Will Pan

American-born Taiwanese singer Will Pan ascended the male Mandopop hierarchy in the early 2000s by fusing hip-hop-influenced pop with sweet balladry. Starting from his 2002 debut Gecko Stroll, he advanced through the rankings by blending rap and melody, reaching mainstream prominence mid-decade via the Top Three hits The Expert (2005) and Around the World (2006). The arrival of 2007’s Play It Cool delivered his first number-one album, a position each later release maintained through the decade’s close. He extended his credits into writing and acting, appearing in numerous television and film projects, most notably voicing Po in the Mandarin editions of Kung Fu Panda and starring in the award-winning 2011 series Endless Love.

Wilber Pan (Pan Weibo), born in West Virginia in 1980, relocated to Taiwan during childhood and completed bilingual schooling in 1999. He briefly returned to the United States for university studies before shifting his focus to an entertainment career in Asia. Initial work as a host on Hong Kong’s Channel V, the regional counterpart to MTV, led directly to opportunities in singing and acting. His first album, Gecko Stroll (Universal Music Taiwan), appeared in 2002. The hip-hop-influenced sound, recalling the style of Jay Chou and Leehom Wang, helped him build a following through the follow-ups Pass Me the Mic (2003) and Wu Ha (2004), the latter containing the hit collaboration with Angela Chang, “Adoration of Happiness.” Annual releases continued to chart strongly, culminating in 2007’s Play It Cool, which reached number one on the Taiwanese charts. A short hiatus from solo work in 2008 allowed him to tour and collaborate with artists including S.H.E. and Jay Chou; that year also brought the first greatest-hits collection, Will’s Future. His seventh studio album, the aptly titled 007, arrived in 2009 as his second chart-topper and featured the single “Be with You” with Akon. After promotion ended, he resumed acting with a role in the television series Endless Love, which earned him the Best Actor prize at Taiwan’s Golden Bell Awards in 2011. The same year saw the release of his eighth album, 808, which included the Endless Love theme “We Are All Afraid of Pain.”

The Story of Billy, his ninth album, followed in 2012. Drawing inspiration from Daniel Keyes’ novel The Minds of Billy Milligan, the set became his fourth consecutive number-one release, propelled by the singles “Don’t Wanna Wake Up” and “Extravagant March.” Strong critical response extended its promotional cycle into 2013, delaying the next studio project until 2014. Crown & Clown, another chart-topper, contained the singles “Clown” and “Snore,” the latter a duet with Rainie Yang. An injury sustained during tour rehearsals postponed live activity until 2015, after which the performances were filmed and issued as a concert movie later that year.

In 2017 Pan moved to Warner Music Taiwan. His debut project for the label, the eleventh studio album illi, adopted an aggressive, K-pop-influenced approach that returned him to the top of the charts and yielded the hit singles “Coming Home” and “Close Encounter.”