S.H.E are a Taiwanese Mandopop girl group with members Selina Jen, Hebe Tien, and Ella Chen. They formed in 2001 under the management of HIM International Music but decided not to renew their contract in 2019, with members forming their own individual management companies.
S.H.E achieved commercial success in the 2000s and has remained active for more than a decade. Since releasing their debut album Girls' Dorm (2001), the group has recorded 13 albums with sales totaling more than 10 million,Available Taiwanese/Asian album sales from 2001-2012:Youth Society: CCTV.com Music. Genesis . August 1, 2005. Retrieved February 6, 2007. Genesis, Super Star: Taiwan releases year-end sales charts; Jolin beats Jay. December 14, 2006. Retrieved June 1, 2014. Magical Journey: Eastday News SHE《奇幻旅程》贏得"滿堂彩" 大辦慶功會 . May 21, 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2007. Encore: The Beijing Times. (Hosted by Sohu.com Music) The voices of these unique songs maintain high standards, S.H.E takes you on a Magical Journey . August 8, 2005. Retrieved February 6, 2007. Play: enorth.com.cn S.H.E新专辑《Play》在台湾销量已达15万张，中国有50万张销量 June 5, 2007. Retrieved July 1, 2007. Together (Best Collection): MTV 200. S.H.E's newest album, Youth Society. Retrieved June 1, 2014. Since Super Star and Together combined for 580,000 copies, and Super Star sold 300,000+, then it can be assumed that Together sold around 280,000. Forever (Best Collection 2003–2006): sohu.com Jay Chou beats Jolin Tsai; new version of year-end sales chart released . January 5, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2007. and set ticketing records in each of their two concert tours. They have also acted in seven drama series, hosted two variety shows, and contributed ten songs to six drama soundtracks. Han, Lei, Shi Xisheng and Kan Wenting. World of Warcraft promotion turns into a fans' meeting . June 16, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2007. Sina.com. S.H.E to star in World of Warcraft, Coca-Cola Commercial June 20, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2007.
Career
2001–2003: Pre-debut, Girls Dorm, Youth Co., Ltd., Genesis, Together and Super Star
Before releasing S.H.E's first album, HIM International focused on the group's chemistry, and assigned the three girls to live together in a dormitory room. S.H.E's Life Story, Part 3: The Days in the Girls Dormitory . September 14, 2004. Retrieved September 3, 2007. Selina revealed in 2009 that their English names were also changed to fit the group name. Selina named herself Cola, while Hebe was called Anita, while Ella called herself Water pre-debut.
S.H.E released their debut album Girls' Dorm on September 11, 2001; the album title stems from the memories of the group members of their prior living quarters. The album experienced commercial success despite being released on the same day as the September 11 attacks, selling 150,000 copies in Taiwan and 750,000 copies throughout Asia. On January 29, 2002, S.H.E's second album, Youth Society, was released and went on to sell more than 250,000 copies and over 1.25 million in Asia. CCTV.com Music. Genesis (album review). August 1, 2005. Retrieved February 6, 2007. With the release of this album, S.H.E Girl Friends underwent a name change and became simply S.H.E. The trio's third album, Genesis, was released on August 5, 2002, approximately six months after Youth Society. Continuing the successes of the group's previous albums, 20,000 copies of Genesis were ordered in advance of the release date. The album would go on to sell 180,000 copies and over 1.75 million in Asia. The entertainment industry in a crisis; S.H.E's popularity drops. November 11, 2005. Retrieved February 23, 2007. S.H.E later signed an endorsement deal with N-age, a South Korean online game company. Not only did N-age appear in a couple of music videos, but they also sponsored S.H.E's first major concert in Tainan City, the N-age Genesis Concert, which attracted over 20,000 fans. N-age. S.H.E and N-age sing in a Beautiful New World (Genesis) . August 27, 2002. Retrieved February 6, 2007. On January 23, 2003, S.H.E released Together, their first compilation album which sold over 2 million copies.
S.H.E's fourth album was intended for release on August 6, but due to Ella experiencing an injury, Super Star arrived in stores on August 22, 2003. Hitoradio. S.H.E - Super Star . Retrieved April 4, 2007. The album featured the group's first pop/rock song, "Super Star", which, for ten consecutive weeks, placed no lower than fourth on Singapore's YES 933 music charts selling more than 2.75 million copies.YES 93.3 Music Charts - Week 37 (September 14). 2003. Retrieved February 15, 2007. YES 93.3 Music Charts - Week 46 (November 16). 2003. Retrieved February 15, 2007. To date, Together and Super Star have combined to sell 580,000 copies; MTV 200. S.H.E's newest album, Youth Society. Retrieved February 6, 2007. 250,000 copies of Super Star were sold in Taiwan alone. HIM's official press release for Super Star . Retrieved July 25, 2007.
