Chyi Yu or Qi Yu (Chinese: 齊豫; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chê Ū / Chôe Ū; born 17 October 1957) is a Taiwanese singer best known for her 1979 hit "The Olive Tree" (橄欖樹). She won the 9th Golden Melody Award for Best Female Vocalist Mandarin.
She is the elder sister of singer-songwriter Chyi Chin. She is a religious Buddhist and a vegetarian.[1][2]
Chyi Yu is a protege of the late Taiwanese composer and songwriter Li Tai-hsiang.[3] Li wrote the evergreen masterpiece "The Olive Tree", which was released in 1979.[3] Chyi later married Li's younger brother.[4]
Chyi Yu also collaborated with Li Tai-hsiang on a number of her other songs, including "Daylight Avenue" (一條日光大道) "Walking In The Rain" (走在雨中) and "Your Smiling Face" (歡顏).[3] She is also known for tracks such as "Boat Song" (船歌) and covers of folk songs such as "Geordie", "Tears - Donde Voy", and "Whoever Finds This, I Love You". Her last Mandopop album Camel-Flying Bird-Fish (駱駝飛鳥魚) was released in 1997 and she has recently been releasing Buddhist music compilations.
Chyi has worked with international artists such as Dave Matthews (Plaisir D'amour, 1993)[citation needed] and Suzanne Ciani (Turning, 1999); their cooperation album including the title track "Turning" was nominated for Best New Age Album at the 42nd Grammy Awards.
"The Olive Tree" (Chinese: 橄欖樹), which was based on an English-language poem by Sanmao, was originally written about a small donkey which Sanmao had encountered on a plain in Spain.[3] Li Tai-hsiang had the poem translated to Mandarin by folk singer T.C. Yang, with Sanmao's permission, and wrote the song for Chyi Yu.[3] Yang omitted the donkey, which he felt would not easily connect with Taiwanese music fans.[3] Chyi Yu has stated in an interview that "Every time I sing this song [The Olive Tree], I'm nervous."[3]
OP: Sotjujo Music/Faizilu Music/Pink Pig Music
SP: Warner/Chappell Music Taiwan Ltd.
Whispering Steppes
細雨咽咽的的草原
Words by Chyi Yu
Composed & Arranged by Johnny Chen
OC: Johnny Chen/Chyi Yu
OP: Rock Music Publishing (Twn) Co., Ltd. TWA459848801
Turning
流轉
OC: Suzanne Ciani
The Rose
玫瑰
Duet: Chyi /Sandy 林憶蓮
OC: Amanda McBroon
OP: Carlin Music Crop.
SP: Warner/Chappell Music, HD Ltd. TWA459753104
I Swear
我發誓
合唱: Chyi /Sandy 林憶蓮/Teresa 杜麗莎/Prudence 劉美君
OT: I Swear
OC: Frank Myers/Gary Baker
OP: Morganactive Songs, Inc/Rick Hall/ MS (MAC MS Australia Pty); SP: Warner/Chappell Music Taiwan Ltd. EMI music Publ (S, E, Asia) Ltd. Twn Branch TWA459650102
OP. Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc / First State Media Group (Ireland) Ltd. SP. Fujipacific Music (S.E.Asia) Ltd. Admin by 風華音樂經紀股份有限公司 / Peermusic Taiwan Ltd.
Amazing Grace/奇異恩寵
Public Domain
Public Domain
黃韻玲
Chyi Yu
TW1910901003
none
Sailing/乘風破浪
Gavin Sutherland
Gavin Sutherland
項仲為
K.T. Chang, Chun-er Chang, Jin-er Chang, Sophie Chang and Chyi Yu
TW1910901004
OP. Island Music Ltd. SP. Universal Music Publishing Ltd.
Silent Night/平安夜
Public Domain
Public Domain
屠穎
none
TW1910901005
none
When a Child Is Born/希望之子誕生時
Seymandi, Maurizio / Specchia, Francesco / Salerno, Alberto
OP: Sony/Atv Acuff Rose Music SP: Sony Music Publishing (Pte) Ltd. Taiwan Branch
TW-191-11-01001
How Great Thou Art
Stuart K Hine
Stuart K Hine
項仲為
OP: 1953 The Stuart Hine Trust/All rights worldwide adm. by Kingsway Communications Ltd. tym@kingsway.co.uk (except USA admin. by EMI CMG Publishing and pringt rights adm. by Hope Publishing Company. All other rights in North, Central & S. America adm by Manna Music Inc)
TW-191-11-01002
Angel
Sarah Mclachlan
Sarah Mclachlan
屠穎
OP: Tyde Music/Sony/Atv Song Llc SP: Sony Music Publishing (Pte) Ltd. Taiwan Branch
Names in Bold indicate the winning singer, while Italics indicate the runner-up singer. Singers are listed based on their original season appearances, returning singers (who participated in seasons 5 or 8) are not repeated.
