Profile of Jay Chou on Famous Like Me

Jay Chou or Jay Chow (traditional Chinese: 周傑倫, simplified Chinese: 周杰伦, pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún, Born on January 18, 1979) is a popular Taiwanese musician specializing in R&B and rap. He is known for his inventive usage of combining both Western and Chinese music styles to produce a fresh sound that is quite unlike what is produced in mainstream Taiwanese pop, and also unique lyrics which touch on various issues.

Biography

Jay Chou was raised by his mother and was shy and quiet during his childhood. Showing interest in music, he began learning to play the piano at the age of 3. By age 16, he was writing songs for popular artists of that time.

Chou first entered the music entertainment business when he appeared in a talent show with his friend, where he accompanied as the pianist. They failed miserably in making a mark on television, but the producer saw the line notes written by Chou and decided to take a chance on him. Due to Jay's looks not being good enough for the instant stardom that many of his colleagues could easily attain, he was initially hired to compose songs and write lyrics for others, including Vivian Hsu and Jolin Tsai. Many of his songs became instant hits, though most people were not aware that they were his creations.

In 2000, it was decided that Chou should be 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 among the international Chinese-speaking community (including Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, etc). When his second album Fantasy was released he was already among one of the top pop stars in the Chinese-speaking community. His most critically and financially successful album as of yet is his third, Ba Du Kong Jian.

In 2005, Jay played a role in the movie Initial D (Takumi Fujiwara), which was based on a popular Japanese manga. It was the most popular and talked about movie in Asia, premiering in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and Western Countries as well. Other well known celebrities are playing too, such as Anne Suzuki, Edison Chen, Shawn Yue, Chapman To and Anthony Wong.

Albums

• Jay (杰倫專輯, Jiélún zhuānjí, November 1, 2000)
• Fantasy (范特西, fàntèxÄ«, September 20, 2001)
• Partners (拍檔, pāidàng, April 26, 2002)
• The Eighth Dimension (八度空間, bādù kōngjiān, July 19, 2002)
• Ye Huimei (葉惠美, Yè HuìmÄ›i, July 31, 2003, this album is in honor of Chow's mother, Ye Huimei)
• Qi Li Xiang - Common Orange Jasmine (七里香, qÄ«lǐxiāng, August 3, 2004

His seventh album "November's Chopin十一月的蕭邦" will be released on November 1, 2005. (Chopin is Jay's favourite musician.)

EPs

• Fantasy Plus (December 21, 2001)
• Nun-Chuks (April 9, 2002)
• Hidden Track EP (尋找周杰倫 EP, xúnzhÇŽo Zhōu Jiélún, November 12, 2003)
• "Initial J:- Best of Jay Chou" (Japan release, August 31, 2005)

Live Albums

• The One Live CD (October 28, 2002)
• Incomparable Concert (Wu Yu Lun Bi) January 21, 2005

Relationships

Chou's name is attached to a number of female personalities ever since his debut. Many of his relationships are widely reported in the Taiwanese tabloids, partly due to Chou's own unconventional nature and eccentricities.

• Patty Hou, a popular television news anchor on the AZIO network in Taiwan, his current girlfriend.
• Jolin Tsai, famed Taiwanese pop singer whose latest 2005 release is entitled "J-Game"
• Vivian Hsu, pop singer and lyricist who penned lyrics for Chou's first single "Cute Woman"
• Landy Wen, hip-hop songstress who recorded a duet of "Rooftop" with Jay Chou and shares his Alfa Music Record Label

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