Xilinnayi Gao (Chinese: 希林娜依·高; pinyin: Xīlínnàyī·Gāo; Uyghur: شىرىن اي گائو Shirinay Gaw; born July 31, 1998), professionally known by her stage name Curley G or Curley Gao, is a Chinese singer-songwriter. She first gained attention in 2017 on the Chinese singing competition show Sing! China. In 2020, she participated in the survival show Produce Camp 2020, finishing first and debuting as the center of the girl group BonBon Girls 303. She was elected as the leader of BonBon Girls 303. In July 2022, she released her first EP to mark the beginning of her solo career.
Curley Gao | |||||||
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希林娜依·高 شىرىن اي گائو | |||||||
| Born | Shirinay Gao Xilinnayi Gao July 31, 1998 | ||||||
| Nationality | Chinese | ||||||
| Other names | Curley G | ||||||
| Education | MacPherson Primary School Dunman High School Berklee College of Music | ||||||
| Occupations |
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| Musical career | |||||||
| Genres | |||||||
| Instrument(s) | Vocals | ||||||
| Years active | 2017–present | ||||||
| Labels |
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| Formerly of | |||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 希林娜依·高 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 希林娜依·高 | ||||||
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Early life
Curley Gao was born on July 31, 1998, in Beijing, China.[1] She is the only daughter of a Han Chinese father from Beijing and a Uighur mother from Xinjiang; her surname Gao is a common Han Chinese surname, while her parents decided to give her an Uighur first name, Shirinay, which is transcribed in Pinyin as "Xilinnayi".
She was raised in Beijing until the age of 9 and later moved to Singapore with her parents. In Singapore, she attended MacPherson Primary School and Dunman High School. In the United States, attending Berkley School of Music, she took on the English name "Curley".[2] She started learning piano as a child and has passed ABRSM Grade 8 piano.[3] In 2012, she finished as a finalist in the songwriting competition Eco Music Challenge with her song This Is Our Paradise.[4] She also wrote a few songs and released them on her SoundCloud when she was in middle and high school .
Career
2016–2019: Sing! China and college life
Curley Gao auditioned for Sing! China season 1 in 2016 but did not make it through the blind audition.[2] She auditioned again for Sing! China season 2 in 2017 and eventually finished as runner-up of the team mentored by Na Ying.[5]
After the show, she signed with 梦响强音. On December 18, 2017, she released her first song 惹哭自己 which was included in 梦想在望, the compilation album of fellow Sing! China contestants. She released several singles with 梦响强音 later, including 颗粒季, the first single written by herself.[6]
In January 2019, she moved to Boston and began her study in Berklee College of Music.[7] While in college, she collaborated with different producers and released several songs independently.
2020–2022: Produce Camp 2020, BonBon Girls 303
In early 2020, Curley Gao returned to China and appeared on Tencent's girl group survival show Produce Camp 2020. On July 4, She finished in first place and debuted as the center of BonBon Girls 303.[8] Before the debut, her first EP 停不下来 was released when she was still on the show.[9]
On August 11, 2020, it was announced that Curley Gao was elected as the team leader of BonBon Girls 303.[10]
On August 12, her single 2030，我想对你说 (2030, I want to tell you) was released as the theme song of the United Nations 2020 International Youth Day Dialogue. She gave a speech titled 用克制生活换更好的未来 (Self-control for a better future) and performed the theme song live as one of the Chinese Youth Advocates for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals at the event.[11] On August 25, she released two special versions of the theme song for the 9th Fight Night of League of Legends, titled Fight of your life (English version) and 战斗的乐章 (Chinese version).[12][13] She appeared on The Coming One: SUPER BAND on August 30 and collaborated with the band 水果星球 on an original song Stay With Me.[14]
On September 26, she performed as a guest of Xiaoshenyang in the finale of Crossover Singer season 5.[15] From October to December, she teamed up with Joey Yung in Dragon Television's singing competition show Our Song season 2, and the duo stayed for 6 episodes.[16]
On December 16, the original soundtrack of TV drama Legend of Fei, which includes a song 红尘莫欺我年少 performed by Curley Gao, was released.[17] Which later on January 19, 2021, Curley Gao won The Most Popular Film and TV OST Female Singer with 红尘莫欺我年少 on QQ Music Film and TV OST Popularity Awards 2020.
In January 2021, Curley Gao appeared on Tencent Video's variety show 令人心动的offer and Hunan Television's Happy Camp as a guest. In September 2021, Curley Gao participated on Masked Dancing King as "Naughty Boss (顽皮老板)". She proceeded to go to the final and won The Most Promising awards.
On January 4, 2022 Kappa China Official announced that Curley along with INTO1's Mika will be their Youth Ambassador. In March 2022, Curley joined The Treasured Voice 3rd Season as a participant.
Curley Gao is also Coach Watch Brand Spokesperson.
On July 4, 2022 BonBon Girls 303 had officially disbanded due to their contract. Curley wrote their final song as a bonus.
2022–present: Solo Career
On midnight July 5, 2022, Curley Gao Studio announced her first EP 《吾》will be released on July 12.
