Jay Chou
Not only is Kato a Master Martial Artist, but he is a musical prodigy too.
Who
is he?
A majority of people in the west have
probably seen Jay Chou on the big screen. He starred as Kato in the
Hollywood film, The Green Hornet. However, what you may not know is
that Jay has pioneered a massive movement called the “China Wind”.
During
the early 21st century, China experienced an economic
transition. The country eventually allowed western influences
in. Hence, the new and younger generation of china was easily
influenced by western pop culture.
This
is where Jay Chou comes in. Chou was the first artist in China to
incorporate elements of western pop music with traditional Chinese
music. This unique style appealed to the younger population, but it
also attracted the older gyration as well. Hence, Chou’s music
became a massive success and launched Chinese pop (C-pop) as a force to be
reckoned with all over Asia. With this success, Jay Chou has become
China’s national icon.
However,
he is not only a talented musician. He starred in, directed and
wrote the script for the critically acclaimed movie Secret. The film
was nominated for seven awards and won “Outstanding Taiwanese Film of the Year, Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song for "不能說的祕密" (Secret)”, a song by Chou himself. He is
really a Renaissance man of entertainment!
The Music
Unlike many pop artists, Jay Chou has complete artistic control over his music. As well as being the songwriter and composer, Chou produces every single one of his albums. Hence, Chou is able to dabble and experiment in a variety of different genres of music.
The following song is called Nunchucks and was used in the soundtrack for The Green Hornet. It's a hip-hop/rap song, but it also includes traditional Chinese instruments. It's an absurd combination, but Chou manages to merge the two completely opposite styles seamlessly.
Another song by Jay Chou is Secret that cannot be Told, which was used in the movie Secret. The song is a good example of how versatile of an artist Chou is. It is a slow rock song with a melancholy piano melody.
So, what are your thought of Jay Chou? Would you want to hear more of his music?
Sources
http://seoulbeats.com/2012/12/unpopular-opinion-defending-jay-chous-hit-on-gangnam-style/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Chou
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_%282007_film%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Chou
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_%282007_film%29
The two songs really are very different from one another! Truly a very versatile person. Both in acting AND creating music, oh and did I mention he is pretty cute?
ReplyDeleteIt's impressive that Chou can be so experimental and have such variety in his style of music, while keeping up a steady fanbase. So many artists get stuck in their niche and just stay there, never trying anything new. I think it's great that his talent has such a wide range.
ReplyDeleteAs for his singing, songwriting, composing and producing - I think that's great. Very few artisits could do that in North America, and if they do try, they don't have even close to the same level of popularity. It's interesting to see the contrast between the American and Asian music industries.
Jay Chou is actually an artist I have heard of before but I can't say I've ever really listened to his music before this. I really wish I was that talented.
ReplyDeleteOn a completely different note: the new background on your blog is more relevant and brings it all together. However, the fact that it is black and white and the text is as well makes it a bit difficult to read. Maybe try making the blog non transparent or changing the text colour. The background is good though.
Of course I had no idea what he was saying, but even I can appreciate those massive rifts. I really liked the feel of it, it was almost like Linkin Park-esque (and maybe I'm totally missing the point by even comparing the two!) but I actually liked it.
ReplyDeleteI really respect that he produces all of his own stuff--sort of decommercializes it, decorporationizes (?!) it. Stick it to the man, Jay Chou!