F4 (band)

History

2001: ''Meteor Garden'' and Formation

The group formed as a result of the success of a Taiwanese drama series, Meteor Garden. The series is an adaptation of the Japanese shōjo manga series Hana Yori Dango. Yan plays the lead role of Dao Ming Si, an extremely arrogant and rich college student who meets his match in the poor but proud girl, Shan Cai. Chou, Wu and Chu play his friends Hua Ze Lei, Mei Zuo, and Xi Men, respectively. In the series, the four men identify themselves as a group called "Flower Four", often shortened as F4.

Meteor Garden was released in Taiwan in 2001 and propelled its leads to pan-Asian fame. A sequel, Meteor Garden II, was released in 2002.

2001–2004: ''Meteor Rain'' and ''Fantasy 4ever''

In 2001, F4 became a boy band and signed a record deal with Sony Music Taiwan. In the same year they released their debut album, Meteor Rain, and in the following year they released Fantasy 4ever. The album includes the Mandarin version of "Can't Help Falling in Love" that they recorded for the Asian version of Walt Disney's Lilo & Stitch soundtrack, a Mandarin version of "Yo Te Amo" by Chayanne, and a Pepsi advertisement theme song "Ask For More".

From 2002 to 2003, F4 held the Fantasy Live World Tour spanning 19 shows across 12 cities, which attracted a total audience of 570,000 to 600,000 people. In 2003, they embarked on an Asian tour to support Fantasy 4ever, and went on an unannounced hiatus in 2004 afterwards as the members began to focus on their solo careers.

2007–2009: ''Waiting for You'' and name change to JVKV

On April 29, 2007, Meteor Garden producer Angie Chai announced that the group would no longer be known as F4. The change in name stemmed from copyright-related issues. Japanese publisher Shueisha, who owns the copyright to Hana Yori Dango allowed the group to use F4 as its band name in 2001. However, as Japan had filmed and aired its own live action version of the manga, to avoid confusion over the name in different countries, the Taiwanese group was renamed JVKV using the initials of each member, by the order of their birth dates from oldest to youngest. However, the name JVKV has never gained recognition, nor has it replaced F4 in popular usage.

Three F4 members appeared in Wish To See You Again, starring Chou and Chu, while Wu made a few guest appearances in a few episodes. Due to scheduling conflicts, Yan did not star in the series; his part was played by Kingone Wang. Despite rumours of disbanding, JVKV released their third album, Waiting For You, on December 28, 2007. Their third album still bore the name F4, instead of JVKV. In 2008, F4 held a tour in Japan, making them the first foreign artists to host 7 consecutive concerts in the country, which attracted around 80,000 people.

2010–present: Solo careers and reunions

F4 had performed twice together after their announcement of disbanding in 2009. In January 2013, the group was confirmed to perform at Jiangsu TV's Spring Festival Gala in China along with Harlem Yu. The performance was taped in Beijing on January 30, 2013, and was aired on February 10, 2013. During the show, they hinted that they were going to have a concert tour in China, which did not come to fruition. On October 30, 2020, at Jiangsu TV’s "1001 Night Festival" concert, Wu appeared live on stage, while his bandmates’ pre-recorded performances were projected via holograms, allowing them to share the stage with him during the broadcast.

On July 12, 2025, the group reunited at the Mayday concert 5525 Back to That Day Tour in Taipei, Taiwan. In December 2025, three F4 members, Yan, Chou, and Wu, launched a concert tour without Chu, beginning in Shanghai. The tour’s music producer and chief planner was Ashin of Mayday.

Members

• Jerry Yan (言承旭)
• Vanness Wu (吳建豪)
• Ken Chu (朱孝天)
• Vic Chou (周渝民)

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Live albums

Video albums

Filmography

Concerts

Main article: List of F4 live performances

• Meteor Garden F4 Music Party (2001–2002)
• Fantasy Live Concert World Tour (2002–2003)
• F4 Japan Tour (2008)
• F Forever City of Stars Tour (2025–2026)

Awards

References

References

1. (2022-02-09). "言承旭吳建豪承認F4互相嫉妒 決定解散反而鬆一口氣".
2. (June 16, 2006). "CNN.com – F4 Talkasia Transcript – Jun 16, 2006". CNN.
3. (June 26, 2002). "F4主唱《星际宝贝》横袭好莱坞 F4 singers hit Hollywood in ''Lilo & Stitch''". NETandTV.com.
4. (2025-06-05). "F4傳出道25週年將合體開唱! 仔仔鬆口曝內幕".
5. (2025-06-05). "F4要合体开演唱会了，青春回忆值多少钱？".
6. Wang, Vivien. (April 29, 2007). "Boy band changes name F4 into JVKV". [[China Daily]].
7. (May 14, 2007). "''Boys over Flowers'' Forces F4 Idol Band to Rename Itself". [[Anime News Network]].
8. {{in lang. zh [http://ent.163.com/07/0502/09/3DFROM19000327RF.html F4嫌新称呼JVKV绕口 合体宣传用回本名]. May 2, 2007. Retrieved December 30, 2007.
9. (August 31, 2007). "F4 to Formally Disband in October". [[China Radio International.
10. ":: 新力博德曼音樂 [新聞] :: SONY BMG Music Entertainment (Taiwan) ::".
11. (2015-03-04). "F4、初の日本公演は「いままでと違う」".
12. Belmonte, Maureen Marie. (January 11, 2013). "'Meteor Garden'{{'s}} F4 To Reunite at China's Spring Festival". The Manila Bulletin.
13. (February 1, 2013). "F4 arrives in beijing for spring festival gala". xinMSN.
14. (February 1, 2013). "F4 performs in million dollar costumes". xinMSN.
15. Merican, Sara. "Iconic Taiwanese Boyband F4 Makes An Unconventional Reunion".
16. "Meteor Garden's boy band F4 thrills fans with surprise reunion".
17. "“一秒售罄”背后的演唱会经济：F4与阿信合体，撬动消费热潮".
18. "G-Music 風雲榜 (綜合榜)".
19. "F4のアルバム売上TOP3作品".
20. "F4的诱惑_三联生活周刊".
21. Benke, Benny. (2003-01-11). ""Fantasy 4-ever" Benar-benar Fantastis". [[Suara Merdeka]].
22. (2021-11-01). "亚洲偶像团体F4当年到底有多红 创造的神话至今无人能及-明星-福州便民网".
23. IFPI Hong Kong [http://www.ifpihk.org/www_1/go22e.php 2002 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards winners list] {{webarchive. link. (July 2, 2012 Retrieved April 19, 2011)
24. IFPI Hong Kong [http://www.ifpihk.org/www_1/go21e.php 2003 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards winners list] {{webarchive. link. (February 19, 2012 Retrieved April 19, 2011)
25. (2003-01-24). "AVRIL LAVIGNE, LINKIN PARK WIN BIG AT MTV ASIA AWARDS".