Singers participated in groups are listed in parentheses. Initial singers first listed in order of official announcement, followed by Substitute/Challenge Singers in order of appearance.
Chyi Yu (Chinese: 齊豫; born October 17, 1957) is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer renowned for her distinctive, ethereal vocal style and her breakthrough 1979 hit single "The Olive Tree" (橄欖樹), which became a timeless classic in Chinese-language music.[1][2]Born in Taichung, Taiwan, Chyi Yu rose to prominence in the late 1970s as part of the burgeoning Taiwanese music scene, releasing her debut album The Olive Tree in July 1979, which showcased her folk-influenced sound and poetic interpretations of lyrics by renowned writer San Mao.[1][2] She is the elder sister of prominent singer-songwriter Chyi Chin (齊秦), with whom she shares a family legacy in Taiwanese music.[3] Over her four-decade career, Chyi Yu has produced over 20 albums, blending Mandopop, folk, and later spiritual elements, while maintaining a reputation for selective releases and live performances that emphasize emotional depth.[4]In 1998, she received the Best Female Mandarin Singer award at the 9th Golden Melody Awards for her album Camel, Flying Bird, Fish (駱駝、飛鳥、魚), marking a career highlight after a period of relative seclusion from the mainstream spotlight. Later, Chyi Yu embraced her Buddhist faith, shifting toward devotional music with releases such as the Chyi Yu Buddhist Trilogy (2009), featuring mantras and chants that reflect her spiritual journey.[5] As of 2025, the veteran artist remains active, releasing the album Turn of Thought (一念之間) in September and performing in concerts such as "Forever Splendor" in Kuala Lumpur in April, where she revisited classics including "The Olive Tree" for new audiences.[6][7][8]
Early life and education
Chyi Yu was born on October 17, 1957, in Taichung, Taiwan. Her ancestral roots trace to Shandong province, with household registration in Dongning County, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang province; she has Manchu ethnicity through her mother. Her father, Qi Ji (齊濟), was a representative in the National Assembly of the Republic of China. She is the eldest of three siblings, with an older brother Qi Lu (齊魯) and a younger brother Qi Chin (齊秦), who is also a prominent singer-songwriter.Chyi Yu attended National Taiwan University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the Department of Anthropology. After her music debut in 1979, she pursued further studies abroad, obtaining a master's degree in anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[9]
Career
1970s: Debut and breakthrough
Chyi Yu made her professional debut in 1978 at the age of 20, winning a campus singing competition at National Taiwan University with her rendition of "Diamonds & Rust," a cover of Joan Baez's folk song that highlighted her clear, emotive voice.[10] This victory marked her emergence in Taiwan's burgeoning campus folk movement, a grassroots scene emphasizing acoustic, introspective music among university students. That same year, she signed with Rock Records, a newly established label that would become a cornerstone of Mandopop.[11]Her breakthrough came in July 1979 with the release of her debut album The Olive Tree (橄欖樹), produced under the mentorship of composer Li Tai-hsiang, who became her key collaborator.[2] The title track, with music by Li Tai-hsiang and poignant lyrics by writer Sanmao evoking themes of longing and exile, propelled her to national fame, becoming an instant hit that resonated deeply during Taiwan's era of political tension and cultural introspection.[12] The song's simple melody and poetic depth captured the spirit of the time, establishing Chyi Yu as a leading voice in the industry.Drawing from Mandopop and folk influences rooted in the campus movement, Chyi Yu's early work featured gentle acoustic arrangements and themes of personal reflection, setting her apart in Taiwan's music landscape.[10] She performed frequently at university events and small venues in the late 1970s, earning acclaim for her live interpretations that blended vulnerability with vocal purity, which helped solidify her reception as a fresh talent. With familial encouragement, including from her younger brother Chyi Chin as he began exploring music, her rise reflected the supportive dynamics within Taiwan's evolving folk scene.[13]
1980s: Rise to prominence
In the early 1980s, Chyi Yu continued her association with Rock Records, releasing Zhufu (祝福) in 1982, an album that featured the title track "Zhufu" alongside other folk-influenced compositions.[14][15]The following year, she issued Ni Shi Wo Suoyou De Huiyi (你是我所有的回憶) in 1983, a critically acclaimed work produced in collaboration with Li Tai-hsiang, containing tracks like the title song "Ni Shi Wo Suoyou De Huiyi" (also known as "Yingzi") and "San Yue de Feng."[16][17]By 1984, Chyi Yu explored English-influenced elements in Only You (有一個人), incorporating bilingual tracks that blended her signature vocal style with Western pop sensibilities.[7][18] This was followed in 1985 by Huisheng (回聲), a collaborative album with Michelle Pan that adapted lyrics by writer Sanmao into Mandopop arrangements, including duets such as "Qi Dian Zhong" and "Mi."[19][20]Her 1987 release Stories marked a notable turn toward English-language covers, with standout interpretations of "Daylight Avenue" (一條日光大道) and "Walking in the Rain" (走在雨中), both composed by Li Tai-hsiang.[21][22] This album, issued by Rock Records, exemplified her evolving repertoire in Mandopop while incorporating global influences.[21]Throughout the decade, Chyi Yu maintained her affiliation with Rock Records, solidifying a dedicated fanbase in Taiwan that extended to audiences across Asia, supported by her consistent output of folk and pop recordings.[4][23] Late in the period, her work increasingly incorporated English songs, as seen in Stories and subsequent projects, broadening her appeal beyond traditional Mandopop boundaries.[24][22]
