Agnes Chan - Career

Career

Agnes Chan began singing and playing guitar in her junior high years in Hong Kong, as volunteer work for fundraising events. She had a chance to record a cover of Joni Mitchell's "The Circle Game" with her elder sister, actress Irene Chan, and it became a hit song in Hong Kong. She became famous throughout southeast Asia through several of Chang Cheh's movies, including Young People and The Generation Gap.

Chan was brought to Japan by Japanese singer/songwriter Masaaki Hirao. In 1972 she recorded her first Japanese pop hit, "Poppy Flower (ひなげしの花)." Her clear voice, pretty looks, and imperfect Japanese made her a teenage idol. In 1973, Chan's third single, "Splendor in the Grass (草原の輝き)," earned her the Japan Record Grand Prix "Rookie of the Year" award. She graduate from The American School in Japan in 1973.

Chan enrolled in Tokyo's Sophia University and studied for two years, after which she decided to take a break from the entertainment business and study social child psychology at the University of Toronto in Canada.

After graduating in 1978, Chan returned to Japan to resume her singing career. Her first Cantonese album was released in Hong Kong in 1979. She won a prize for her peace thesis for International Youth Year, 1984. Her first concert in China, a benefit for Soong Ching-ling's child fund, was held in 1985 at Beijing's capital gym for an audience of 54,000.

Chan's 1984 visit to Ethiopia during a drastic drought and food shortage was covered for the Nippon Television Network's annual "24-Hour TV" charity special. Through these events, she began volunteer work once again, aside from continuing her entertainment career.

In 1986, Chan married her former manager, Tsutomu Kaneko, and gave birth to her eldest son in Canada. After returning to Japan the following year, she began bringing her infant son to the workplace. This was seen as highly controversial ("Agnes" became something of a buzzword in Japan) and raised the question of a mother's place in the working world.

In 1989, Chan began studying with Stanford University's department of education. During her stay in the United States, she gave birth to her second son. With Myra H. Strober, Chan investigated the situations of ten graduates from Tokyo University and Stanford ten years after their graduation. This showed significant differences between the men and women of Japan and the U.S., and earned Chan her Ph.D. Chan returned to Japan as a lecturer, essayist, and university professor.

In 1996, Chan gave birth to her 3rd son.

In 1998, Chan was appointed the first ambassador of the Japan Committee for UNICEF, established as an independent local non-governmental organization in Japan, under agreement with UNICEF.

Chan's education had a profound impact on her singing career - by the year 2000, her recordings had taken a darker, moodier tone.

In 2002, Chan began her work as a novelist with Perfect Couple and Bullet Ring.

Chan released her first self-cover single, "Splendor in the Grass 2005 (草原の輝き2005)," in 2005, and it was used as a TV commercial song for a herbal tea by Asahi beverage. Chan's latest single is "Flower of Happiness (しあわせの花)". She won the 14th Pestalozzi Education Award presented by Hiroshima University on October.

Her new English-language album Forget Yourself, including a duet with the legendary Chinese performer, Jackie Chan, was released in the United States in February 2006.

Chan is planning to release 3 Japanese new singles on the peace during 2007 and making an album. She's also planning to perform 35th anniversary concerts in about 100 of Japanese cities and Beijing, China in 2007 and 2008.

In October, 2007 it was reported that Chan had undergone surgery for breast cancer in a Tokyo Hospital, and is expected to make a full recovery.

Since April 2009, Chan has been the dean of the Agnes University, an unaccredited virtual university (not to be confused with accredited St. Agnes College in Kyoto) founded by Record China Co., where an honorary Bachelor's degree is awarded on completion of twelve essays of 10-400 words.

Her eldest son, Arthur, graduated from Stanford University in 2009. Her 2nd son, Alex, studies music at the same university, and has gained some attention through his acoustic YouTube performances. And her youngest son, Apollo, studies in Japan.

She is a Roman Catholic.