In the 26 years since his debut, Jay Chou has become the focus of the music industry every time he releases a new album.
In the early morning of March 25, his 16th solo album "Children of the Sun" was digitally released globally, including 12 newly composed songs and the special track "Christmas Star". The mainland version of the physical album released by Universal Music China also officially started pre-sale on the same day. As of 17:00 on March 25, the digital album sales of "Son of the Sun" on QQ Music's single platform have exceeded 1.6 million, with a single price of 40 yuan.
It is reported that the total production cost of the MV for the album's title song "Children of the Sun" exceeded 20 million yuan, setting a new record for MV production costs in the Chinese music industry. The visual design and creative coordination of this MV was handled by Weta Workshop, which has participated in the creation of Hollywood visual effects blockbusters such as "Avatar", "Lord of the Rings" and "Dune".
The afternoon before the album was released, Jay Chou's management company, Jewel Music, held the "Children of the Sun" MV world premiere and album launch conference in Taipei. At the same time, theaters in Beijing and Shanghai simultaneously screened the MV, inviting the media and fans to experience its rich audio-visual details on the big screen. Jay Chou appeared at a meet-and-greet for the first time in a long time, sharing the creative concept and production process of the album with fans.
A tribute to Western classic paintings
It has been three and a half years since the last album "The Greatest Work", and the release of "Children of the Sun" has whetted fans' appetite. In multiple previously released trailers, it has been revealed that the MV for the title song of the same name is a tribute to famous Western art paintings.
The "Children of the Sun" MV was shot in Paris and Taipei. It took more than two years to complete and was directed by Liao Renshuai. In this nearly 7-minute film, Jay Chou transforms into a detective and travels among the world's famous paintings to pursue serial cases, integrating suspense narrative and art history. The entire film connects 30 classic paintings in the history of Western art, including Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss", Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks", Jacques-Louis David's "The Death of Marat", John Everett Millais' "Ophelia", and Vincent Van Gogh's self-portrait.
Different from common digital special effects techniques, the team chose real-life shooting, looking for actors around the world who closely match the appearance of the characters in the painting, and used fine makeup, scenery, lighting and props to restore the details of the original work. A total of more than 30 actors participated in the performance, bringing the famous paintings to life on camera.
Musically, "Children of the Sun" combines rock and classical elements. The lyrics were written by Fang Wenshan and embedded with images such as sunflowers, night walkers, and Shakespeare, echoing the picture. Jay Chou explained the meaning behind this song at the press conference: "Everyone has a dark side in their heart. The key is how to face it, control it, coexist with it, or eliminate it?" He revealed that he also experienced panic and anxiety before the concert. "I wrote this song to let everyone know that this feeling is not alone. Many fans listened to my songs when they were students, and now they have entered society and faced various challenges in life. I hope music can still bring positive power."
The first line of the chorus of "Children of the Sun", "I am the light," was originally the tentative title of the entire song. Later, because of a gift from Jacky Cheung, Jay Chou decided to change the name to "Son of the Sun". In May 2023, he encountered heavy rain during his concert in Hong Kong, but it always cleared up before the show started. Jacky Cheung sent a mango and a handwritten card with "Son of the Sun" printed on it. He was deeply touched: "I think this blessing is very meaningful, so I used it as the title of the song, hoping to dispel the darkness in everyone's hearts."
Fan Xiaofei took the high-speed train from Nanjing to Shanghai to watch "Children of the Sun" in the theater for the first time. She believes that compared to listening online, witnessing the release of new songs with other fans creates a warmer atmosphere. Xiao Fei told China Business News that he got into the trap from "Nunchuck" and has been following Jay Chou for 25 years. "I was in junior high school at that time, and I was attracted by "Nunchuck", which was also my favorite song. Later, I listened to his first album "Jay"." She disagreed with Jay Chou's lack of popular songs in recent years: ""The Greatest Work" is very good, and "Intr" "O" is a piano piece. His piano skills may not be called an artist, but his composition is very good. I like to analyze the arrangement details behind his songs. "In the past few years, she has been chasing Jay Chou's concerts in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and other places. "I will get old if I don't catch up."
