Achievement Honor Award in Malaysia, becoming the first Chinese male artist to win the award, and issued his fourth solo offering, 定: Commitment, that same year. In 2006 he was also named the Malaysian-Chinese Male Composer with the highest number of awards in the Malaysia Book of Records and also for the Best Selling Chinese Album (Tóng Huà), securing his place with 44 awards, 23 of them for "Tóng Huà." In 2007, he treated his fans to a compilation album, Michael 1996-2006, and an LP of new music, Never Apart. In addition to his music career, Michael Wong has also appeared in various drama-based television shows and films. During the 2010s, he continued to put out albums at a consistent rate, taking in 2010's So Naive (太天真; (Tai Tian Zhen), 2013's Crazy Memories (回忆里的疯狂; Huí Yì Lǐ De Fēng Kuáng), and 2017's Nine Ways To Enjoy Loneliness (九种使用孤独的正确方式; Jiǔ Zhǒng Shǐ Yòng Gū Dú De Zhèng Què Fāng Shì). He marked the 2020s with new album Unique (2020) and several new singles in 2021, including "Fairy Tale" and "Big Paws Little Paws."
