Jay Chou Chieh-lun (traditional Chinese: 周杰倫; simplified Chinese: 周杰伦; pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún; born 18 January 1979) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, actor, director, and businessman. Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the Chinese-speaking world, he is referred to as the "King of Mandopop".
Chou signed to Alfa Music in 2000, and made his debut with the studio album Jay (2000). He rose to prominence with his second album Fantasy (2001), which became one of the best-selling albums in Taiwan in the 21st century. Chou incorporated diverse genres such as R&B and alternative rock in albums such as Yeh Hui-Mei (2003) and November's Chopin (2005), as well as influences from traditional Chinese music in works such as Common Jasmine Orange (2004). The latter featured the titular single and became the best-selling physical album in China in the 21st century, having sold over 2.6 million copies.
In 2007, Chou established his own label and management company JVR Music. His commercial success continued with albums such as On the Run! (2007), Capricorn (2008), and Jay Chou's Bedtime Stories (2016), all of which featured hit songs including "Blue and White Porcelain", "Rice Field", and "Love Confession", and "Shouldn't Be". He became the first Mandopop artist to top the IFPI Global Album Sales Chart, with Greatest Works of Art (2022) being the world's best-selling record in pure sales in 2022. Venturing outside of music, Chou made his acting debut in the film Initial D (2005), which was followed by roles in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006), Kung Fu Dunk (2008), The Treasure Hunter (2009), and Hollywood films The Green Hornet (2011) and Now You See Me 2 (2016).
Chou is one of the best-selling recording artists in Taiwanese history, having sold over 30 million albums worldwide. He is the most-awarded singer at the Golden Melody Awards—with 15 accolades, and his music videos are among the most-viewed on YouTube—with six surpassing 100 million views, the most for any Chinese artist. Chou's Opus Jay World Tour (2013–2015) generated over US$250 million in revenue while The Invincible World Tour (2016–2019) drew an audience of over 3 million.
Jay Chou was born and raised in Linkou, Taipei County, Taiwan. Both his parents were secondary school teachers: his mother, Yeh Hui-mei (葉惠美; Yè Huìměi), who was an art teacher, while his father, Chou Yao-chung (周耀中; Zhōu Yàozhōng), is a biomedical researcher. His mother noticed his sensitivity to music and took him to piano lessons at the age of four.
During his childhood, he was fascinated with capturing sounds and songs with his tape recorder, which he carried everywhere with him. In the third grade, he became interested in music theory and also started cello lessons. He was an only child and loved to play piano, imitate TV actors, and perform magic tricks. His favorite composer was, and is still to this day, Frédéric Chopin.
Jay graduated from Taipei Jinhua High School. His parents divorced when he was 14 and he was teased by his classmates, which caused him to become reclusive and introverted. He had no friends and preferred to be alone, listening to music, contemplating and daydreaming. At Tamkang Senior High School, he majored in piano and minored in cello. He showed a talent for improvisation, became fond of pop music, and began to write songs. Chou was conscripted for mandatory military service after graduating from high school with inadequate grades for university. However, severe back pain triggered by sports eventually led to the diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis, and he was exempted from military service. Meanwhile, he found a job as a waiter.
Chou's mother initially inspired Chou to become a music teacher, while Chou remained relatively clueless on what to do with his life. Without his knowledge, a friend registered both their names in a talent show called Super New Talent King in 1998. 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, happened to glance at the music score and was impressed with its complexity. Wu then asked who wrote it, discovered Chou and hired him as a contract composer and paired him with the novice lyricist Vincent Fang for his then record company, Alfa Music. Chou then spent most of his time in Wu's studio learning music producing, sound mixing, recording, and writing songs.
2000–2002: Debut and commercial success
In 2000, under the recommendation of JR Yang, Jay Chou began to sing his own songs. Wu told Chou that he would help him release an album after he wrote 50 songs and he would pick 10 from there. Chou already had an arsenal of songs he wrote for others but had been rejected, so among those he chose 10 for his first album. Chou released his debut album Jay under Alfa Music under Jacky Wu in November 2000. Chou arranged the compilation, harmony, and production of all the songs. The album combines R&B, hip-hop, and other musical styles. Among them, the hit song "Starry Mood" (星晴) won the 24th China Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs. The album was promoted heavily by Jacky Wu in the entertainment shows he hosted. Chou himself also appeared on a few television programs to promote the album. Chou was marketed as a talented singer-composer with a unique tune. His collaboration with Vincent Fang and Vivian Hsu on the release brought about a few hits.
In 2001, Chou held his first series of five solo concerts, titled the Fantasy Concert, with the first stop on 11 January 2001, at the Taoyuan Arena, Taiwan. Followed by two shows at the Hong Kong Coliseum, one in Malaysia and ended in Singapore on 10 February 2002. On 9 July 2001, songwriters Jay and Yungai Hayung performed "The Roof", which was included in the album "A Little Wild" by Yungai Hayung. After promoting his debut album, Chou returned to the studio for the next twelve months to record and produce his next album, Fantasy, which helped him become an established star. This album was released in September 2001 and became a big hit, selling an estimated two million copies in Taiwan alone. However, in late 2001, Wu, due to mismanagement, decided to sell Alfa Music, including Chou's contract, to Holiday Co., Ltd., a KTV chain operator. The sale, finalized in 2002, soured Chou's relationship with Wu, leading to a prolonged feud which ended in 2018. Fantasy went on receiving ten nominations and won five awards at the 13th Golden Melody Awards in 2002, where Chou notably did not thank Wu. The album's R&B hits such as "Simple Love" (簡單愛) "Love Before BC" (愛在西元前), which won Chou the Best Composer award, and "Can't Express Myself" (開不了口) are still some of Chou's most popular songs to this day.
Chou's third album, The Eight Dimensions, became another commercial success and is similar in style to his second. Another collaboration with Fang, The Eight Dimensions included songs that invoke imagery, Chou's "mumbling" style, and mainly R&B tunes. The singer has sold over 750,000 copies of Fantasy as of 2002, throughout the region. In the same year, Chou held his debut concert tour The One. There was also more crossover activity between Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as steadily increasing activity by Japanese acts in the region. Chou released the compilation album Partners in April 2002, featuring 12 songs consisting of Chou's musical and Vincent Fang's lyrical compositions. Fang has written the words to more than 40 of Chou's songs, was the chief editor of Chou's book Grandeur de D Major, and is now Chou's business partner (together with Chou's manager JR Yang) for the record company JVR Music. His second concert tour, The One Concert, commenced on 28 September 2002, at Taipei Municipal Stadium, followed by 11 stops and ended at Shenzhen Stadium, China on 3 January 2004.
2003–2005: Yeh Hui-Mei, Common Jasmine Orange, and November's Chopin
In 2003, Chou released his fourth album, Yeh Hui-Mei, which was named after his own mother. After the release of this album, he attended the Golden Melody Awards for his previous album's nomination. The album The Eight Dimensions was nominated for 5 categories but failed to win a single category. As a result, Chou didn't take his losses too lightly, as he wrote on his next album the song "Grandmother" (外婆) that he actually took the Golden Melody Awards way too seriously. Ironically, his then-current album Yeh Hui-mei would later go on to win a Golden Melody as "Best Album of the Year" award the following year in 2004.