When Jam Hsiao was 20, the then-restaurant singer captured the attention of Taiwanese television watchers with his star turn on the debut season of One Million Star. While he didn't go on to win the show, his powerful voice and coyly shy presence led to his workplace becoming packed during all of his shifts — and to Taiwanese Puyuma pop superstar A-Mei inviting her to duet with him on "A Moment," a deeply felt ballad and Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year nominee. That further catapulted Hsiao to fame, and he signed a record deal in 2008.

Jam Hsiao, his 2008 self-titled debut, was a smash in Taiwan, debuting at No. 1 on G-Music's Mandarin and Combo charts and spawning three of the year's biggest singles. That year, he also had a cameo in the massively popular Taiwanese drama Fated to Love You and published Listening to Italy, a travelogue about his time there. Over the following years, Hsiao released albums full of Mandarin pop originals and tributes to the singers who inspired him; his 2009 album Love Moments focused on songs made famous by Mandopop superstars like Stefanie Sun and his former duet partner A-Mei, while his 2012 release Mr. Jazz: A Song for You featured his versions of Western pop hits like Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love" and Stevie Wonder's "For Once in My Life." He also got deeper into acting, winning the Best New Actor Award at the 2012 Hong Kong Golden Film Awards for his title role in the 2011 thriller The Killer Who Never Kills. In 2016, Hsiao formed the rock band Lion, whose harder-edged sounds call back to his youthful Bon Jovi fandom. The band have released two albums in the years since, while Hsiao's most recent solo album, Reflection of Desire, brings more rock influences into his sound. A decade into his career, Hsiao's voice is still mighty, putting on theatrical affairs that use innovative staging to show off his wide range of musical talents.