1990s and later: Collaborations and shift to Buddhist music
In the 1990s, Chyi Yu pursued international collaborations and ventured into English-language recordings, marking a departure from her earlier Mandopop roots. Her 1993 album Love of My Life (藏愛的女人), released by Rock Records, featured a duet with Dave Matthews on "Plaisir D'amour", blending her ethereal vocals with his acoustic guitar style. This release highlighted her growing interest in global fusion sounds. In 1997, she issued Camel-Flying Bird-Fish (駱駝、飛鳥、魚), her final major Mandopop album under Rock Records, which earned her the Best Female Mandarin Singer award at the 9th Golden Melody Awards in 1998 for its introspective lyrics and melodic depth. The album represented a culmination of her pop era, with tracks exploring themes of transience and connection. In 1998, she contributed to the soundtrack albumWhispering Steppes (天浴 - 慾水), featuring the title track and other pieces tied to thematic explorations of desire and landscape.[4]By 1999, Chyi Yu released C'est La Vie, her seventh English album and a compilation of singles from 1997–1999, also under Rock Records, emphasizing reflective ballads like the title track. That year, she collaborated with electronic composer Suzanne Ciani on the song "Turning" from Ciani's album of the same name, which received a Grammy nomination for Best New Age Album at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards. This partnership underscored her adaptability across genres, incorporating ambient and contemplative elements.In the late 1990s, influenced by her deepening Buddhist faith, Chyi Yu shifted toward spiritual and Buddhist music, moving away from mainstream pop. She signed with EMI in the early 2000s, releasing the live concert album The Unheard of Chyi in 2003, followed by a series of Buddhist chant albums in 2004, including Sing Sutras for You: Peace of Mind (唱經給你聽之一 - 順心), Sing Sutras for You: Courage Discovered (唱經給你聽之二 - 安心), and Sing Sutras for You: Becoming Joyful (唱經給你聽之三 - 快樂行). Later, she transitioned to Sony Music for The Voice in 2010, a blend of chants and vocals, and Yun Duan (雲端, or Over the Cloud) in 2011. In 2017, under independent label Soho Music, she released Dizang Zan (地藏讚), a devotional album praising Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, featuring serene interpretations with Sophie Chang.Chyi Yu's genre evolution—from Mandopop and folk influences to English explorations in the 1990s, and then to Buddhist and contemplative music—reflected her spiritual journey, with ongoing performances emphasizing themes of mindfulness and peace. In May 2024, she made a special appearance at the Mother's Day Concert with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, delivering soulful renditions that paid tribute to maternal bonds and enlightenment. In 2025, she performed at the "Forever Splendor" concert in Kuala Lumpur on April 26 and a show in Shanghai on August 23, continuing her tradition of live performances. She also collaborated with Ani Choying for the "Whisper of Wisdom" concert at the Esplanade in Singapore.[6][8][25][26]
Personal life
Chyi Yu is the elder sister of singer-songwriter Chyi Chin. She has been married twice. Her first marriage to a foreign professor ended in divorce before she returned to Taiwan. In 1991, she married music producer Li Tai-ming, the younger brother of her mentor Li Tai-xiang; they had a daughter, Li Jie, born in 1993.[27][28] The couple divorced around 2003, after which their daughter lived primarily with her father, and Chyi Yu had limited contact with her for about a decade due to her irregular lifestyle as an artist and her growing focus on Buddhism. By 2018, she and her daughter had reconciled.[29][30]A devout Buddhist since the early 2000s, Chyi Yu has incorporated her faith into her music and lifestyle, becoming a vegetarian as part of her practice. She has engaged in Buddhist devotional activities, including volunteering and promoting vegetarianism.[31][32]
Artistic style and legacy
