Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Lollipop (Taiwanese Group)

Lollipop is a Taiwanese Mandopop boyband signed under EMI Music, Taiwan. The group consists of six members, all chosen from [[Channel V|Channel ]] Taiwan's show 模范棒棒堂 , a show which sought to create new male artists in the entertainment business of Taiwan. In addition to appearing in ''Bang Bang Tang'' regularly until September 2008, they debuted as show hosts with ''Lollipop! Gyashan'' of [[Channel V|Channel ]].

Lollipop signed with EMI Capitol Taiwan on December 2, 2006 and released their first solo EP in January 2007. With acquisition of EMI Music Taiwan, Lollipop is now signed under the label Gold Typhoon. The sextet currently live together in an apartment rented to them by ''BBT'' show host in Taipei, having moved several times since their debut. Under company regulations, they are not allowed to have guests or entertain the fans that sometimes gather outside their apartment. On occasion their neighbours have had to seek the police's help in dispersing the fans.

Members


Owodog


Stage Name:

Real Name:

Height: 177cm

Birthdate:

Weight: 62kg

Blood type: O

Prince


Stage Name:

Real Name:

Height: 173cm

Birthdate:

Weight: 53kg

Blood type: O

LilJay/Brian


Stage Name:

Real Name:

Height: 174cm

Birthdate:

Weight: 60.6kg

Blood type: A

Fabien


Stage Name:

Real Name:

Height: 172cm

Birthdate:

Weight: 60kg

Blood type: AB

William


Stage Name:

Real Name:

Height: 176cm

Birthdate:

Weight: 67kg

Blood type: O

A-Wei


Stage Name:

Real Name:

Height: 168cm

Birthdate:

Weight: 60kg

Blood type: Unknown

History


Background


Owodog, Liljay and A-Wei are members of Taiwanese breakdance group Black Angle Crew. Shortly after Owodog and Liljay joined ''Bang Bang Tang'', the crew peformed at 我愛黑澀會, the female version of ''BBT'' that debuted a year earlier on Channel V.

In 2006, Owodog, Prince, Liljay, and Fabien became among the first group of boys to be selected into ''Bang Bang Tang'' through recommendations and auditions held across Taiwan, the processes of which were shown in the show's first three episodes.
They are among the first 20 members of the show, as it officially debuted on August 17, 2006.
William and A-Wei made their first appearances on ''BBT'' on the October 13, 2006 episode as part of their auditions during the first round of new selections into ''BBT'' and were selected to become members of the show.

The formation of Lollipop


On November 27, 2006, the episode in which the six members of the group were selected and revealed was aired. The order in which the members were announced is as follows: Liljay, Prince, Owodog, Fabien, William, and A-Wei. Notably, William and A-Wei's inclusion in the group was determined only moments before the announcements were filmed. The members signed a contract to Channel V, and Dora Ao became their agent. The group, named Lollipop, then officially signed a contract with EMI Capitol on December 2, 2006. Owodog, being the leader in ''BBT'', was named the group leader as well.

Lollipop first EP ''Colorful Lollipop'' was released on January 26, 2007, with six different covers, each featuring a member of the group. Four months later, on May 25, a second EP titled ''Summer's First Experience'' was released along with a photobook compiled with photos taken in Okinawa, as well as a DVD. Lyrics were written by Liljay and Prince for the song "Summer's First Experience."

Acting and hosting debut


During the summer of 2007, Lollipop made their acting debut in the drama ''Brown Sugar Macchiato'', a collaboration with . Because of the large number of main characters, fifteen in total, and the many obligations both groups had apart from the drama, the original director quitted after directing five episodes. Nevertheless, the first episode was aired in Taiwan on July 15, 2007. Later, Lollipop admits on Kangxi Lai Le that the drama had been more of an introduction of the two groups instead of a major acting challenge, as the members were told to act like themselves, and that many subplots were explained only briefly due to the large number of main characters. After thirteen episodes, the drama ended on October 7, 2007. Additionally, an official soundtrack was released with songs from Lollipop and .


The same year, Lollipop began hosting their own show ''Lollipop Gyashan'' on October 27 until April 19, 2008, when the show stopped airing.

