Since Jay Chou has received so much attention from everyone, I feel like I should talk a little bit about someone else. Jay recently released a CD which was pretty much inescapable for about a month. It was recently dislodged from its number one chart position by S.H.E.'s new CD although it's still at number 2. However, on the heels of this release by the King of Pop, is a future release.
For some reason, that is possibly the product of a permanently caffeine addled brain, Wang Leehom and Jay Chou have always seemed opposed. Fans of one rarely like the other. Wang Leehom for some reason is a bit more respectable and more people seem to publicly profess a liking for him. At the same time, he appears to be both ridiculously good looking, besides writing most of his songs. Whereas Jay Chou, when he first appeared, was apparently referred to as "the ugly kid with the squinty eyes" to quote a friend of mine. He is still labeled by many people as ugly.
As for me, I guess I see Wang Leehom as a sort of master imitator. He went to grad school for music at Berkeley, so there's got to be more going on up there than your average pop star (or your average thug) but at the same time he seems to borrow to put in kindly, others might say copy, let's compromise and say mimic American hip hop artists. At the same time, he says that he's trying to raise interest and pride in Chinese culture through his music. Ironically, most Taiwanese people I've talked to think his music is quite Americanized and commercial. His music is definitely commercial, and he models in ads like there's no tomorrow. At the same time there's this professed intellectual, ethnic, and cultural agenda that he pushes, and at the same time he's probably the most unabashedly commerical artist I've seen here.
He's also an ABC, and there's definitely times when I hear him singing and he sounds like he just translated his lyrics into Chinese from English. Anyway, these are just a couple thoughts. Feel free to rip them to shreds if you like. I'm going to bed.
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I actually havent heard a lot of wang li hom being passed around the taiwanese community here. He doesnt seem to be as popular. And I agree with the copying part. Jay does it too, but at least he likes to come up with his own styles and likes to add new things to his music. It evolves. Also, his lyrics arnt by him often, but the person who writes them is genius, i tell you, genius.
-Michelle
Yeah, but most of his lyrics are by the same guy. So they're almost like a songwriting duo, except that Jay gets all the fame and the beautiful women.
It's funny that you say that about Jay because everyone I talk to here seems to think that Jay's music is all the same, which it isn't his first album is way way different than his latest album, I think you would agree. But anyway, most people in their 20s like Wang Leehom. And say they prefer him to Jay. According to them Jay is for teenyboppers and twelve year olds.
hahaha...well. that certainly fits my profile. teenybopper. i wish.
-Michelle
I beg to differ... I like LeeHom's songs a lot. Of course every singer is doing commercial, what else do you expect? Whoever listen to "Chinked Out" album, will realize that some of his songs are bringing out the Chinese color, altho it's also mix with hip-hop & RnB which is very much attached to America's style. IMHO LeeHom is very creative and nvm others choose not to like him but dun compare him with other singers, every singer is different in his own way.
I hate Joy Chou very very much........ But i love Lee Hom very very much........ Forever and ever........
Joy Chou is evil.... He can't do the musician......... He always do the same music...........
Joy Chou can't sing the romantic feel ..... He always out melody, out timing, and also out key.... He is the most bad singer in the world.... He is kindness and unfriendly.....
Joy Chou is loser.........
F*CK ANYONE WHO DOESN'T LOVE JAY CHOU!!!
I will have to say about Jay that any kind of production that will tend to be successful for him will necessarily involve a personal degree of dedication to infusing his music with soul and humanity. This kind of presence given by the dedicated artist is of utmost importance, and rarely seen today. The array of work he has created so far is moving steadily in that direction, thus I don't believe he needs to bother with too much of the criticism out there. When you consider that most critics are only operating from a limited perspective you finally realize that both Jay and Wang need to have their balls cut right off and quickly with a rusty old blade pulled out of a maggot infested garbage can.
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