Chyi Yu is renowned for her distinctive ethereal and emotive vocal style, often described as angelic or a "voice of innocence," characterized by an astounding vocal range and intimate delivery that evokes deep emotional resonance.[33] Her music blends folk influences with Mandopop, incorporating traditional Taiwanese melodies, acoustic elements like strings, guitars, and piano, particularly during her early career in the campus folk movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s.[34] Later works incorporated spiritual and devotional themes, reflecting her Buddhist faith, while maintaining a poetic and atmospheric quality.[23]As a pioneering figure in Taiwanese music, Chyi Yu's breakthrough hit "The Olive Tree" (1979) became a timeless classic, symbolizing the campus folk era and influencing subsequent generations of Mandopop artists. Her contributions to the genre's evolution in the 1970s and 1980s, alongside contemporaries like Hou Dejian and Lo Ta-yu, helped shape Taiwan's burgeoning music scene.[35] Chyi Yu's enduring legacy is evident in her selective discography, award-winning albums, and continued performances, including a solo concert in Kuala Lumpur in early 2025, where she performed classics and dueted with newer artists, demonstrating her lasting impact.[36]
Discography
Studio albums
Chyi Yu has released over 20 studio albums over her career, initially focusing on Mandarin-language folk and pop music in the late 1970s and early 1980s, evolving to include English-language pop releases in the late 1980s and 1990s, and shifting toward spiritual and Buddhist-themed works in Chinese from the 2000s onward.[4][37]Her primary studio albums, listed chronologically, include the following:
Chyi Yu has released several compilation albums that aggregate her most popular tracks from the Mandopop era, often remastered for enhanced audio quality or focused on thematic retrospectives. A prominent example is Chyi's Voice Biography 1978-1990, which chronicles her vocal evolution through selections from her debut years, including renditions of "The Olive Tree" and "Walking in the Rain". This 1994 release emphasizes her English-language covers and serves as a personal audio autobiography, highlighting her interpretive style on international folk and pop material. Available in separate Chinese (Chyi's Voice Biography: Dare to Love) and English (Chyi's Voice Biography: Dare to Dream) editions.[11][41]Another key compilation, 齊豫滾石24K24Bit珍藏金碟系列, was issued in 1998 by Rock Records as part of their premium remastering series, featuring high-resolution 24-bit audio of eight signature tracks like "橄欖樹" (The Olive Tree) and "沙漠" (Desert). Intended as a collector's edition to celebrate her tenure with the label, it aggregates hits from her 1970s and 1980s studio output without new recordings.[42][43]Various best-of collections under titles like The Songs of Chyi have appeared as regional or label-specific anthologies, such as 滾石香港黃金十年-齊豫精選 (2003), which curates her contributions to the Hong Kong market over a decade, and 非常精選系列之齊豫 (2001), focusing on fan-favorite ballads and folk interpretations. These releases, often tied to anniversaries or market expansions, include tracks from her early breakthroughs to preserve her influence in Mandopop.[39]In terms of live albums, Chyi Yu's documented concert recordings are limited but capture her performative range. The Unheard of Chyi (2003), recorded during her 2002 Hong Kongconcert "難得有奇遇," presents a setlist blending classics like "飛鳥與魚" (Bird & Fish) with newer material, showcasing her ethereal live vocals and improvisational phrasing in a full-band arrangement. Released by Rock Records, it marks one of her few official live captures from the early 2000s tours.[44]Later releases include reissues and thematic compilations, such as English-focused retrospectives from the 1990s that repackage her covers of Western songs, and Buddhist chant collections like selections from her devotional recordings, which aggregate chants and mantras without original studio production elements. These non-studio outputs, often for spiritual or archival purposes, reflect her shift toward contemplative music post-1997. As of November 2025, no new live albums have been released, though she performed concerts including a 2025 show in Kuala Lumpur.[4][45]
Awards and honors
Golden Melody Awards
Chyi Yu's most notable achievement at the Golden Melody Awards came in 1998, when she won the Best Mandarin Female Singer award at the 9th ceremony for her album Camel, Flying Bird, Fish (1997), released by Rock Records International.[46] This victory highlighted her ethereal vocal style, often described as a "celestial voice," and marked a career peak during the 1990s Mandopop era, where the awards serve as Taiwan's premier honors for Chinese-language music, recognizing excellence in composition, performance, and production akin to the Grammys.[47]No further wins or nominations for Chyi Yu appear in subsequent Golden Melody Awards editions.
Other recognitions
In 1983, Chyi Yu's album You Are All My Memories (你是我所有的回憶) received the Golden Tripod Award for Excellent Record Category, and her album There Is Someone (有一個人) was awarded the Golden Tripod Recommended Record Award.In 2000, Chyi Yu received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Age Album for her contribution to the title track "Turning" on Suzanne Ciani's album of the same name, where she provided vocals for the first composition with lyrics in Ciani's discography.[48]Chyi Yu has been recognized in media as an "evergreen" artist, reflecting her enduring influence in Mandopop, as highlighted in coverage of her 2024 performances with the SingaporeChinese Orchestra.[6]
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