F4 (band)
F4 | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | JVKV |
| Origin | Taipei, Taiwan |
| Genres | Mandopop |
| Years active |
|
| Labels | Sony Music Taiwan (2001–2007) |
| Past members | Jerry Yan Vanness Wu Ken Chu Vic Chou |
| Website | Sony Music Taiwan |
F4 (Flower Four), later JVKV, is a Taiwanese boy group consisting of Jerry Yan, Vanness Wu, Ken Chu, and Vic Chou. The group was formed in 2001 after their fictional group of the same name in the Taiwanese drama Meteor Garden (2001) had propelled them to pan-Asian popularity. Together they have starred in the sequel Meteor Garden II(2002) and released three albums, Meteor Rain (2001), Fantasy 4ever (2002), and Waiting for You (2007). In 2007, due to copyright issues, the group changed its name to JVKV, using the first initials of its members' names in descending order by age.[1] The group disbanded in 2009, but has reunited several times for performances since then.[2]
History
[edit | edit source]2001: Meteor Garden and Formation
[edit | edit source]The group formed as a result of the success of a Taiwanese drama series, Meteor Garden. The series is an adaptation of the Japanese shōjo manga series Hana Yori Dango. Yan plays the lead role of Dao Ming Si, an extremely arrogant and rich college student who meets his match in the poor but proud girl, Shan Cai. Chou, Wu and Chu play his friends Hua Ze Lei, Mei Zuo, and Xi Men, respectively. In the series, the four men identify themselves as a group called "Flower Four", often shortened as F4.
Meteor Garden was released in Taiwan in 2001 and propelled its leads to pan-Asian fame.[3] A sequel, Meteor Garden II, was released in 2002.
2001–2004: Meteor Rain and Fantasy 4ever
[edit | edit source]In 2001, F4 became a boy band and signed a record deal with Sony Music Taiwan. In the same year they released their debut album, Meteor Rain, and in the following year they released Fantasy 4ever. The album includes the Mandarin version of "Can't Help Falling in Love" that they recorded for the Asian version of Walt Disney's Lilo & Stitch soundtrack,[4] a Mandarin version of "Yo Te Amo" by Chayanne, and a Pepsi advertisement theme song "Ask For More".
From 2002 to 2003, F4 held the Fantasy Live World Tour spanning 19 shows across 12 cities, which attracted a total audience of 570,000 to 600,000 people.[5][6] In 2003, they embarked on an Asian tour to support Fantasy 4ever, and went on an unannounced hiatus in 2004 afterwards as the members began to focus on their solo careers.
2007–2009: Waiting for You and name change to JVKV
[edit | edit source]On April 29, 2007, Meteor Garden producer Angie Chai announced that the group would no longer be known as F4. The change in name stemmed from copyright-related issues. Japanese publisher Shueisha, who owns the copyright to Hana Yori Dango allowed the group to use F4 as its band name in 2001. However, as Japan had filmed and aired its own live action version of the manga, to avoid confusion over the name in different countries,[7][8] the Taiwanese group was renamed JVKV using the initials of each member, by the order of their birth dates from oldest to youngest.[1] However, the name JVKV has never gained recognition, nor has it replaced F4 in popular usage.
Three F4 members appeared in Wish To See You Again, starring Chou and Chu, while Wu made a few guest appearances in a few episodes. Due to scheduling conflicts, Yan did not star in the series; his part was played by Kingone Wang. Despite rumours of disbanding,[9] JVKV released their third album, Waiting For You, on December 28, 2007.[10] Their third album still bore the name F4, instead of JVKV. In 2008, F4 held a tour in Japan, making them the first foreign artists to host 7 consecutive concerts in the country, which attracted around 80,000 people.[11]
2010–present: Solo careers and reunions
[edit | edit source]F4 had performed twice together after their announcement of disbanding in 2009. In January 2013, the group was confirmed to perform at Jiangsu TV's Spring Festival Gala in China along with Harlem Yu.[12] The performance was taped in Beijing on January 30, 2013,[13][14] and was aired on February 10, 2013. During the show, they hinted that they were going to have a concert tour in China, which did not come to fruition. On October 30, 2020, at Jiangsu TV’s "1001 Night Festival" concert, Wu appeared live on stage, while his bandmates’ pre-recorded performances were projected via holograms, allowing them to share the stage with him during the broadcast.[15]
On July 12, 2025, the group reunited at the Mayday concert 5525 Back to That Day Tour in Taipei, Taiwan.[16] In December 2025, three F4 members, Yan, Chou, and Wu, launched a concert tour without Chu, beginning in Shanghai. The tour’s music producer and chief planner was Ashin of Mayday.[17]
Members
[edit | edit source]- Jerry Yan (言承旭)
- Vanness Wu (吳建豪)
- Ken Chu (朱孝天)
- Vic Chou (周渝民)
Discography
[edit | edit source]Studio albums
[edit | edit source]| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TWN [18] |
JPN [19] |
SGP [20] | |||
| Meteor Rain (流星雨) |
|
— | 10 | 1 | |
| Fantasy 4ever (煙火的季節) |
|
— | 17 | 3 | |
| Waiting for You (在這裡等你) |
|
2 | 17 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||||
Compilation albums
[edit | edit source]| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| F4 Five Years Glorious Collection |
|
| Fabulous |
|
Live albums
[edit | edit source]| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Meteor Garden F4 Music Party |
|
| F4 Fantasy Live Concert World Tour in Hong Kong |
|
Video albums
[edit | edit source]| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| F4 Five Years Glorious Collection |
|
| Precious |
|
| Precious II |
|
Filmography
[edit | edit source]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Meteor Garden | Yan as Dao Ming Si Chou as Hua Ze Lei Wu as Mei Zuo Chu as Xi Men |
Drama series |
| 2001 | Meteor Rain | Mini series | |
| 2002 | Meteor Garden II | Drama series | |
| 2002 | Come to My Place | Yan as Zhong Yi Ye Chou as Zhong Yuan Wu as JJ Chu as Guang Tian Jian |
Drama series |
Concerts
[edit | edit source]Headlining tours
- Meteor Garden F4 Music Party (2001–2002)
- Fantasy Live Concert World Tour (2002–2003)
- F4 Japan Tour (2008)
Awards
[edit | edit source]| Year | Awards | Category | Nomination | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Hong Kong TVB8 Awards | Best Group (Gold) | F4 | Won | |
| IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards | Top 10 Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year | Meteor Rain | Won | [24] | |
| 2003 | Fantasy 4ever | Won | [25] | ||
| MTV Asia Awards | Inspiration Award | F4 | Won | [26] |
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b (in Chinese) F4嫌新称呼JVKV绕口 合体宣传用回本名. May 2, 2007. Retrieved December 30, 2007.
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The RIAS album chart operated from December 2001 to June 2005.
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- ^ IFPI Hong Kong 2002 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards winners list Archived July 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved April 19, 2011
- ^ IFPI Hong Kong 2003 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards winners list Archived February 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved April 19, 2011
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External links
[edit | edit source]
- Can't Help Falling In Love – Sony Music Taiwan
- F4Vevo
- (in Chinese) Official SonyMusic F4 360 site
- F4 in CNN's Talkasia
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