Jay Chou

Living in America, there is not a lot of international non-English popular music, which is really quite sad because there is a ton of unrecognized talent that we Americans are missing. Case in point: Jay Chou, the Taiwanese singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has been in the music industry for quite some time (starting in 2000) and has gained a large popular following in Asian countries as a musician, but he has gained world recognition as an actor, having appeared alongside Seth Rogen in The Green Hornet.

But back to his music career. Now, I don’t understand Chinese, so in terms of watching his in between song talks with the audience, I was completely lost, but it seemed as though he was saying exactly what everyone wanted to hear, because the crowd would respond hugely. On the screen behind him, are visuals that help add to the song, or are parts of his music videos. His stage performance is kinda sorta epic, coming onto stage via a trapeze device that drops him onto stage from the ceiling. There are a lot of traditional Chinese influences in his songs, and he has blended them so well with modern pop flare. He is clearly a ladies man, and loves to flirt with the audience, something that translates no matter what language you speak.