http://english.cri.cn/4406/2007/04/29/47@221803.htm

She was a teen pop sensation across the world and China. She was the first Chinese citizen to sing at the Oscars. The first Chinese singer to gain success on the U.S. market. The first Chinese star to perform at the opening ceremony of the NBA. And now, Asia Weekly has nominated her as one of the most powerful people in Asia. "Hello, everybody!" She's CoCo Lee. CoCo Lee broke new ground in Chinese pop music history when she successfully mixed urban music with Western R&B. She worked hard to spread Chinese pop music to the world and allow more and more people hear her powerful voice. There's something very special about her. CoCo Lee always seems passionate, sexy and friendly. She's always smiling. When people hear her voice, they can feel her vitality, passion and youth. And we love her as much for her dancing as the catchy, bright rhythms of her songs. She wowed her fans with her dance skills in the music video for "My Lover" �C she shook her body to the Latin dance tune like an electric motor! And she's been nicknamed the "electric motor" ever since. CoCo Lee launched her singing career after majoring in biochemistry at University. "(I was) Born in Hong Kong and raised in San Francisco. And after my high school graduation, I went to Hong Kong for vacation and entered a singing contest. And that's how everything started." To her surprise, CoCo Lee won second prize in the competition with her version of "Run to You" by Whitney Houston. This unplanned event led to a record deal. But Coco Lee had shown her potential early, spending all her free time imitating her favorite pop artists, like Madonna, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. 1998 was a big year for CoCo. She released two albums in Mandarin, "DiDaDi" and "Feeling Good". DiDaDi won the MTV Asia Music Award for Best Album and Best Music Video. She also sang the Mandarin version of the soundtrack and theme song for Disney's animated feature Mulan. After taking Asia by storm with her R&B sound, CoCo Lee prepared to make inroads into North America in 1999. People were surprised an Asian girl could produce such authentic R&B tunes. No other Asian artist has managed to cross-over into the English-speaking world so successfully. Critics compared her voice to her English language debut "Just no other Way" to the likes of Mariah Carey. She showed Americans she really could sing. Her single "Before I fall in love" appeared on the soundtrack of a Hollywood movie called "Runaway Bride." "They actually called me the Julia Roberts of Taiwan because there was another movie that she did and my song was the theme song in Asia." Coco Lee's unique voice and R&B sound are likely to keep her Asian and American fans hooked for quite some time yet. Before she was a star, Coco Lee says she used to listen to Whitney Houston and dream of the day Chinese singers could take a leading role on the international stage. She wanted the world to hear her powerful voice. And it did. Coco Lee performed "A Love Before Time", the title track for the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragn" at the 2001 Academy Awards ceremony in 2001. The honor exposed her to the world, taking the beauty of Chinese music and culture to the West. The western audience also admired her exquisite red dress and her graceful stage presence. "I think it's a great moment for Asian people. In the music business, there hasn't been a successful Asian artist. Hopefully, I may be able to change that. With time, eventually, people will learn to accept Asian people singing American songs. It's always tough but I believe through time we can do it." Coco Lee's international success is a source of pride for all Chinese and Asian people. Even the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, told her she was doing the right thing when she performed with him and Mariah Carey. "He said to me, 'Yeah, it's about time. An Asian person breaks out on the stage". Indeed, Coco Lee is doing what she says in the following song, being your girl all around the world.