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Actress Yang Mi has finally signed up with a record company, Show City Times, to produce an album, capping a long career in singing. Over the past year, she has partnered popular mainland singers such as Zhang Liangying at New Year galas across the country.

She has also sung the theme song of popular TV series "Palace," which brought her overnight fame.

In the horror film, "Mysterious Island," which grossed more than 90 million yuan (US$14 million) on the Chinese mainland, Yang is not just the lead actress, but also the singer. Her two singles, "Love of Support" and "Summer in Love," have topped domestic new song charts and are highly rated online.

Show City Times, founded by former Super Girl winner Zhang, comes under the China branch of Universal Music Group (UMG), which has signed on such stars as Mariah Carey, Akon and Bjork.

The actress, who began acting at the age of 4, played a minor role in "King of Beggars" in 1992, which starred Stephen Chow in the lead. The slim, big-eyed girl then went on to study at Beijing Film Academy.

She had starred in five movies and nine TV series before she rose to fame with her role in the 2006 TV series, "The Return of the Condor Heroes," as the lovely and kind Guo Xiang.

Her popularity soared after she played Luo Qingchuan, a simple girl who travels through time and ends up in the Forbidden City during the reign of Kangxi Emperor, in the TV series "Palace."

The actress' foray into music began with singing for a 3D online computer game in 2010. She then started seeking out more singing opportunities.

"My voice is soft and thin. I never thought that I could sing, but gradually I grew to love my voice," she says.

Yang says it's not easy for someone to be successful both as an actor and singer. "I just hope that I won't let my fans down."