At the press conference, Jay Chou confirmed that a new round of tour is about to start, with the cycle expected to last two to three years. He also revealed that "Children of the Sun" will succeed "Golden Armor" and become the opening song of the new tour. "This song is very suitable for opening a concert. It has the feeling of overwhelming momentum."
Song written for daughter impresses fans
In recent years, Jay Chou has often shared the progress of his new album with fans on social media. After the recording of all the songs was completed, he also wrote with emotion: "The last album released was in 2022, which does not mean that it took three or four years to write this one. In these years, I have slowed down the pace of my life. I write when I am inspired, sing when I have time, and shoot the MV when I have time."
"Children of the Sun" contains a total of 13 works, covering R&B, jazz, rock, hip-hop and other genres. Jay Chou admitted at the press conference: "To be honest, I really don't know what my style is. Sometimes I want to write a certain type of song, and sometimes I want to shoot a certain style of MV. These 13 songs each have their own way of expression. Today I just put out the one with the most expensive budget first."
There are several pieces on the album that have a distinct personal imprint. For example, "Her Royal Highness," which he created for his youngest daughter, tells the story of the adorable and crazy interactions between him and her. His eldest daughter has "Previous Lover" and his son has "Pink Ocean". Talking about his younger daughter, he said: "Her childish talk is very cute. Of course there must be a song of her own."
Old partner Fang Wenshan continues to write lyrics for many songs such as "Children of the Sun" and "Gold Rush Town". At the press conference, Jay Chou shared interesting stories about their collaboration. When we first met him in the early years, Jay Chou admitted that he didn't dare to change Fang Wenshan's lyrics at all: "He threw me a thick lyrics collection with dozens of pages of unused manuscripts." It was from this pile of scrap manuscripts that he picked out "You Are Happier Than Before". "He's not very good at expressing himself. When he calls, his first sentence is always 'How's it going?', which sounds like he's not in a good mood." Of course, Fang Wenshan is an artist and "you can't change his words randomly."
As the cooperation deepens, the two have a better understanding and communication becomes smoother. "Now I will directly say: 'Fang Wenshan, this lyric must be put in.'" In order to match the 30 famous paintings in the "Son of the Sun" MV, he required precise synchronization between the lyrics and the picture. When singing a certain line, the camera would cut to the corresponding painting.
He mentioned a song he improvised in Santorini, Greece. While filming "Travel", he temporarily bought a guitar and wrote the melody in the car. "When I go to Santorini, I should write a song about blue and white, right?" The lyrics were written by Liu Genghong, and Fang Wenshan was asked to decide on the title of the song, which was finally decided as "Aegean Sea". "I went to Fang Wenshan and said, 'I'm sorry, although you didn't write the lyrics, but can you help me think of a name?'"
Jay Chou feels it is impossible to predict which song will become a hit. He took "Confession Balloon" as an example: "I didn't expect it to be so popular at the time." Therefore, he paid special attention to fan feedback: "After the album is released at 12 o'clock in the morning, tell me which song you like best.
As he expected, after the album was released, fans had mixed reactions. The most discussed topic on social platforms is not the title song "Children of the Sun", but "Gold Rush Town" and "Her Royal Highness." The former is impressive due to its ethereal whistling passages, while the latter touches people's hearts with its sincere emotions. Many listeners said that the overall sound of the album is better than "The Greatest Work". Although there is no subversive innovation, it has been improved within the existing framework and is a steady return. Some fans commented: "The five songs "Sicily", "Country Road", "Her Royal Highness", "It Rained That Day" and "Gold Rush Town" have the aura of Jay Chou's past. They are familiar and surprising."
