The July 15 release of Jay Chou’s much-anticipated album The Greatest Works of Art (最伟大的作品) is a trending topic on Chinese social media. The album dropped at 0:00 exactly.
Last week, the album’s first single, also titled The Greatest Works of Art , already became a major hit – not only because of the song but also because of the music video. Filmed at iconic Parisian locations, the music video was almost like a short movie in itself (read more here).
On Thursday, the album cover was published online before the album release, showing Jay Chou in front of Mont Saint-Michel in France.
For many people, music by the Taiwanese producer, actor, composer, singer-songwriter, and ‘King of Mandopop’ Jay Chou (周杰伦) brings back memories of the early 2000s when Jay Chou rose to prominence and became super popular and influential for his catchy music and lyrics that resonated with many young people.
Chou brought a refreshing new sound and look to the Chinese-language pop scene, combining rap with classical piano, mixing up Western pop, R&B, and electronic music influences with traditional Chinese music elements, and often coming up with creative and spectacular music videos.
Jay Chou blends the classical and contemporary and is not afraid to show he draws inspiration from international music and sources in popular and commercial culture from China to Europe and from the US to South America.
From Dragon Fist (龙拳, 2002 – link to MV) to Chrysanthemum Terrace (菊花台, 2006 – link to MV) and from Mr Magician (魔術先生, 2009 – link to MV) to Mojito (2020 – link to MV), Chou’s songs and music videos are so diverse that it seems as if the singer is constantly reinvesting himself.
Although early fans of Jay Chou might be all grown up now and have lost sight of their idol, or perhaps even grew tired of him, he often still brings on pure nostalgia for many people, which also contributes to his present-day success.
The Greatest Works of Art is Jay Chou’s 15th album, but it is also the first album he is releasing in six years. On Friday, the second single, including music video, was launched together with the album. The album features a total of eleven songs.
The first reactions to Jay Chou’s latest ‘Greatest’ work have not been so great. Popular Weibo music blogging account Live Music Scene (@LiveMusic现场) reviewed the album and although they also had some positive things to say, they wrote that Jay Chou’s voice does not sound as fresh anymore:
“After listening to Jay Chou’s new album Greatest Works of Art, our main impression is that his singing voice has deteriorated badly. The high notes in ‘Still Wandering’ (还在流浪), ‘You Are the Fireworks I Missed’ (错过的烟火) and ‘Reflection’ (倒影) are very tense and dry – his voice sounds so hoarse that he could use a hundred bottles of Pangdahai herbal tea.” [Pangdahai tea is a malva nut drink, which is known to help treat coughing and sore throats.]
Many fans, however, defended Chou, saying it is normal for a voice to change and that the reviewer was too harsh. “It’s just a classic Jay Chou album,” multiple commenters write.
But underneath some threads discussing the new album, “I don’t like it” was a recurring comment, with many people agreeing with each other that the album is just not so great.
Despite the online criticism, Jay Chou’s true fans still praise his work and express the love they have for him and his music: “For me, Jay – who can make movies and also sings – is one of my favorite idols.” Blogger Wang Qiao (@王乔, over 140,000 fans) wrote:
“Frankly speaking, his vocal level indeed is not what it used to be. And we’ve heard too many of the rhythmic styles in his past classic works. But he is now married, with with children, in an epidemic – his life is no longer all about music. And what’s actually wrong with that? Despite the changes in time and space, he is still continuing to create music (..) He is just Jay Chou, a genius who doesn’t need to prove his talent. You like it? You’re disappointed? Does it matter? It doesn’t. (..) As his old fan, I feel any kind of comment is too normal. I believe that the people who like him really do not care, they welcome criticism, it never changes. Thank you for the new album Jay Chou, I can listen to your new songs tonight and fall asleep. I hope there will be a next album, and even if you wait a few years, it does not matter.”
Another popular comment says: “What would we do without Jay Chou?”
To check out the album on Spotify, check here. It is for sale on QQ music for 30 yuan here, and is also available via Amazon.
The newest single is embedded below.
By Manya Koetse
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