[Music] Jay Chou (周杰倫) Profile

Chinese name

周杰倫 (Traditional)

Chinese name

周杰伦 (Simplified)

Pinyin

Zhōu Jiélún (Mandarin)

Origin

Taiwan

Born

January 18, 1979 (1979-01-18) (age 29)

Linkou, Taipei County, Republic of China (Taiwan)

Other name(s)

President Chou (周董)

Occupation

Singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, rapper, director, and actor

Genre(s)

Mandopop, R&B, hip hop, pop rap, pop, rock Country pop

Instrument(s)

Piano, Violin, Cello, Guitar

Label(s)

Sony BMG Asia, Alfa Music, JVR Music

Years active

2000–Present

Influenced

Nan Quan Mama

Official site

- jay2u.com

- jvrmusic.com

            Jay Chou (traditional Chinese: 周杰倫; simplified Chinese: 周杰伦; pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún; (born January 18, 1979) is a Taiwanese musician, singer, producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award three times. He is well-known for composing all his own songs and songs for other singers. 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 Asian communities, winning more than 20 awards each year. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. 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. He has also endorsed various models of Media Players released by Onda in which he appears on the box, and his signature and likeness is printed on the back of certain models of these players. 

Live albums 

• The One Concert Live (Includes Eight Dimensions MV VCD) (October 28, 2002) 2004 Incomparable 
• Jay Concert Live 無與倫比演唱會 2004 (January 21, 2005) Jay 2007 The World Tours Concert Live 
• CD+DVD (January 30, 2008)

  

Compilations

• Partners—Music by Jay Chou and lyricist Vincent Fang (April 26, 2002)
• Initial J: Jay Chou's Greatest Hits—Japan release only (August 31, 2005)

Extended plays

• Fantasy Plus 范特西+ (Includes Fantasy MV VCD) (December 21, 2001)
• Nun-Chucks 雙截棍(April 9, 2002)
• Hidden Track 尋找周杰倫(Includes Ye Hui Mei MV VCD) (November 12, 2003)
• Huo Yuan Jia 霍元甲(Includes November's Chopin MV DVD) (January 20, 2006)
• Golden Armor 黄金甲(Includes Still Fantasy MV DVD) (December 8, 2006)  

Soundtracks

• Secret 不能說的秘密(August 14, 2007)  

Other works

• Neoprint 大頭貼—Single, no official release
• JIII MP3 Player—MP3 player endorsed by Jay Chou featuring songs from Initial D movie, three old demos and a personal message from Jay (June 26, 2005)
• Qian Shan Wan Shui 千山万水—Official song for the Beijing 2008's Olympic Games (May 2008)
• Chou Da Xia 周大俠-theme song for new movie "Kung Fu Dunk"   

Filmography

• Hidden 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