Sun

Born Ho Yeow Sun, singer Sun received the role of music ambassador for the 2008 Beijing Olympics because her profile satisfied the selection committee’s three core criteria. Chinese ancestry, an unblemished wholesome public image, and established international reach—demonstrated by number-one placements on Billboard’s U.S. dance chart and the U.K.’s DMC club chart—aligned perfectly with the appointment. She entered the industry in 2002 via the dance-pop album Sun with Love, which attained double-platinum certification in China. Before becoming a performer, Sun had worked as a social worker; once her music career took hold she directed her visibility toward humanitarian fundraising that financed schools and medical clinics in both Indonesia and China. By the close of 2002 her charitable activity had become widely recognized, earning her Singapore’s Outstanding Young Person award, which the government bestowed on her again in 2003. That same year she first appeared on American dance charts with the single “Where Did Love Go.” In 2004 she became the first Chinese pop singer invited to the Grammy Awards. Two years later she launched her own Singapore boutique, SKIN Couture. Returning her focus to the United States in 2006, she issued the dance track “Gone,” followed in 2007 by the dancehall-flavored “China Wine” featuring Wyclef Jean, Tony Matterhorn, and Elephant Man. Both singles previewed her debut American full-length, which included songwriting contributions from Desmond Child and Diane Warren together with production by the Underdogs.