In addition to this love for music, it was in California that Wu discovered his passion for dance. At the age of 13 and at his mother’s behest, he had twice attended a weight loss camp for kids and teens. “I think [that] contributed to my low self-esteem,” he shares. “But we had aerobics classes at camp and that’s when I really learnt how to dance. I learnt rhythm and how to move with the beat, and when we had talent shows in camp, people were clapping and cheering me on. That was one of the first times I really felt affirmed, and it was kind of what catapulted me to enjoying having people cheer for me.”

After moving to Taiwan, Wu’s career took off quickly with his role in Taiwanese drama series Meteor Garden and as a member of F4. “I’ve loved being in Asia over the past 20-some years and we (F4) were so fortunate to be able to tour throughout the continent,” he says. “I’m very blessed that I’m still able to do what I do and chase the dream.”

COMING INTO HIS OWN

Today, the dream for Wu is to keep pursuing and showcasing his many passions, and sharing them with his fans. In the music video for his title single Take a Ride from his new album, the singer shows off his martial arts skills during a fight scene in a casino. All the stunts were executed by Wu, who has starred in action films such as Ip Man 4: The Finale.

“I’ve done multiple types of artistry and this was an opportunity for me to showcase one of them,” says Wu. “These are the things I do on my off days—I’m still training, I’m still boxing and it’s just part of my everyday life. I feel like that’s as authentic as I can be, especially in a music video. I want to be able to display this realness of who I am, and [the same goes] for my multifaceted music.”

This ability to be true to himself in all aspects of his craft is something new that Wu is excited about. He describes it as his “‘I don’t give a hoot about what people say’ era”, adding that “it’s all about finding the balance in who you are and not who the world says you are”.

NEW HORIZONS

In the album Take a Ride, Wu takes listeners on a journey through diverse genres, from sunny pop-punk to atmospheric R&B, refreshing acoustic rock and jazzy hip-hop, influenced by his years in Southern California. He shares that the plan three years ago was actually to make another Mandarin album, but Covid-19 and knee surgery threw a spanner in the works.

“During this time, all of a sudden, the atmosphere kind of shifted to being more open to English content for Asians,” recalls Wu. “So my label, Universal Music Taiwan, approached other labels and Virgin Music [responded]. Next thing you know, they wanted to do an English album and I said, ‘Let’s do it!’”

The album was made very organically, shares Wu. Together with producer David Lucius King and songwriter Brian Lee, he wrote and recorded songs in cities around the world, such as Malibu, Kyoto and London. “It just happened that way where I’d be in one city and spontaneously ask David to join me, or vice versa,” he says, “and it was an opportunity for us to hang out in different places and get more inspiration as well.”

Wu is already working on his next English album, and is also learning screenwriting in the hopes of producing and directing his own film one day. “There are many things I want to do and that I’m capable of doing,” he says. “Every day is an opportunity for learning and to me, that’s what life is about.”

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