2004–2005: Magical Journey, Fantasy Land World Tour and Once Upon a Time
On February 6, 2004, S.H.E released their fifth album, Magical Journey, in two different versions: a Magical Version and a Journey Version. The two versions combined to sell 2.5 million copies in Asia, Eastday News. S.H.E's Magical Journey wins "Man Tang Cai"; holds victory celebration . May 21, 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2007. including 160,000 copies in Taiwan alone. On June 2, S.H.E and HIM International agreed to extend the trio's contract, Popular group S.H.E to hold a concert in the mainland in October; will enter North America next year . June 3, 2004. Retrieved November 18, 2007. which would have expired in October 2005. Record label warns that one needs to wholeheartedly further one's enterprise; for five years, the group S.H.E has been banned from marrying . June 5, 2004. Retrieved November 18, 2007. Later that year, on September 4, 2004, S.H.E began their first major tour, the Fantasy Land Tour. The tour started in Taipei, where more than 25,000 attendees were present, QQ Entertainment. Superwomen S.H.E sit down for an interview; Ella calls Selina "wifey" . August 17, 2005. Retrieved February 15, 2007. and ended in Genting Highlands, Malaysia. During their concert at the Hongkou Stadium, the trio set an attendance record. Sina.com Entertainment. S.H.E to hold a concert in Shanghai next month, with Jay Chou, Will Pan, and Tank as guest stars . June 23, 2006. Retrieved February 4, 2007.Sina.com did not reveal what the previous attendance record was. The tour raked in NT$22.4 million in gate receipts. The earnings of Taiwan's most popular celebrities are revealed. April 29, 2005. Retrieved April 30, 2007. The release of S.H.E's sixth album, Encore, was pushed to November 12, 2004, to accommodate Selina's graduation from university in late November. Encore sold two million units in Asia within one week of its release; S.H.E's new album sales break the 1 million mark; main zhuda is about Ella's first love. December 1, 2004. Retrieved February 24, 2007. since then, that number has surpassed 2 million. The Beijing Times. (Hosted by Sohu.com Music) The voices of these unique songs maintain high standards, S.H.E takes you on a Magical Journey . August 8, 2005. Retrieved February 6, 2007. By the time Encore was due for release, media outlets had already begun labelling S.H.E as "The Number One Girl Group" (). Eastday Entertainment. Six albums are not enough, S.H.E's seventh album, Encore, is youthful and wonderful . November 11, 2004. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
S.H.E had released albums every few months until the end of 2004. However, due to their busy concert schedule, it was over a year until their next album appeared. After releasing Encore, they contributed to the Reaching for the Stars soundtrack, which sold only 50,000 copies. That same year, the girl group Twins released their first Mandarin album, Trainee Cupid, in the Taiwanese market. That album would sell 800,000 copies in two months. Li Zhiming. Guangxi News. Twins turn into Trainee Cupids in Beijing; first Mandarin album sells 800,000 copies . March 30, 2005. Retrieved February 23, 2007. The poor sales of the soundtrack and the success of the Twins album led to this period being described as one of the lowest times of S.H.E's career. May 24 - Girl group S.H.E are guests on "Chinese Music Charts" . May 24, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2007. On November 25, 2005, the trio finally released their seventh album, Once Upon a Time. The album not only set a record with 50,000 pre-orders, but it sold more than two million copies, overshadowing Trainee Cupid. Once Upon a Time debuted on the G-music Chinese language album charts at #1, retained that position for four consecutive weeks, and stayed on the charts for a total of 13 weeks. G-Music album charts. Retrieved February 23, 2007. Select "2006" under the year menu, choose week 6. The album's title track, "Don't Wanna Grow Up" (), won Song of the Year at Hong Kong’s TVB8 Awards. 2006 Hong Kong TVB8 Awards - List of Award Winners . December 17, 2006. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
2006–2007: Forever, The Moving Castle World Tour and Play
On July 21, 2006, S.H.E released a second compilation album, Forever, which sold over 150,000 copies within a week. S.H.E's success extends over a week, kisses around with male fans. July 29, 2006. Retrieved May 5, 2007. The album featured five new songs, a compilation of older works, and three songs from older drama soundtracks. Forever included many collaborative works with other artists in the Taiwanese pop music industry. C-pop megastar Jay Chou composed "Electric Shock" () for the album. The song "Solo Madrigal" () was a duet between Selina and Tank, the latter of whom had originally recorded the song for his debut album. For the Tokyo Juliet soundtrack, Hebe and boyband Fahrenheit sang "Only Have Feelings for You" (), which won several awards including Taiwan's Best Duet Song at the 2006 Sprite China Music Awards. Sprite Music Awards - Aaron Kwok reaps 6 major awards . January 21, 2007.