Jay Chou
Artikel dalam bahasa IndonesiaJay Chou (Hanzi Tradisional: 周杰倫; Hanzi yang Disederhanakan: 周杰伦; pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún; lahir pada 18 Januari 1979 di Taipei) adalah seorang penyanyi asal Taiwan. Lagu-lagunya banyak beraliran R&B dan hip-hop.
Jay Chou pertama kali memasuki industri musik ketika dia tampil di sebuah acara pertunjukkan sebagai seorang pianist dengan temannya. Walaupun pertunjukkan mereka tidak luar biasa,produser melihat lyrics yang dibawakan oleh Jay dan memutuskan untuk memberinya kesempatan. Awalnya dia disewa menulis lagu untuk orang lain, termasuk Vivian Hsu, dan Jolin Tsai. Walaupun banyak lagu yang dibuatnya terkenal, namun banyak orang yang tidak sadar bahwa itu adalah lagu ciptaannya.
Tahun 2000, Jay diberi kesempatan untuk memproduksi albumnya sendiri. Dia merilis album "Jay", dimana banyak orang yang terkejut dan albumnya langsung menjadi hit. Albumnya mendapat perhatian besar diantara Chinese International-Community Speaking (termasuk China daratan, Taiwan, Hongkong, Malaisya, Philiphina, Singapura, Indonesia). Ketika album keduanya "Fantasi" telah dirilis, dia telah siap menjadi satu diantara bintang pop yang top di China. Dia sangat sukses sampai album ketiganya ,"Eight Dimensions".
Tahun 2005, Jay memerankan peran penting dalam film Initial D sebagai Takumi Fujiwara dimana merupakan manga populer di Jepang. Jay juga mendapatkan penghargaan untuk pendatang terbaru terbaik pada 42nd Golden Horse Award untuk perannya di Initial D. Filmnya sukses besar dan pertunjukkan perdananya di Taiwan, China, Hongkong, Singapura, Malaisya, Thailand, Jepang, dan negara-negara barat berjalan baik. Selebriti terkenal lainnya dalam film ini juga bermain dengan baik, seperti Anne Suzuki, Stephen Yung, Edison Chen, Shawn Yue, Chapman To, dan Anthony Wang.
Jay telah merilis album terbarunya "November's Chopin" pada tahun 2005. Jay merilis album terbarunya EP "Huo Yuan Jia" yang termasuk theme song untuk film terbaru "Jet Li" yang berjudul "Fearless"(Huo Yuan Jia).
Ada rumor bahwa Jay akan membintangi film baru yang berjudul Slam Dunk. Baru-baru ini Jay akan bermain dan menyanyikan lagu penutup pada film baru arahan sutradara Zhang Yimou, yang berjudul menjadi "City of Golden Armor"
Artikel dalam bahasa inggrisJay Chou (traditional Chinese: 周杰倫; simplified Chinese: 周杰伦; pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún; Wade-Giles: Chou Chieh-lun; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chiu Kia̍t-lûn) (born January 18, 1979) is a Taiwanese musician, singer, producer, actor and director who has won a World Music Award. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for popular Chinese singers. Although he was trained in classical music, Chou 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 Chou 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 regions such as Mainland China, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, and in overseas Chinese communities, winning more than 20 awards each year. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. 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 lifeJay Chou grew up in the small town of Linkou, Taiwan. Both his parents were secondary school teachers: his mother Ye Hui Mei (traditional Chinese: 葉惠美; 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 four. 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, imitate 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).
Over 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. 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 three world tours, "The One" (2002), "Incomparable" (2004) and "Jay Chou The World Tours" (2007-2008) performing in cities such as Taipei, Tokyo, 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 Secret, in which he also played the main character. In March 2007, his eight-year contract with Alfa Music ended. Chou, his manager Yang Jun Rong, and lyricist Vincent Fang co-founded a new record company, JVR Music (which is an acronym for Jay, Vincent, Jun Rong) through which Chou will continue his music career and fulfill his goal of fostering new singing talent.
Movie careerChou formally entered the film industry in 2005 with the release of the movie Initial D (頭文字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",[38] 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.
FanbaseIt is difficult to estimate the size and global spread of Chou's fanbase. The Chinese-speaking population of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China make up the majority of his fans. Despite rampant piracy issues in this region, particularly in China, every album Chou has released so far has surpassed 2 million sales. According to Baidu, the most popular internet search engine in China, Chou is the number one searched male artist in 2002, 05, 06 and 07.
In Hong Kong, he has been the best-selling Mandarin artist for the past 4 years. According to a 2004 survey in five Chinese urban centers for children ages 9 to 14, 1 in 6 named Chou as their favorite idol; he was also reported as the favorite singer of youths aged 8 to 25 in a study conducted in seven Asian countries (2006). He has a solid fanbase throughout Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. In Singapore, Chou was the second most searched celebrity behind Britney Spears in the music category.
Currently, Chou remains largely unknown outside of Asia, except in cities with large Chinese immigrant populations such as Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Sydney, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. He has held concerts in major venues such as the MGM Grand (Las Vegas—December 25, 2002), Shrine Auditorium (Los Angeles—December 18, 2004), and Galen Center (Los Angeles—December 24, 2007). His intention to increase his prominence in the Western world beyond Chinese audiences is clear. In 2006, Chou composed and sang the theme song for Fearless, a movie released in major theatres in most English-speaking countries, though the impact to his fame has been minimal. His role in Curse of the Golden Flower (limited release) marks his acting debut in North America. Despite having a supporting but important role in the story's plot, the North American version of the official posters only featured a view of his back, greatly contrasting the Asian versions where his face and name were clear and placed between the leading actor and actress. Although Chou is still far from being well-known to English audiences, this movie has brought him international exposure.
FilmographyHidden Track 尋找周杰倫 (2003) Cameo
Initial D 頭文字D (June 23, 2005) Lead actor
Curse of the Golden Flower 滿城盡帶黃金甲 (December 22, 2006) Supporting actor
Secret 不能說的秘密 (July 27, 2007) Director, lead actor
Kung Fu Dunk 功夫灌籃 (February 7, 2008) Lead actor
Kung Fu Dunk 2 功夫灌籃 2 (2009) Lead actor
Thu Nov 27, 2008 10:45 pm
