An article in the March 1, 2003 issue of the Asian edition of Time magazine: Jay Cool (author: Kate Drake?/?Kate?Drake)?

Original text summary: His teacher once mistakenly thought he was mute. Idol producers once thought he was too ugly. But Jay Chou has become Asia's hottest pop star. ?

There is no silk brocade set, no retro cool motorcycles, no fans screaming for his concert, and no girl prostrating in front of his piano to worship Jay Chou. The "Alfa Music" music studio is located in a gray high-rise building in eastern Taipei. Between the leather sofas and the blue-green walls, there is only a narrow piece of light yellow floor. This is Jay Chou's world. Between concert after concert, he can curl up in a ball here, lie on the floor, take a nap, or figure out the tunes and lyrics over and over again. When composing a new song, he always first captures the scattered pieces of music in his dreams, then wakes himself up from his dream, repeats the music on the piano, then stammers the lyrics, and finally combines these pieces of music from the night. Sing it and compile it into a single or make a demo tape. ?

For two years, Jay Chou was a contracted songwriter who wrote songs at a price of $600 per song, for singers who were less musically talented but more handsome or beautiful. Composing song after song, he rarely even leaves his music studio. Write the main melody, arrange the harmony, and then write the lyrics on the back of the "Takeout Menu"; finally, exhausted from work and the full expression of his musical talent, he will plunge into the quilt and fall asleep. , and the next song is brewing magically in the dream. Jay Chou, who eats cakes and fried chicken all day long, now dreams not of becoming a pop star, but of becoming a music producer. ?

The Beatles had Cavern Club, Elvis Presley had Sun Studios, the Sex Pistols had 100 Club; and for Jay Chou Said that Alfa?Music is his music base. Here, he tries his own musical ideas, summarizes his music theory, and discovers how to make his songs passionate and unforgettable. Gradually, he understood that music was the most important thing compared to appearance, movements and image. He has witnessed too many idol singers coming and going: handsome guys who can't decide the tune, female stars who are not talented enough, and boy bands formed by selecting members based on dance performance rather than voice, etc. He discovered that the only thing that can make a singer memorable to his fans and make him stand out is the song itself. ?

And these ideas seem so new and innovative to the entire Chinese music business community from Taiwan to Hong Kong and then to Singapore. In the cynical and fickle world of Chinese pop music, the existence of 24-year-old non-idol singer Jay Chou is itself a miracle. Most of the idol male singers come from music families and spend a lot of money from childhood to adulthood. Their final image is always weak, handsome, and feminine. They will all get a tailor-made song, and then go through stylized commercial packaging. If they are lucky, they will be favored by film directors or advertising producers and embark on the road of acting. ?

So, how did this unspectacular young man - uneven teeth, aquiline nose, pointed chin - replace those Xie, Liu, Zhang, etc., and become Asia's What about the hottest pop stars? Everything originated from that simple music studio, the training of those hard years, those songs, and the revolutionary concept of "music is the most important". "Even the female fans around me don't say I'm handsome," Jay Chou explained, "They just tell me they like my music. It's my music that attracts them."?

Since the release of his first album "Jay Chou Album of the Same Name" in November 2000, Jay Chou's music has begun to dominate or change the development direction of the entire Asian pop music industry. The 10 songs in his first album, some are passionate, some are full of thoughts, and some are extremely emotional love songs. The gentle, harmonious and eloquent style of music makes Craig David? ) couldn’t help but be moved by it. Although all his songs have Mandarin lyrics, his albums have easily achieved double or triple platinum status in his hometown of Taiwan, as well as in mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. ?

In the recent "MTV Asian Music Festival", he was voted "Taiwan's Most Popular Male Singer". The Hong Kong media calls him the "Little King", although Jay Chou himself does not like such a title. He also recently performed at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, attracting more than 10,000 spectators. Several major companies have sent him sponsorship contracts, including PepsiCo (China) and Hong Kong's PCCW (PCCW). Panasonic has also asked him to be the spokesperson for a new type of mobile phone.