Official debut album


Their debut album ''Gyashan'' was released on December 28, 2007. ''Gyashan'' entered Mandarin charts in the number one position, outselling 's album ''Waiting for You - Await Your Love'' released the same day.

On January 26, 2008, a year after the release of their first EP, they held their debut concert at the Taipei Arena.
The concert DVD was released on June 6, 2008, breaking chart records with sales rates of more than 35%. Their DVD has topped the charts for a period of one month since.

After ''Bang Bang Tang''


Lollipop had been appearing regularly on ''Bang Bang Tang'' since August 14, 2006. With Channel 's decision to select a new batch of boys and create a second season, Lollipop and most of the other members "graduated" from ''Bang Bang Tang'' after their last performances as members of the show. Their last official episode aired on August 29, 2008, marking the end of the first season. In total, they had participated in more than 500 episodes of the show. Since the start of ''Bang Bang Tang II'', Lollipop has, on several occasions, returned to the show as guests.

In May, earlier the same year, A-Wei, Prince, and Fabien, part of the main cast, began shooting Lollipop's the second drama with members of and ''Bang Bang Tang''. The drama, called The Legend of Brown Sugar Chivalry, is a wuxia drama set in modern times, which requires the actors and actresses to learn and perform kungfu, sometimes using weapons. Additionally, wire fu and special effects were used upon the cast for qinggong and some fighting scenes. The first episode was released on July 26, 2008 on Star TV Chinese Channel and continues to be aired after the end of the first season of ''Bang Bang Tang''. Later, Owodog became a part of extended cast, while Liljay and William had minor roles.
On October 3, 2008, the original soundtrack was released, the songs of which includes lyric compositions from Liljay and Prince.

After leaving ''Bang Bang Tang'', William hosts a bikini show called ''Wu Di Qing Chun Ke'' with Taiwanese singer Kenji Wu, while Owodog, Awei, and Liljay host ''Na Li Wu Da Kang'' with 's Apple and Channel V's VJ Rong Jia.

After talks with Paco Wong, the chairman of Gold Records, Owodog is reportedly going to be starring in a kungfu film with Theresa Fu and a member of The Flowers. According to recent news, the film is set to start filming near the end of Ocotber, 2008 in Beijing.

Prince and his brother, Mao Di, also a member of ''Bang Bang Tang'', will be part of the film "Ai Dao Di", which is composed of four short films directed by four different directors. The tentative release date is set on February 14, 2009, Valentine's Day

Overseas expansion


Hong Kong


Lollipop visited Hong Kong to promote their television soundtrack Brown Sugar Macchiato on the September 26, 2007.
This was their first overseas promotional activity ever since their debut, and a huge fan turnout caused a great commotion at the shopping mall where they were having their meet-and-greet session.
Lollipop returned to Hong Kong on Christmas to promote their debut album. On February 1, 2008 they traveled Hong Kong for the third time to guest star in the Cantonese movie ''Truth or Dare: 6th Floor Rear Flat 2'', and on the 23rd of the same month, performed at Show Luo's concert as guests. On June 1, 2008, the group also participated in a fundraising concert for the Sichuan Earthquake.

Mainland China


Lollipop visited Mainland China on the March 23, 2008, to promote their debut album. With over 3000 fans, the autograph session was canceled due to safety reasons, as the situation grew out of control. Thus, fans were able to catch only a few glimpses of the group. Nevertheless, Lollipop stayed at the venue and finished signing each album in a separate room.

Singapore


Lollipop traveled to Singapore on the June 12, 2008, to promote their concert DVD. There was only one autograph session held at a bar in Clarke Quay; thus, the organisers had to give out tickets to limit the amount of fans entering. However, due to the massive fan turnout on the day of the event, there were still more than 100 ticket holders who were banned from entering as the number of people exceeded the estimated amount. Additionally, there were more than 200 fans without tickets waiting outside the bar.

Discography


Albums




EPs




Original soundtracks





Concert DVDs




Variety shows




Dramas




Movies




Concerts


''This list does not include year-end galas or autograph/performance sessions.''

''*Indicates concerts where Lollipop was one of many groups and singers who participated.''

Endorsements




Awards

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