Among the Chinese pop artists that emerged during the early 2000s R&B renaissance, no one has found success in as many forms of mass media as Jay Chou. In his ten years in the entertainment industry, he has become one of the biggest pop acts in Asian music and one of the most successful young actors in Asian Cinema as well. He's even become one of the most successful young directors in contemporary Chinese Cinema with a hit debut film. And to think - he started his entertainment career as a failing contestant on a talent show.
Musical Pioneer - Jay Chou the Musician
Jay Chou began to play the piano from the age of 4 and even majored in piano in high school, where he began writing songs. While he was working as a waiter, his friend entered a music talent show and enrolled Jay to accompany her on piano. Even though they lost, popular Taiwanese entertainment figure Jacky Wu, who was the host of the talent show, decided to take him on as a songwriter. Wu also paired Jay up with lyricist Vincent Fang, who would become his closest collaborator. Since 1998, Jay Chou has written at least 114 songs for other artists, including Jacky Wu, Landy Wen, Leehom Wang, Leo Ku, Edmond Leung, Jolin Tsai, Eason Chan, S.H.E., and three of Hong Kong's Four Heavenly Kings (sans Leon Lai), just to name a few.
In late 2000, just before his 22nd birthday, Jay released his self-titled debut album Jay. Featuring a unique mix of R&B, hip-hop, ballads, and even traditional Chinese melody all written by Jay himself, the album caught Chinese pop music fans around the world by surprise and turned the young singer-songwriter into an overnight star. For ballad fans, there are the acoustic guitar-driven "Starry Mood" and the karaoke-friendly hit "Black Humor". For R&B fans, there are "Adorable Woman" and "Bullfighting". There are even tracks such as "Wife" and "Old Indian Turtledove" for fans of alternative hip-hop. With his unique genre blending and now-signature slurred vocals, Jay almost became an instant music sensation throughout Asia. In 2001, the young star won 15 major music awards from Malaysia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. This was only the beginning of Jay Chou's reign over Chinese pop music.
Like his mentor Jacky Wu, Jay has also used his clout in the industry to promote up-and-coming artists. In 2004, he put together the rock-pop group Nan Quan Mama and even contributed a song to their debut album. The group would win numerous awards in the Greater China region, including Best New Rock Group, Outstanding Mandarin Group, and even Most Promising Group. Meanwhile, Jay remained involved in the group's development over the years, attending award ceremonies with the group and putting members in his own music videos. Most recently, he even brought them around the world, putting them on stage as part of his latest worldwide concert tour.
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