Chinese Canadian artist, Kris Wu, has been named ambassador for NFL China and will perform during the Super Bowl Live concert series this Saturday.
Wu, who lives in Richmond part-time, is often spotted playing basketball at the Richmond Olympic Oval, and dining at local Chinese restaurants. His performance on Saturday Feb. 3 will mark the first time a Chinese artist has performed at the Super Bowl.
“It is my pleasure to be named ambassador to one of the world’s most recognizable sports and entertainment events,” said Wu in a press release.
NFL China Managing Director Richard Young said "Kris Wu is an extremely talented individual and will be a great representative for NFL's rapidly growing fan base in China.”
Wu is a top singer and actor in China, and currently has 28 million fans on Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like platform, and 5.6 million fans on Instagram. His newly released single “Deserve” hit the number one spot on iTunes recently.
Wu was born in 1990 in Guangzhou, China. He immigrated to Canada with his mom when he was 10.
He went to Korea in 2007 and became a member of the popular Asian band EXO in 2012. After spending several years in Korea with the band, he went back to mainland China where he became an instant hit, starring in popular films such as Mr. Six and Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back.
Wu also frequently participates in international events. He walked the Burberry runway in 2016 at London Fashion Week and made his Hollywood debut in 2017 with xXx: Return of Xander Cage. He is also a competitive basketball player and has played at the NBA All-Stars in 2016 and 2017.