Jay Chou , born 18 January 1979, is a World Music Award-winning Taiwanese musician, singer, and producer. In 1998, he was discovered in a talent contest where he showcased his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for popular Chinese singers. Trained in classical music, he combines Chinese and Western music styles to produce songs that fuse R&B, rock, and pop genres, covering issues such as domestic violence, war, and urbanization.
In 2000, he released his first album titled Jay under the record company Alfa Music. Since then, he has released one album per year, selling several million copies each. His music has gained recognition throughout Asia, most notably in countries such as China, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and in overseas Chinese communities, winning more than 20 awards each year. In 2007, he was named one of the 50-most influential people in China by the British think tank Chatham House. He starred in Initial D (2005) for which he won Best Newcomer Actor in Golden Horse Awards, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor by Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). His career now extends into directing and running his own record company JVR Music.
Early life
Jay Chou grew up in the small town of Linkou, Taiwan. Both his parents were secondary school teachers: his mother Ye Hui Mei (Traditional Chinese: 叶惠美; Simplified Chinese: 叶惠美; Pinyin: Yè Huìměi) taught fine arts while his father Zhou Yao Zhong (Chinese: 周耀中; Pinyin: Zhōu Yàozhōng) was a biology instructor. His mother noticed his sensitivity to music and took him to piano lessons at the age of 4. During his childhood, he was fascinated with capturing sounds and songs with his tape recorder, something he carried everywhere with him. In the third grade, he became interested in music theory and also started cello lessons. As an only child, he enjoyed being the family's center of attention; he loved to play piano, impersonate TV actors, and perform magic tricks. His parents divorced when he was 14; as a result, he became reclusive and introverted. Although he had friends, he often preferred to be alone listening to music, contemplating and daydreaming. At Dan Jiang Senior High School, he majored in piano and minored in cello. He showed talent for improvisation, became fond of pop music and began to write songs.
Chou graduated from high school with inadequate grades for university, so he prepared for military service, which was compulsory for all Taiwanese men at the age of 18. However, a sports injury triggered by an unexplainable and severe back pain eventually led to the diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis, a hereditary spine inflammation disease; as a result, he was exempted from conscription. Meanwhile, he found himself a job as a waiter. Without his knowing, his friend had entered both their names in a talent show called Super New Talent King. Chou played the piano accompaniment for his friend, whose singing was described as "lousy". Although they did not win, the show's host Jacky Wu—an influential character in Taiwan's entertainment business—happened to glance at Chou's music score and was impressed with its complexity. Wu hired him as a contract composer and paired him with the novice lyricist Vincent Fang (Chinese: 方文山; Pinyin: Fāng Wénshān).
Chou's debut album, JayOver the next two years he wrote songs for Chinese pop artists, and also learned recording and sound mixing; his dedication was apparent as he even slept in the music studio. There were no plans to make him a singer because his mentor Wu thought he was too shy and not good-looking. Wu's music studio was later sold to Alfa Music, and the new manager Yang Jun Rong asked him to release his own album. Chou already had an arsenal of songs he wrote for others but had been rejected, so among those he chose 10 for his debut CD Jay that was released in 2000. The album established his reputation as a musically gifted singer-songwriter whose style is a fusion of R&B, rap, classical music, and yet distinctly Chinese. His fame spread quickly not only in Chinese-speaking regions, but in non-Chinese countries as well throughout Southeast Asia. Since 2000, Chou has released one album per year, each selling several million copies (see Discography), and has been recognized with hundreds of awards. In 2003, he was the cover story of Time magazine (Asia version), acknowledging his influence on popular culture. He has held two world tours, "The One" (2002) and "Incomparable" (2004), performing in cities such as Taipei, Hong Kong, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Las Vegas, and Vancouver. Unlike most singers, Chou has an enormous amount of creative control over his music. He is not only the songwriter but also the producer in all of his albums; since 2005 he is also the music director and also directs his own music videos.
While continuing to release an album yearly, he also entered the movie business with his debut role as the lead actor in Initial D, for which he won Best Newcomer at the Golden Horse Awards in 2005. The following year, Chou was cast as a supporting character in the world-wide release of Curse of the Golden Flower, starring international Chinese stars Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li, giving Chou his brief but formal introduction to North American audiences. In February 2007, he finally fulfilled his childhood dream of being a director in The Secret That Cannot Be Told (Traditional Chinese: 不能说的秘密; Simplified Chinese: 不能说的秘密; Pinyin: bùnéng shuō de mìmì), in which he also played the main character.In March 2007, his 8-year contract with Alfa Music ended, Chou, his manager Yang Jun Rong, and lyricist Vincent Fang co-founded a new record company, JVR Music through which Chou will continue his music career and fulfill his goal of fostering new singing talent.
Movie career
Chou formally entered the film industry in 2005 with the release of the movie Initial D. He has since acted in three other movies, directed one film and more than a dozen music videos. Chou, who once said "I live because of music", ventured into movies because he felt the need for a new challenge. As fans have grown concerned that movies will compromise his music career, Chou has repeatedly reassured that movies are a source of inspiration and not a distraction; at the same time, he realizes the need to balance both careers and maintain his place in the music field to garner the continued support of fans.
