Stefanie Sun

Early life and education

Sun was born in Singapore on 23 July 1978. She attended Nanyang Primary School, St. Margaret's Secondary School, Raffles Girls' School, Saint Andrew's Junior College, and Nanyang Technological University, where she obtained a bachelor's degree of Marketing in 2000.

Singing career

2000–2004: Career beginnings and early breakthrough

During university, Sun wrote her first song titled "Someone", which later appeared on her 2002 album, Start. She attended LWS School of Music, and her vocal talent was discovered by her mentor Paul Lee, who later introduced her to Samuel Chou, the chairman of Warner Music Taiwan at the time.

In 2002, Hong Kong–based Yazhou Zhoukan, published a 15-page article on the "Stefanie Sun phenomenon", citing the impact of her music all throughout Asia.

Sun was selected to sing the English and Mandarin versions of the Singapore National Day Parade theme songs in 2002 – "We Will Get There" (一起走到) and in 2003 – "One United People" (全心全意).

2005–2009: ''A Perfect Day'' and ''Against the Light''

In October 2005, Sun released her studio album A Perfect Day. It sold over 1 million copies in Asia less than a month, and sold more than 100,000 copies in Taiwan, becoming the 10th best-selling album of 2005, as well as the fourth best-selling album by a female artist. In 2006, National Parks Board of Singapore named an orchid, Dendrobium Stefanie Sun, after her.

In March 2007, Sun released her ninth studio album, Against the Light. It went on to sell over 1.5 million units throughout Asia including 130,000 units in Taiwan, becoming the third highest-selling album overall in the country during 2007. The album produced the hit songs "What I Miss" and "Against the Light". In 2009, Stefanie Sun held her third world tour, " The Answer is World Tour ". The production cost for the tour amounted to more than NT$100 million, featuring diamond-shaped cut stages, floating pianos, jellyfish lights, and "light and shadow sculptures".

Sun was named one of the Ten Most Influential Music Figures of the Decade at the Top Chinese Music Awards 10th Anniversary Ceremony, along with artists such as Faye Wong, S.H.E, Karen Mok, Jolin Tsai, and Jay Chou. Her 2003 song "Encounter" was also named one of the Top Ten Golden Songs of the Decade in Hong Kong and Taiwan at the ceremony.

2010–2019: ''It's Time'', ''Kepler'', and ''No. 13 – A Dancing Van Gogh''

In 2010, Sun served as the spokesperson for the Singapore Tourism Board. Stefanie Sun revealed that her proudest moments as a singer was when she sang Kwa Geok Choo’s favorite song. Kwa was the wife of Singapore's former prime minister. She also sang Lee Kuan Yew’s favorite, entitled "Que Sera Sera", at the Business China Awards in 2011, not long after her demise. The song had moved Lee, a person whom Sun had the highest respect for, to tears.

In February 2014, Sun released her eleventh studio album Kepler. She embarked on the Kepler World Tour in support of the album that same month, which attracted over 760,000 people before its conclusion in July 2015. Sun also has a wax figure of herself at the Madame Tussauds Singapore wax museum which portrays her signature look during her 2014 Kepler World Tour. The wax figure took around four months to make, costing SG$300,000.

2020–present: Aut Nihilo Tour

In early January 2020, she collaborated with Taiwanese band, Mayday, to release the new version of their 2000 hit "Tenderness". On 27 May 2022, more than 240 million people watched Sun performed in a one hour virtual concert streamed on Douyin. On 5 April 2025, Sun begun her new world tour after a decade of hiatus.

Personal life

In May 2011, Sun married Nadim van der Ros, who is of a Eurasian Indonesian descent. He is the founder of Be An Idea, a part of The Good Bean Consultancy. They had secretly registered their marriage in March 2011. In October 2012, Sun gave birth to her son, followed by a daughter in July 2018.

Discography

Main article: Stefanie Sun discography

Studio albums

• Yan Zi (2000)
• My Desired Happiness (2000)
• Kite (2001)
• Start (2002)
• Leave (2002)
• To Be Continued... (2003)
• Stefanie (2004)
• A Perfect Day (2005)
• Against the Light (2007)
• It's Time (2011)
• Kepler (2014)
• No. 13 – A Dancing Van Gogh (2017)

Tours

Main article: List of Stefanie Sun concert tours

Concert tours

• Start World Tour (2002–2004)
• Stefanie Sun World Tour Concert (2005–2006)
• The Answer is World Tour (2009–2010)
• Kepler World Tour (2014–2015)
• Aut Nihilo: Sun Yanzi in Concert (2025–2026)

Filmography

Film

References

References

1. Auto, Hermes. (2021-07-23). "Singer Stefanie Sun spends 43rd birthday at home {{!}} The Straits Times".
2. "台灣專輯銷量盤點之2005，王力宏蔡依林第二第三，周杰倫四連冠!".
3. (29 May 2018). "台灣專輯銷量盤點之2005，王力宏蔡依林第二第三，周杰倫四連冠!".
4. "Singapore Singing Sensation Stefanie Sun Receives Orchid Named After Her".
5. (28 April 2021). "有人称孙燕姿是冷门歌手 肖战为自己偶像反黑：离谱".
6. (8 July 2023). "盘点2007年台湾最畅销专辑周杰伦蔡依林华语金曲音乐推荐华语".
7. (2010-04-12). "音乐风云榜十年盛典举行_新闻中心_新浪网".
8. (2015-03-30). "Stefanie Sun observes minute of silence for Mr Lee Kuan Yew at Shenzhen concert". The Straits Times.
9. (12 March 2021). "43岁孙燕姿演唱会泡汤？年轻时专找圈外男，竟然嫁被收养的荷兰人_丈夫". Sohu Entertainment.
10. (12 December 2017). "14 interesting things to know about Stefanie Sun".
11. "More than 240 million people tune in to watch Stefanie Sun sing in virtual concert".
12. (2022-05-30). "Stefanie Sun apologises for technical issues during online concert".
13. (2025-04-06). "Concert review: Stefanie Sun makes grand return to concert scene after a decade". The Straits Times.
14. (1 December 2018). "About Be An Idea". Be An Idea.
15. (3 February 2012). "The Good Bean Consultancy". xinmsn.
16. (8 May 2011). "Stefanie Sun wedding". todayonline.
17. (31 October 2012). "Stefanie Sun has given birth to a boy, 3.4 kg". The Straits Times.
18. (30 July 2018). "Stefanie Sun gives birth to second child". Channel NewsAsia.