Chinese-American pop diva CoCo Lee became one of the most notable Asian artists to cross over into the West. With music styled after American vocalists such as Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera, her R&B-inspired vocals and pop sense made her a hit in both Mandarin- and Cantonese-language markets. Releasing several albums in the 1990s -- including her 1996 self-titled best-seller -- Lee signed with Sony for her English-language debut, 1999's Just No Other Way. That global breakthrough coincided with her work on major movie soundtracks like Mulan, Runaway Bride, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. From there, she juggled a multilingual career, releasing her sophomore English set, Exposed, in 2005, just as she reached over a dozen albums issued in Asia. Her final album of original material, Illuminate, arrived in 2013, with compilations, television appearances, and touring keeping her active into the 2020s. Lee died in 2023 in Hong Kong.