Jay Chou: Difference between revisions

Jay Chou (simplified Chinese: 周杰伦; traditional Chinese: 周杰倫; pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún, born January 18, 1979) is a popular Taiwanese musician and singer specializing in R&B and rap. He is known for combining both Chinese and Western musical styles to produce a fresh sound that is quite unlike what is produced in mainstream Taiwanese pop, and also for his unique lyrics which touch on various issues. For example, in 爸我回來了 "Dad I am Back", domestic violence is mentioned, in 梯田 "Rice Fields", eco-awareness is mentioned, and in 止戰之殤 "Wounds of War", the destructiveness of war is mentioned. Jay's music is popular throughout Asia, most notably Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan. He is also very popular among Chinese Americans in the United States.

Jay Zhou was born on January 18, 1979 in Taipei, Taiwan. He was raised by his mother who was a teacher in a high school. Showing interest in music, he began learning to play piano at the age of 3. While he was a third-grade student in elementary school, he developed an interest in cello and had daily cello lessons. His mother took him to concerts to develop his taste for music. When he was 14, his parents got divorced; as a result, he became very independent, quiet and anti-social. Jay majored in piano and minored in cello in Dan Jiang senior high school. This provided him a great foundation of classical music. In June of 1996, Jay, being unable to pass the entrance exam to his selected university and therefore losing hope of a well paying job, became a waiter.

Jay first entered the music industry when he appeared in a talent show as a pianist with his friend. Although their performance wasn't exceptional, the producer saw talent in the lyrics written by Jay and decided to give him a chance. He was initially hired to write music for others, including Vivian Hsu and Jody Chiang. Although many of his songs became popular, most people were unaware that they were his creations.

In 2000, Jay was given his chance to produce an album of his own. He released his first album Jay, which, much to everyone's surprise, became an instant hit. It gained great attention in Taiwan as well as the international Han Chinese community (including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Singapore). When his second album Fantasy was released, he was already among one of the top pop stars in the Asian community. His most critically and financially successful album as of yet is his third, Eight Dimensions.

In 2005, Jay played the leading role in the movie Initial D (Takumi Fujiwara), which was based on a popular Japanese anime and manga of the same name. Jay won the award for Best Newcomer at the 42nd Golden Horse Awards for his role in the movie. The movie was a huge success and premiered in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and western countries as well. Other well known celebrities also appeared in the film, such as Anne Suzuki, Stephen Yung, Edison Chen, Shawn Yue, Chapman To, and Anthony Wong. Lately, Jay has been awarded the prize of the Best New Performer in the 25th Hong Kong Film Awards for his excellence in the movie Initial D (頭文字D).

Initial J, his greatest hits compilation, was released in 2005 in Japan only. The name is a play on his movie role, Initial D.

Jay's critically acclaimed album November's Chopin was released in November 2005.

In January 2006, Jay released his latest EP "Huo Yuan Jia" which includes the theme song he composed for Jet Li's newest and last action film, Fearless (Huo Yuan Jia, 霍元甲).

It is rumoured that Jay Zhou will be working with Tony Leung Chiu Wai on a $7.7 million U.S. project. It has been confirmed that Jay will compose and perform a song that will be played at the end of Chinese director Zhang Yimou's new movie, which translates as "City of Golden Armor".

Jay hopes to break into the music industry overseas in North America, despite his limited English proficiency. He says that his music is universal and that language is not important.

Jay Zhou has been collaborating with Nan Quan Ma Ma, a group that is a hybrid of pop, R&B, and rap. As a result, Jay has helped to improve this group tremendously, making it a very popular group in Hong Kong. Jay has also collaborated with artists such as Chinese pop singers Landy Wen, Lara Veronin (from Nan Quan Ma Ma), and Patty Hou (for a charity show); he has tied international cultures together in his music by featuring producer Michael Lin rapping in Korean and using Thai in his newest album November's Chopin.

• 周杰倫同名專輯 Jay (Jiélún zhuānjí, November 1, 2000)
• 范特西 Fantasy (fàntèxī, September 20, 2001)
• 八度空間 The Eight Dimensions (bādù kōngjiān, July 19, 2002)
• 葉惠美 Ye Hui Mei (Yè Huìměi, July 31, 2003) - This album is in honor of Jay's mother, Ye Huimei.
• 七里香 Common Jasmin Orange (qīlǐxiāng, August 3, 2004)
• 十一月的蕭邦 November's Chopin (shíyīyuèdexiāobāng, November 1, 2005)

(Chopin is Jay's favorite musician, and both are nicknamed "piano poets" 鋼琴詩人.)

• 范特西+ Fantasy Plus (EP + Fantasy MV VCD) (December 21, 2001)
• 雙截棍 Nun-Chuks (April 9, 2002)
• 尋找周杰倫 EP Hidden Track EP (EP + Ye Hui Mei MV VCD) (xúnzhǎo Zhōu Jiélún, November 12, 2003)
• 霍元甲 EP Huo Yuan Jia EP (EP + November's Chopin MV DVD) (January 20, 2006)

• The One Concert Live (Includes Eight Dimensions MV VCD) (October 28, 2002)
• 無與倫比演唱會 2004 Incomparable to Jay Concert Live (Includes Common Jasmin Orange MV VCD) (January 21, 2005)

• Partners (Collection of songs by Jay Zhou and lyricist Vincent Fang, released April 26, 2002)
• Initial J: Jay Zhou Greatest Hits (Japan release, August 31, 2005)
• 大頭貼 Neoprint (Single, not released in any albums)
• JIII MP3 Player (MP3 player endorsed by Jay featuring songs from Initial D movie, three old demos and a personal message from Jay, released June 26, 2005)

• 尋找周杰倫 Hidden Track (2003)
• 頭文字D Initial D (film) (June 29, 2005)
• 滿城盡帶黃金甲 The City of Golden Armor (2006) - Currently filming

Official

• Jay Chou @ ALFAmusic 阿爾發音樂 (Big5 Code)
• Jay Chou @ Sony BMG Hong Kong (Big5 Code)
• Jay Chou's Fan Club @ Jay杰倫組織 (Big5 Code)

Jay's lyrics

• Karazen: Jay Chou Album Reviews & Lyrics in Pinyin and Han Characters
• Chinese Music Blog - Jay Chou Album Reviews and Lyrics Translation

Jay's products

• Jay's Products Store - YesAsia.com

Fan sites

• Jay-Chou.net (English)
• Jay Chou at Top 100 Sexiest Asian Men
• myJAYsian (English)
• Jay Chou Studio/Zhou Jie Lun/Jay Chow - 周杰倫錄音室 (English)
• Simple Love - Jay Chou Fanlisting (English)