# Ma Nien-hsien

Ma Nien-hsien (Chinese: 馬念先; born 1973) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter and actor. Debuting as a member of funk rock band Sticky Rice in 1997, Ma rose to fame in Asia with the band's second album The Bird King. He later pursued careers in music and acting, achieving recognition for his role as Malasun in the musical drama film Cape No. 7 (2008). He then starred in Rock N' Road (2014), All You Need Is Love (2015), Jojo's World (2017), The Victims' Game (2020) and More Than Blue: The Series (2021). Ma received nominations for Best Original Film Song and Best Male Mandarin Singer for his film score composition in the comedy film Zone Pro Site (2013) and his debut album Mama Jeans and Daddy Shoes in the 50th Golden Horse Awards and 33rd Golden Melody Awards, respectively. He also took on the lead role as Chang Yung-kang in the comedy film Marry My Dead Body (2023) and reprised it in the spinoff series GG Precinct (2024).

## Early life and education

Ma was born in 1973 in Taipei, Taiwan. His father, Ma Jing Xian [zh], is a children's literature writer and a music lover who often played classic songs at home, influencing Ma's musical taste. Ma was mischievous during his school days and was once expelled from high school. He developed an interest in music after purchasing a guitar and eventually became the chairman of the western music club in high school. He then attended Tamkang University to study mass communications and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. He actively participated in bands and music performances from his first year.

## Career

In 1994, Ma and three university friends formed a funk rock band called Sticky Rice [zh] and began performing in pubs. They wrote an original song and applied for a competition hosted by PolyGram. PolyGram signed them on the spot, and Sticky Rice released their debut song "Star's Dream" and their first album, also titled Sticky Rice, in 1997. The band also sang the theme song for the 1997 romance film Love Go Go [zh], earning a nomination for Best Original Film Song in the 34th Golden Horse Awards. In 2000, they released another album called The Bird King [zh], featuring "Paris Strawberry" and "Taekwondo", which became popular in Taiwan and Hong Kong. In 2004, due to the outbreak of SARS and a lack of job offers, the other members of the band decided to leave the entertainment industry and pursue stable careers. However, Ma chose to remain in the music industry and started composing music for advertisements.
In 2008, director Wei Te-sheng approached Ma to join his new film project Cape No. 7. Ma initially thought Wei wanted him to compose the film score, but to his surprise, Wei offered him a supporting lead role. Ma accepted the offer and starred as Malasun, a Hakka alcohol salesman, which brought him widespread recognition in Taiwan due to his iconic performance and the film's popularity. Ma subsequently received numerous film role offers and made his television debut in the same year, portraying Feng Pai-hsiung in Time Story [zh]. In 2011, Ma was approached by his high school classmate and assistant director, Lishu Lin, to star in a leading role in The Killer Who Never Kills [zh]. He also composed music for the 2013 comedy film Zone Pro Site, which earned him a nomination for Best Original Film Song in the 50th Golden Horse Awards. Ma continued to star in various films and television series in recurring roles, including the 2013 comedy film David Loman, the 2014 romantic musical series Rock N' Road, and the 2017 romantic comedy series Jojo's World. He also took on a leading role in the 2015 romantic comedy film All You Need Is Love. In 2020, Ma appeared as police detective Chen Yao-hui in The Victims' Game, and took on a recurring role as Mr. Chi in the 2021 romance series More Than Blue: The Series. That same year, he released his first individual music album, Mama Jeans and Daddy Shoes, and received a nomination for Best Male Mandarin Singer in the 33rd Golden Melody Awards. In 2023, Ma starred in the lead role as police captain Chang Yung-kang, who is mistakenly perceived as a mole, in the supernatural comedy film Marry My Dead Body. His performance was positively received, and he reprised the role in the spin-off series GG Precinct.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | Cape No. 7 | Malasun (馬拉桑) | |
| 2011 | The Killer Who Never Kills [zh] | Ceng Quede (曾闕德) | |
| 2013 | David Loman | Toad | |
| 2013 | Zone Pro Site | Taxi driver | Cameo; deleted scene |
| 2014 | Sweet Alibis | Huo-lung (火隆) | |
| 2014 | Café. Waiting. Love | Customer | Cameo |
| 2015 | All You Need Is Love | Ma Nien-hsien (馬念先) | |
| 2017 | 52Hz, I Love You | Band Member | |
| 2017 | The Village of No Return | Trumpeter | Cameo |
| 2021 | Your Name Engraved Herein | Old Chang Yi-chuen (張逸群) | |
| 2023 | Marry My Dead Body | Chang Yung-kang (張永康) | |
| 2024 | The Lyricist Wannabe | Kao (高經理) | Cameo |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | Time Story [zh] | Feng Pai-Hsiung (馮拍雄) | Main role |
| 2009 | Happy Together [zh] | Zhao Ding-yi (趙定一) | Main role |
| 2010 | Rogue Principal [zh] | Ke Pu-ti (柯菩提) | Recurring role |
| 2012 | Once Upon a Love | Chen Yao-ming (陳耀明) | Recurring role |
| 2013 | Falling [zh] | Liu Li-tsi (劉立智) | Recurring role |
| 2013 | K Song Lover [zh] | Guo Min-hsiung (郭閔熊) | Main role |
| 2014 | Rock N' Road | Ma Ding Ni (馬丁尼) | Recurring role |
| 2014 | Mr. Right Wanted | Paul | Cameo |
| 2016 | A Good Day [zh] | Wen Guang-de (溫廣德) | Recurring role |
| 2017 | Jojo's World | Ma Ke-wang (馬可王) | Recurring role |
| 2018 | Great Times [zh] | Yu An-miao (游安妙) | Recurring role |
| 2020–2024 | The Victims' Game | Chen Yao-hui (陳耀輝) | Recurring role (season 1–2) |
| 2020 | Wacko At Law [zh] | Bai Chong-guang (白重光) | Recurring role |
| 2021 | Danger Zone [zh] | Qiao Weilin (喬衛林) | Recurring role |
| 2021 | More Than Blue: The Series | Mr. Chi (吉哥) | Recurring role |
| 2021 | Light the Night | Tsai Huo-wang (蔡火旺) | Special appearance (season 1–3) |
| 2024 | GG Precinct | Chang Yung-kang | Main role |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| 2013 | 50th Golden Horse Awards | Best Original Film Song | Zone Pro Site | Nominated | |
| 2022 | 33rd Golden Melody Awards | Best Male Mandarin Singer | Mama Jeans and Daddy Shoes | Nominated | |