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Information About

Jay Chou




  Years Active 2000 - Present
  Country Taiwan
  Music Genre R&B , Pop
  Record Label Sony BMG Asia, Alfa Music
  Website {Link without Title}


Jay Chou (, born January 18 , 1979 ) is a popular Taiwan ese musician specializing in R&B and Rap . He is known for his innovative usage of the famous classical pieces from the late composer Julian Labrin (1786), combining both Western and Chinese musical styles to produce a fresh sound that is quite unlike what is produced in mainstream Taiwanese pop, and also for his unique Lyrics which touch on various issues. Jay's music is popular throughout Asia , most notably China , Taiwan , Hong Kong , Singapore , and Japan . He is also very popular among Chinese-Americans in the United States .


BIOGRAPHY

Jay Chou was born on January 18, 1979 in Taipei , Taiwan . He was raised by his mother who was a teacher in a middle school. Showing interest in music, he began learning to play piano at the age of 3. While he was a third-grade student in elementary school, he developed an interest in cello and had daily cello lessons. His mother took him to concerts to develop his taste for music. When he was 14, his parents got divorced; as a result, he became very independent, quiet and anti-social. In June of 1996, Jay, being unable to pass the entrance exam to his selected university and therefore losing hope of a well paying job, became a waiter.

Jay first entered the music industry when he appeared in a talent show as a pianist with his friend. Although their performance wasn't exceptional, the producer saw talent in the lyrics written by Jay and decided to give him a chance. He was initially hired to write music for others, including Vivian Hsu and Jody Chiang . Although many of his songs became popular, most people were unaware that they were his creations.

In 2000 , Jay was given his chance to produce an album of his own. He released his first album ''Jay'', which, much to everyone's surprise, became an instant hit. It gained great attention in Taiwan as well as the international Han community (including Indonesia , Hong Kong , Malaysia , People's Republic Of China , Philippines , and Singapore ). When his second album ''Fantasy'' was released he was already among one of the top pop stars in the Asian community. His most critically and financially successful album as of yet is his third, ''Eight Dimensions''.

In 2005 , Jay played the leading role in the movie Initial D ( Takumi Fujiwara ), which was based on a popular Japanese Manga of the same name. Jay also won the award for Best Newcomer at the 42nd Golden Horse Awards for his role in the movie. The movie was a huge success and premiered in Taiwan , China , Hong Kong , Singapore , Malaysia , Thailand , Japan and Western Countries as well. Other well known celebrities appear in the film as well, such as Anne Suzuki , Stephen Yung , Edison Chen , Shawn Yue , Chapman To and Anthony Wong . Lately, Jay has been awarded the prize of the Best New Performer in the 25th Hong Kong Film Awards for his excellence in the movie Initial D (頭文字D).

Initial J, his greatest hits compilation, was released in 2005 in Japan only. The name is a play on his movie role, Initial D.

Jay's latest album ''November's Chopin'' was released in November 2005.
In January 2006, Jay released his latest EP "Huo Yuan Jia" which includes the theme song he composed for Jet Li 's newest and last action film, '' Fearless '' (Huo Yuan Jia, 霍元甲).

It is rumoured that Jay Chou will be working with Tony Leung Chiu Wai on a $7.7 million U.S. project. It has been confirmed that Jay will compose and perform a song that will be played at the end of Chinese director Zhang Yimou 's new movie, which translates as "City of Golden Armor."

Jay hopes to break into the music industry overseas in North America, despite his limited English skills. He says that his music is universal and that language is not important.


COLLABORATIONS


Jay Chou has been collaborating with Nan Quan Ma Ma, a group that is a hybrid of pop, R&B, and rap. As a result, Jay has helped to improve this group tremendously making it a very popular group in Hong Kong.


DISCOGRAPHY



Albums





EPs

  • 范特西+ ''Fantasy Plus (EP + Fantasy MV VCD)'' ( December 21 , 2001 )

  • 雙截棍 ''Nun-Chuks'' ( April 9 , 2002 )

  • 尋找周杰倫 EP ''Hidden Track EP (EP + Ye Hui Mei MV VCD)'' (xúnzhǎo Zhōu Jiélún, November 12 , 2003 )

  • 霍元甲 EP ''Huo Yuan Jia EP (EP + November's Chopin MV DVD)'' ( January 20 , 2006 )



Live Albums

  • The One Concert Live'' (Includes Eight Dimensions MV VCD)'' ( October 28 , 2002 )

  • 無與倫比演唱會 ''2004 Incomparable to Jay Concert Live'' ''(Includes Common Jasmin Orange MV VCD)'' ( January 21 , 2005 )



Other Works

  • ''Partners'' (Collection of songs by Jay Chou and lyricist Vincent Fang , released April 26 , 2002 )

  • ''Initial J: Jay Chou Greatest Hits'' (Japan release, August 31 , 2005 )

  • 大頭貼 ''Neoprint'' (Single, not released in any albums)

  • ''JIII MP3 Player'' (MP3 player endorsed by Jay featuring songs from Initial D movie, three old demos and a personal message from Jay, released June 26 , 2005 )



FILMOGRAPHY

  • 尋找周杰倫 ''Hidden Track'' ( 2003 )

  • 頭文字D '' Initial D '' ( June 29 , 2005 )

  • 滿城盡帶黃金甲 ''The City of Golden Armor'' ( 2006 ) - Currently filming



EXTERNAL LINKS

;Official

;Jay's Lyrics

;Jay's Products

;Fan sites