Wang Leehom: Struggling with scandal, his return was still welcomed, and he just did something shocking

Once known as a genius star with a charming appearance, Wang Leehom's reputation collapsed due to a series of personal scandals. After a long period of hiding, he officially returned to the music scene but continued to cause controversy.

Wang Leehom (born May 17, 1976) is a Taiwanese singer and songwriter. Albums such as Revolution (2000), Heroes of Earth (2005), and Your Love (2015) have helped him become one of the most famous singers in Asia, winning 4 Golden Melody Awards - considered the GRAMMY of Taiwan. Besides his singing career, he has also developed his acting career and achieved many successes.

Wang Leehom was born in Rochester, New York. His father, a pediatrician, moved to the United States with his mother to study in the early 1960s. Influenced by his older brother, Leo Wang, who had studied violin since the age of 7, Wang Leehom began to show interest in music at the age of 3.

The artist once asked his mother to let him learn to play the violin, but she refused because he was too young. When he was 6, his mother finally let him take violin lessons to perform with his older brother. When he grew up, Wang Leehom also learned piano and practiced guitar at home. He also worked part-time to buy himself a used drum set.

With a passion for music, Wang Leehom attended Williams College to study music and East Asian studies. He then went on to study composition and jazz piano for two semesters at Berklee College of Music. In 1995, he signed a professional recording contract while in Taiwan visiting his grandparents.

Since then, Wang Leehom has become one of the pioneers in innovating the Chinese music industry. He is active in every field from composing, producing, writing lyrics to directing his own music videos.

Although Wang Leehom had only recently learned Chinese, he was still able to write Chinese lyrics for many songs. His talent was also demonstrated through his performances of the piano, violin, drums, guitar, bass, vibraphone, harmonica, erhu, moon lute, zither, flute, and many other instruments in his music products and live shows.

The artist was even invited to be the conductor of the famous Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, becoming the first Asian pop singer to have this honor. His background and experience in music encouraged him to experiment with many genres and continue to create his own music, which is a combination of traditional and modern music.

At the peak of his career, at the end of 2021, Wang Leehom's image collapsed when his ex-wife Li Jinglei posted a long article online, exposing him for having a chaotic personal life, treating her like a "child-bearing machine", having multiple affairs with many people, including prostitutes, and neglecting his children.

Not only did he lose his reputation, the scandal also caused Wang Leehom to suffer heavy financial losses when he faced a wave of "boycotts" from a series of brands. Notably, Japanese car company Infiniti announced the end of the contract, removing his performance video just 30 hours after the collaboration. Infiniti later sued the Taiwanese star, demanding compensation of 20 million yuan (about 2.75 million USD).

In addition, many leading TV stations in mainland China also confirmed that Wang Leehom's artistic activities were completely "frozen". Event organizers and Chinese TV stations showed their backs by canceling all performances of the singer born in 1976.

After things gradually calmed down, instead of being buried in the crisis, Wang Leehom chose music as a way to affirm: he is still here, and still alive. The male singer returned to the stage and was gradually welcomed by the audience with open arms. Many of the musical genius's performances were even sold out, packed with seats.

On March 27, 2025, the China Times reported that the Japanese car company Infiniti suddenly restarted the compensation dispute involving Wang Leehom's company. The trial is scheduled to take place on April 28 at the Jinshan District People's Court in Shanghai.

According to legal documents, the plaintiff is Infiniti Automobile Company, and the defendant is West East Music Company (Shanghai), with legal representative Wang Leehom. Immediately after that, the 7X singer responded, saying that this was an old lawsuit and it was unclear why the other side was re-opening it at this time.

"The lawsuit is old. We won the related lawsuit before. Now Infiniti is re-initiating the lawsuit at this time. This is very unusual, they may announce information about this year's new model in the next few days, and their motive will definitely cause a lot of speculation. Our legal team will actively respond and use the law to clarify everything," representative Wang Leehom said.

On April 11, Wang Leehom returned to the music "race" with the single I'm Alive - a powerful declaration of the journey to stand up after the storm. The song's MV quickly created an "underground wave" when it surpassed 10,000 views shortly after its release. Although not a huge number, for an artist who had been heavily "cancelled", this is a good sign.

The highlight of the MV that made it go viral was the scene where Wang Leehom personally burned a real piano. No CGI, no special effects, just real flames, black smoke, and his face standing silently in the ashes. In the behind-the-scenes video, the singer shared: "I don't feel bad for my face... I just feel bad for my piano - it turned into chewing gum."

The haunting visual image is not simply meant to be "shocking" but also a powerful metaphor for burning down prejudices, judgments, and old versions of Wang Leehom himself, only to be reborn in music, like a phoenix rising from the ashes. A bold, courageous, and emotional artistic message.

However, the spread has also brought with it a lot of controversy. Some viewers believe that burning the guitar is "wasteful", "irresponsible to the environment", or even "a trick to show financial power".

In the face of controversy, Wang Leehom’s team quickly spoke up to confirm: the instrument used was a specially designed prop, not an ancient or valuable instrument. The entire filming process was guaranteed to be safe, with no impact on people or the environment.

From the height of fame to the depths of scandal, from perfect image to noisy controversy - Wang Leehom has experienced all the ups and downs of an artist's life. And now, with "I'm Alive", he is bravely putting an end to the past, opening a new chapter for his life and artistic career.

Vuong Luc Hoanh: The genius star who collapsed because of adultery living in a wild life is now lonely without a place to live? N.P16:52:07 13/12/2022Wang Leehom has been revered as a top idol in Taiwan for more than 20 years. But everything collapsed in an instant when he was accused of adultery by his wife, living a libertine life. At the age of 45, this star's career is almost over. Vuong Luc Hoanh is a Taiwanese-American...