Queenzy Cheng | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cheng Koon Si 26 February 1986 |
| Died | 28 November 2023 (aged 37) Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
| Years active | 1994–2023 |
| Musical career | |
| Also known as | Cheng Koon Si (莊群施) |
| Genres | Pop Mandopop Classical Musical theatre |
| Website | https://www.queenzycheng.com |
Queenzy Cheng Koon Si (Chinese: 庄群施; pinyin: Zhuāng Qúnshī; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chng Kûn-si; 26 February 1986 – 28 November 2023) was a Malaysian actress and singer.
Early in her career, she briefly used the stage name Queenz, adapting the American way of pronouncing Z (pronounced /kwiːn’zi/).
| Queenzy Cheng | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 莊群施 | ||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 庄群施 | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Queenzy Cheng was born on 26 February 1986. Her musical career began when she was five, performing solo in a relative's wedding reception.[1] She gradually transformed into an artiste, launching her debut at the age of eight. Famous for releasing Chinese New Year albums over the last two decades, Queenzy also performed across other genres, from classical music to musical theatre and pop.
Following her success of her albums, Queenzy collectively formed M-Girls (四个女生) in 2001 with three other emerging artistes; Angeline Khoo, Cass Chin and Crystal Ong. The M-Girls' debut album and subsequent releases won multiple awards,[2] and M-Girls was quickly dubbed the S.H.E of Malaysia. Their albums were not only the fastest-selling albums in the history of Malaysian Chinese New Year albums, but also in the Asian region.[2] To date, M-Girls have released more than 17 albums.[2]
In 2017, Queenzy collaborated with Taiwanese model Tom Chang (張瀚元) to release the single titled "Don't Be Shy" (愛).[3] The single was recorded in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and filmed in Taipei, Taiwan. On 9 October 2017, Queenzy announced on her Facebook page that she would be releasing her 2018 Chinese New Year album solo, since M-Girls were taking a break.[4][non-primary source needed] She also invited her fans to participate by submitting their lyrics to be part of that year's album.[4] Queenzy revealed that she was releasing the 2018 You Are The Best! album with guest celebrities including Wei Wei (⼩薇薇), John Wee (黄俊源) and Tedd Chan (曾国辉) on 15 November 2017.[5][non-primary source needed]
In 2018, Queenzy collaborated with Crystal Ong to reproduce an online single similar to their 1995 album 双星报喜 (Double Stars Bring Luck). They reproduced the song "招财进宝" ("Lucky Fortune") with almost identical costumes, composition and filming methods.[6] On 15 October 2018, Queenzy announced that she would release her album Queenzy and Friends in 2019 with guest celebrities including Chan,[7][non-primary source needed] Veron Lin (练倩汶)[8][non-primary source needed] as well as PongPong (碰碰),[9][non-primary source needed] Jeii Pong (庞捷忆), and Gaston Pong (庞圭武).
On 28 November 2023, Cheng died suddenly from a ruptured brain aneurysm at age 37 while filming a video for a short-form social media channel called "Squad Sekawan".[10][11]