The
US
weekly
magazine
Time
Asia
once
featured
Jay
Chow
as
its
cover
story,
in
which
the
article
asked
"How
did
a
kid
with
an
overbite
become
Asia's
hottest
pop
star?"
Starting
as
a
contract
lyrics
writer,
Jay
Chow
understood
that
it
was
music
and
revolutionary
ideas
that
mattered,
more
than
looks,
dance
moves
and
image.
Since
the
release
of
his
debut
album,
Jay,
in
November
2000,
which
delivered
brooding,
soulful,
surprisingly
sensual
ballads
and
quiet
pop
tunes,
he
stands
up,
takes
notice
and
now
ranks
as
Asia's
top
pop
star
with
six
albums
in
five
years.
This
composition
writer
casts
away
traditional
vocal
principles
of
pop
music,
stumbles
over
to
the
keyboard
and
transposes
those
nocturnal
audio-sounds
onto
sheet
music
and
demo
tapes.
Inarticulate
or
R&B?
Not
a
single
singer
in
the
Chinese
music
industry
has
pronounced
lyrics
as
unclearly
as
Jay
Chow
does.
Though
this
has
aroused
much
criticism
from
his
seniors
and
even
linguists,
Jay
conquered
the
music
scene
by
incorporating
his
experimentation
with
Chinese
language
and
R&B
back
in
the
studio.
Compared
with
English
or
Cantonese,
the
pronunciation
and
tone
of
Chinese
mandarin
does
not
transfer
well
into
melody.
Jay
gave
up
the
established
pronunciation
and
created
a
unique
and
ambiguous
pronunciation
to
go
with
R&B
or
Rap.
Nobody
understood
what
he
was
singing
at
first,
but
that
actually
drew
our
attention,
and
now,
more
and
more
people
are
imitating
him.
No
Vincent
Fang,
No
Jay
Chow
Jay
Chow
could
never
be
Jay
Chow
without
his
loyal
partner,
lyric
writer
Vincent
Fang
or
Fang
Wenshan.
His
fragmented,
inconsistent,
and
even
anti-text
lyrics
probably
do
not
make
sense
to
some,
but
the
vagueness
instead
allows
the
possibility
of
exploration.
This
type
of
lyrical
pronunciation
has
been
regarded
as
an
experimentation,
which
happens
in
both
modern
art
and
drama
as
well.
The
wisdom
lies
in
the
perfect
match
of
fragmented
lyrics
and
the
singer's
unique
pronunciation.
Most
importantly,
the
teens
love
it.
Rhythmical
or
not?
Chinese
pop
music
emphasizes
more
on
melody
than
on
rhythm.
Jay
Chow's
music
is
an
exception.
He
adopted
multi-tunes
from
varied
music
genres,
like
R&B,
Soul,
Rap,
Classical,
and
Metal
Rock
and
reconstructed
them
to
his
own
music.
Rebelliousness
or
a
Disguise
of
Vanity?
Music
is
a
way
of
expression.
The
novelty
of
music
demands
rebellious
spirit---
shake
down
established
principles
and
voice
the
present
era
with
brand
new
music
elements.
Big
names
like
Elvis
Presley,
the
Beatles,
the
Sex
Pistols,
and
Tayu
Lo
all
have
left
their
mark
on
music
history.
Jay
Chow
cannot
compare
with
them
yet,
but
his
music
has
similar
characteristics.
About
the
New
Album
The
new
album
"Chopin
in
November"
hit
stores
on
November
1.
Many
critics
say
that
it
is
only
a
continuation
of
Jay's
established
style,
though
the
publisher
boasts
the
album's
concept
walks
the
line
of
"being
temperamental".
Rock
and
symphony
elements
mix
in
the
song
"Ni
Lin",
which
is
quite
expressive.
The
electronic
phone
ringing
and
a
man's
voice
in
the
prelude
of
the
song
"Blue
Storm"
inject
heavy
metal
rock
elements
into
this
popular
song,
making
it
less
commercial.
While,
the
widely
applauded
song
"Fa
Ru
Xue"
(literally
meaning
hair
likes
snow)
has
a
similar
rhythm
with
one
of
his
former
smash
hits
"Dong
Feng
Po"(A
name
for
one
genre
of
an
ancient
Chinese
poem),
which
has
been
one
of
the
hottest
KTV
songs.
This
is
the
only
other
song
to
update
the
KTV
song
list.
Jay
expresses
his
anger
and
dissatisfaction
of
paparazzi
again
in
the
song
"Si
Mian
Chu
Ge",
in
which
he
describes
the
paparazzi
as
the
speaking
dog.
There
have
been
many
unpleasant
conflicts
between
him
and
the
media
over
the
years.
However,
one
critic
says
that
the
act
does
not
match
his
status
and
tolerance
as
Asia's
top
star.
Whether
you
adore
him
or
could
care
less,
the
singer
is
still
making
history
in
the
Chinese
music
scene
with
a
high
profile
status.
Jay Chou is better 短短一句就够了
什么“生平”啊。。又没死!
Jay Chou is the best