1979–1998: Early life and career beginnings Hsiao was born on 24 August 1979, in
Zhongli District, Taoyuan, Taiwan. She signed to
EMI Virgin Records in 1998, as their first artist, after being scouted from the singing competition
New Talent Singing Awards, affiliated with Hong Kong TV channel
TVB. She was one of twelve finalists. Singers
Jacky Chu and Ruby Lu also competed that year.
1999–2001: Debut and commercial breakthrough Hsiao's first album was
self-titled and was of the
pop and
R&B genre. The success of the album paved the way for her first solo concert in Taipei later in 2000. For Hsiao's third album,
Tomorrow, Virgin/EMI made a push for the mainland
Chinese market, capitalizing on the singer's name recognition in the Taiwanese and Hong Kong music markets. The album included
hip hop influences and faster tempos than Hsiao's previous releases, as well as a song performed in
Cantonese. Despite a limited schedule of just four concerts and press conferences in China and
Hong Kong, the album would still go on to sell 400,000 copies in the mainland in addition to 290,000 records sold in
Taiwan in 2001. She collaborated with
English boy band
Blue that year on a remake of their song "
U Make Me Wanna" for her album
Theme Song of Love, Kissing. That album featured two songs in which Hsiao contributed to production. That same year, Hsiao made her feature film debut in the Hong Kong
crime thriller,
Infernal Affairs in a minor role as the ex-girlfriend of
Tony Leung's character. Two songs from Hsiao's next album,
5th Avenue, were also featured in soundtracks for a film and a television show. The singer's contract with Virgin/EMI ended in 2004 with the release of her greatest hits record
Beautiful Episode. Despite a light marketing budget banking on Hsiao's public persona, the album sold well, with 400,000 copies moved in mainland China, becoming the biggest selling record for the label that year. Hsiao returned to EMI Music Taiwan in 2008 after releasing just one album with Warner, also reuniting her with former manager Yao Chien. This album featured songs written by British songwriter
Wayne Hector and one song, "
Beautiful Encounter", from that album was later covered by
Brazilian pop singer
Wanessa. She embarked on a world tour on 31 December 2009. She released another compilation album,
Super Girl, in 2013, featuring a new duet with Chinese
K-pop star
Han Geng. Around this time, Hsiao also launched a fashion line called
Carry Me.
2013–2019: Shut Up and Kiss Me In 2013, Hsiao signed with
Sony Music in the greater China region along with fellow Taiwanese pop star
Show Luo. Hsiao released
Shut Up and Kiss Me, which was preceded by a single of the same name. The music video for the single achieved 1 million views on
YouTube after a day of release on the back of a
NTD 4 million marketing blitz by Sony. A song from the same album was used as the main promotional song for
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in Taiwan. Hsiao went on hiatus in August 2017, disappearing from the public eye for 18 months for undisclosed reasons, delaying the release of a new album that she had reportedly been preparing for three years. The singer broke her silence in August the following year to explain her absence, stating that she had suffered chest injuries in a fall, resulting in her being unable to sing due to difficulty breathing. The lead single, "In a Heartbeat", was released in 2019 and peaked at No. 2 on the Taiwanese KKBox chart. Hsiao also starred in the Chinese couple reality-show
Meeting Mr. Right in late 2020, with her boyfriend at the time. After making a surprise appearance at the
33rd Golden Melody Awards in July 2022, Hsiao confirmed that she was working on a new album. In August 2023, Hsiao signed with Warner Music China. At the press conference announcing the signing, she revealed that she had fractured her hip in 2022, which delayed preparations for her comeback. Hsiao continued to undergo surgeries and treatments for the injury over the next three years, including a hip replacement. She returned to the stage as a mentor on the Chinese singing show
Let Me Sing in the summer of 2025. == Awards ==