On July 18, 2022, Curley Gao was appointed as Maybelline New York Brand Ambassador.
In 2024, she was featured as the singer for "Emberfire" for the Genshin Impact animated short "The Song Burning in the Embers", which was recorded by HOYO-MiX.
Discography
Extended plays
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions (TME Uni Chart) | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
(TME Uni Chart) | |||
| 停不下来停不下来 Can't Stop |
Track listing
| — |
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| 阿莫希林 Amoxcillin |
Track listing
| — |
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| 吾 Wu |
Track listing
| — |
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Singles
- 希林娜依·高 refers to Curley G
| Year | Date | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 27 July | 颗粒季 | 希林娜依·高 | 希林娜依·高 | 王乐汀 | First original single |
| 2020 | 12 August | 2030，我想对你说 | New Chance/Tacey | New Chance/Tacey | New Chance/Tacey | Theme song of UN 2020 International Youth Day Dialogue |
| 25 August | Fight of your life | Unisonar | Unisonar | Unisonar | Special version of the theme song of the 9th Fight Night of League of Legends[12] | |
| 25 August | 战斗的乐章 | 洛松维、庞博 | Unisonar | Unisonar | Special Chinese version of the theme song of the 9th Fight Night of League of Legends[13] | |
| 2021 | 9 August | 无限飞驰 | earattack | earattack | earattack | NetEase's《王牌竞速》Ace Racer Pre-Season Theme Season |
| 31 December | 芳华如愿 | 林乔 | 高莹 | 陆泰名 | ||
| 2022 | April 26 | 精英不凡 | 何小熊/江珂/林嘻嘻@珈鸣音乐 | Delarge@ NUMBER K/ LEE JUN@NUMBER K/ JAYDOPE@ NUMBER K/ONAIR@NUMBER K/ K. Chozen@NUMBERK | 黎子琨/周以力 | Game For Peace 3rd Anniversary Theme Song |
| April 28 | 那年星辰 | 林乔 | 赵佳霖 | 赵佳霖 | - | |
| June 5 | 对世界说你好 | 良朋 | 唐轶 | 伍威 | 2022 World Environment Day Theme Song | |
| June 14 | 完美日 | 林乔/零 | 霍含蕾Rea | AST (a Stereo) |
Collaborations
- Curley or 希林娜依·高 refers to Curley G
| Year | Date | Title | Album | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 24 November | Venti Life | The Moon | IDO$/希林娜依·高 | IDO$ | unknown | performance with IDO$ |
| 18 August | Do You Think About Me | non-album single | Ken Gao | Ken Gao | unknown | solo performance | |
| 2019 | 21 December | Love Me Slowly | non-album single | Curley G | Curley G | Ryuk | solo performance |
| 7 December | 夜昼 | non-album single | 希林娜依·高 | LuckyMaxx/希林娜依·高 | LuckyMaxx | solo performance | |
| 1 December | U | non-album single | 希林娜依·高 | Sugar/希林娜依·高 | Sugar | solo performance | |
| 27 November | Black | ₩ of a kind | IDO$/Curley | IDO$/Curley | unknown | performance with IDO$ | |
| 21 October | Fade Out | non-album single | Curley G | LuckyMaxx/Curley G | LuckyMaxx | solo performance | |
| 24 September | Follow You | non-album single | Sugar/Curley G | Sugar/Curley G | unknown | solo performance | |
| 31 May | Lost Dreams | non-album single | 希林娜依·高 | 希林娜依·高 | AyAno | solo performance | |
| 22 March | 别对我说谎 (Don't Lie To Me) | non-album single | 吴琪萱 | 吴琪萱 李栋楠 | 吴琪萱 | solo performance | |
| 2020 | 30 August | Stay With Me | The Coming One: SUPER BAND | 张旸/希林娜依·高 | 张旸 | NIA杨心予/张子涵/ Neo牛晖/水果星球 | performed with 水果星球 |
| 2021 | 2 December | 小丑的眼泪 Tears of a Clown | 你好大学声校园厂牌作品集 | 王艺格 | 王艺格 | 杨格 | performed with 王艺格[18] |
| 30 December | 顺着风的方向 Towards Winds of Direction | non-album single | 飞行少年/ 芬达/ 小卫 | 小卫/ 飞行少年 | 小卫 @Dokodemo Door | Performed with Lisi Danni | |
| 2022 | April 8 | 向阳 | 明日来信（青年音乐文化发展计划·五四合辑） | 洋尘@JBS Music | 杨语荞@JBS Music | 陶云霏 | Performed with 郑云龙 ，王艺格 ，义掌柜 |
Soundtrack appearances
| Year | Date | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 16 December | 红尘莫欺我年少 | 张靖怡 | 刘炫豆 | 马原 | From the soundtrack of TV drama Legend of Fei[17] |
| 2021 | 19 July | 摩天轮是傻瓜 feat. Zhang Zhehan | 唐恬 | 李吉吉@Project Ace | 编曲:郑楠@SBMS Beijing | 'The Day We Lit Up The Sky' Movie OST featuring Zhang Zhehan |
