Jay Chou
Jay Chou (traditional Chinese: 周杰倫; simplified Chinese: 周杰伦; pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún; born 18 January 1979) is a Taiwanese singer and musician. Dubbed the "King of Mandopop" and having sold over 30 million records, Chou is one of the best-selling artists in Taiwan. He is known for his work with lyricist Vincent Fang, with whom he has frequently collaborated on his music.
Jay Chou | |||||||||||||
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周杰倫 | |||||||||||||
Chou in 2013 | |||||||||||||
Born | Linkou, Taipei County, Taiwan | 18 January 1979||||||||||||
Nationality | Taiwanese | ||||||||||||
Alma mater | New Taipei Private Tam-kang High School | ||||||||||||
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Years active | 2000–present | ||||||||||||
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Children | 3 | ||||||||||||
Awards | Full list | ||||||||||||
Musical career | |||||||||||||
Origin | Taipei, Taiwan | ||||||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 周杰倫 | ||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 周杰伦 | ||||||||||||
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In 2000, Chou released his debut studio album, Jay (2000), under the record company Alfa Music. Chou rose to fame with the release of his second studio album, Fantasy (2001), which combined Western and East Asian music styles. The album won five Golden Melody Awards, including Album of the Year. He has since further released twelve more studio albums, spawning a string of hit singles and gaining significant prominence in Overseas Chinese communities such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Chou has embarked on six world tours, performing in cities around the world to more than 10 million spectators as of 2019.
Outside of music, Chou is an actor, active businessman, and investor. As a businessman, Chou has served as the President of his own fashion brand PHANTACi since 2006 and was a founding member of his own talent agency, JVR Music in 2007. Chou has also ventured into acting, making his acting debut in the film Initial D (2005), followed shortly by a starring role in the epic Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). He has since starred in a number of movies, becoming known to Western audiences when he made his Hollywood debut in 2011 with The Green Hornet, starring alongside Seth Rogen and Christoph Waltz, followed by Now You See Me 2 (2016).