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When he was a boy, Jay Chou was considered a bit slow, or rather, "stupid". His high school English teacher Sue Ellen said that his learning ability was very poor: "Jay rarely has facial expressions. I once thought he was mute." This child is not interested in mathematics, nor is he interested in physics or chemistry. What's more, Don’t want to worry about English homework. But his mother noticed that the quiet, shy boy always seemed to sway to the Western pop music she played. ?

"He was very sensitive to music before he learned to walk." Zhou's mother recalled. Therefore, Zhou’s mother sent Jay to piano school when he was four years old. He can really play it. He practices like an obsession, loving the keyboard as much as kids his age love ice cream. By his late teens, his creative talent was beyond his years. "Once, he used the piano to play a very solemn song," said Charlie Chen, a piano teacher at Jay Chou High School, "but turned it into a fun, playful piece."?

Outside of the piano room, Jay Chou is just like any other person. He likes to watch Kung Fu movies and play video games. While other children were studying hard for entrance exams, Jay Chou often skipped classes and spent more time on his "musical ivory tower." It seemed that he would accomplish nothing. Music? If you come from a middle-class family in Taiwan, mathematics, natural sciences, engineering, and computer programming are your bread and butter. What about music? That is only a matter for wealthy young men from famous families, and has nothing to do with the children who grew up in Linkou. In other words, it has nothing to do with Jay Chou. Subsequently, he lost his reputation and was about to be thrown into the cruel real world. He might become a gas worker or, if you're lucky, sell an electronic keyboard in front of you. ?

However, music has always been something that influenced Jay Chou's life. Music saved him. Music elevates him. Music is his savior, his lucky star. Music was the only thing he had. Even when Jay Chou himself was still confused, music was already arranging his life. Jay Chou still didn't know how valuable his harmony talent was. ?

By chance, he accompanied a girl from a lower grade to participate in Taiwan's "Super Rookie King" program. As a result, he caught the attention of Taiwanese producer Wu Zongxian, the owner of Alfa Music Studio. When Wu Zongxian recalled the first time he met Jay Chou, he said: "My first impression was that he was too shy and too quiet. I even thought he was a little slow." Jay Chou's music impressed Wu Zongxian, but Wu Zongxian All I thought about at the time was that he was a songwriter. "I don't think Jay Chou can become an entertainer," Wu Zongxian admitted, "because he is not very handsome."?

Subsequently, another well-known music producer discovered Jay Chou's musical talent. After listening to Jay Chou's singing, I decided to make an album for him. At this point, overnight, Jay Chou changed from an unknown musician to a singer; so suddenly and so fast that Jay Chou himself was a little flattered. ?

When talking about music, Jay Chou said that his music is like magic. It should be diverse, short, changeable and divergent. "This is my magic." He said again, looking at you seriously and sincerely, as if he needed you to understand all this. "My philosophy of life is that no matter what you do, you can't always follow others. Go your own way, you know?" he said. ?

It seems that Jay Chou was not the first musician to introduce R&B music to Taiwan. Tao Zhe and Leehom Wang had already tried before him, but it was not until Jay Chou's debut that R&B singers began to truly occupy Taiwan. 's music industry. "There is no doubt that Jay Chou is leading the direction of music development," said Hong Kong music critic Fong Lai Qi. His success in music writing and singing led to a large number of imitators. ?

After the performance at the MGM Grand Theater in the United States, Jay Chou sat lazily in a Chinese restaurant. He still wore his sweat-stained baseball cap and frayed denim shirt. He seemed to be thinking a little, and it seemed that he was also surprised by the great success he had achieved. In fact, there are still many areas that Alexander in the entertainment industry needs to conquer, including: television, movies, going global, entering the United States, etc. But Jay Chou seemed uninterested in learning English, and he wasn't interested in directors looking for him to make movies; eventually, he got used to everything that fame brought to him. He has begun to settle into his role, his philosophy of life has guided him so far, and he has long since learned to trust himself. ?

This 24-year-old superstar still has to learn to do many things, and various commercial forces have to lead him to shoot such advertisements, magazine covers, etc. R&B or rap? Nike or Adidas? He shook his head. The first thing he wanted to do was to go back to his music room in Taipei, lie on the sofa, take a nap, and sing more magical music in his dreams.