| 25 July | 点亮世界 | 赵瑞麟(Ruilin Zhao) | 何美臻(Min He) | 何美臻(Min He) | 'Monster in The Forbidden City' OST (Tencent Kids Animation) | |
| 28 July | 陷入爱情 feat. INTO1's Mika | 张赢 | 石杨 | 罗锟 | 'You Are My Glory' Drama Soundtrack | |
| 14 September | 牵一双手 (Holding Hands) | 钱雷 | 钱雷 | 钱雷 | 关于我妈的一切 All About My Mother | |
| 30 November | 寂静之忆 Memory of Last Life | 陈嬛 | 邱彦诚 | 吴思毅 | 良言写意 Lie to Love OST[19] | |
| 22 December | 为我们失去的 | 唐恬 | 钱雷 | 钱雷 | 穿过寒冬拥抱你 Embrace Again OST[20] | |
| 2022 | April 24 | 寓言 | 陈曦 | 陈曦 | 闫天午 | 'Master of My Own' Ending Theme Song |
| May 14 | 那一天的我 | 李暨青 | 段炼 | 冒振瑶@TalentUnion | 'When You Be Me' Soundtrack | |
| July 20 | 唯我念 | 文芃芃/ 占逸君/ 郑兆麟 | 黄雨田 | Juno Heo @ Finn music | 《一念永恒》Animation Ending Theme Song | |
| 2024 | April 18 | Emberfire | 三寶, 项柳 | HOYO-MiX | Yang Lee | Genshin Impact Single |
Promotional songs
| Year | Date | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 12 February | 青春六百年 | 胡志敏 | 彭重远 | YE | Beijing Forbidden City promotional song |
| 2022 | 22 April | 天地开卷 | 2022 World Book Day (no official release on music platform yet) |
Songs from Produce Camp 2020
| Year | Date | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4 July | 火羽 Phoenix | 吕易秋 | KIM MYEONG KYU HANYE | KIM MYEONG KYU 许荣臻 | Episode 10 (finale), group performance |
| 27 June | 这是我一直想对你说的话 | 吕易秋 | 郑楠 | 郑楠 | Episode 8, group performance | |
| 27 June | Ice Queen | 易水寒 | Anne Judith Stokke Wik Ronny Vidar Svendsen LIONCHLD | LIONCHLD Dsign Music 许荣臻 | Episode 8, group performance |
Sing! China single collections
| Year | Date | Title | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 8 February | 世界为你醒来 | 世界为你醒来 | Charity song by contestants of Sing! China and The Voice of China (ensemble) |
| 2019 | 1 May | 我最美的新疆 | 也许有一天 | Solo performance in single collection by contestants of Sing! China |
| 2018 | 12 July | 梦的方向 | non-album single | In support of The Voice of China 2018 (ensemble) |
| 14 March | 越夜越醒着 | 梦想在望2 | Solo performance in single collection by contestants of Sing! China | |
| 2017 | 18 December | 惹哭自己 | 梦想在望 | Solo performance in single collection by contestants of Sing! China |
Other original songs
| Year | Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 14 November | Apeirophobia | Uploaded to NetEase Music |
| 2 July | Love Hate Relationship | Uploaded to SoundCloud | |
| 2016 | 17 January | I'll Look At You | Uploaded to SoundCloud |
| 2015 | 20 July | Guitar With A Broken String | Uploaded to YouTube[21] and SoundCloud |
| 2012 | unknown | This Is Our Paradise | Submitted to Eco Music Challenge |
Filmography
Television shows
| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Sing! China Season 2 | 中国新歌声 2 | Zhejiang TV | Contestant (eliminated at ep 10) |
| 2020 | Produce Camp 2020 / Chuang 2020 | 创造营2020 | Tencent Video | Contestant at 1st place |
| Our Song: Season 2 | 我們的歌 2 | Dragon TV | Contestant | |
| BON-US | Tencent Video | Member | ||
| 2021 | Irresistible Offer: Season 2 | 令人心动的offer 2 | Tencent Video | Panelist (ep 9, 10) |
| Our Song Spring Festival | 我們的歌 | Dragon TV | Member | |
| Youth and Melody | Dragon TV | Contestant, Chuang Family Representative | ||
| Masked Dancing King S2 | 蒙面舞王 S2 | Jiangshu TV | Contestant (September 19, 26; October 3, 10), The Most Potential Dancer | |
| 2022 | The Treasured Voice S3 | 天赐的声音 S3 | Zhejiang TV | Participant (Ep.1-3), has one "Golden Song" |
| It Sounds Delicious | 听说很好吃 | Zhejiang TV | 好吃创意人 | |
| Sing! China 2022 | 中国新歌声2022 | Zhejiang TV | Youth Mentor |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award ceremony | Awards | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | General Selection to HIT New Mandarin Singers | HIT Chinese Song Rankings 2020 | Won | |
| QQ Music 2020 Awards | Most Popular OST Singer | Won | ||
| 2022 | Tencent Entertainment White Paper | Annual Emerging Singer | Won |