Talk of the day -- Taiwan pop king's dreams
By: Sofia Wu
Source: Focus Taiwan
Credit: Petom JJ (www.jay-chou.net)
Taiwan's pop superstar Jay Chou ranked second in the "People's Choice" portion of U.S. Time magazine's selection process for the list of 100 most influential people.
In an article, Time lauded the Taiwanese film director-singer-songwriter as "having conquered Asia with his sweet tunes and sultry style."
"Now he's set his sights on America, bringing 'Chou style' to the silver screen as Kato in the blockbuster The Green Hornet, " said the Time article.
According to Time, MTV has been charmed as the network nominated him for the Best Breakout Star.
"This may be the year he wins Hollywood's heart too, " Time predicted.
The local China Times daily carried a two-page report Saturday on Chou's childhood stories, his teen life, career development and future plans.
In a recent interview with the paper, Chou said he aims to direct a Hollywood film starring famed actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
Chou, whom Time praised as "new king of Asian pop" in a 2003 cover story on him, said he wants to keep flying high so that others cannot overtake him.
Following his conquer of Asia with music, Chou has expanded his career into filmmaking. He won awards by directing the film "Secret" and with his acting in the movie "Initial D."
This year, "The Green Hornet" has even allowed Chou to become an international celebrity and his music to be heard around the world.
"In the past, Chinese actors mostly appeared in Hollywood kungfu movies. I present a different image in the Green Hornet because I can play the piano and the ending song was my creation, " Chou said proudly.
"The Green Honet" has become a "stepping stone" for more people to learn about him and Mandarin music, Chou said.
Riding on the success of the "Green Hornet, " Chou said he hopes Hollywood filmmakers would produce a remake of his award-winning work "Secret."
"Some day, I also want to become a Hollywood director and invite Leonardo DiCaprio to act in my film," he added.
Chou rose to fame 10 years ago when he released his first album, titled "Jay, " with his unique "Chou style" that blended Western pop music elements, including R&B and hit-hop, and delicate Chinese libretto.
"I felt lucky that I entered the music industry at a good time when this new kind of music was acceptable to the audience, " Chou recalled.
In retrospect, Chou has long begun cultivating his own style of music. He studied classical music from childhood and become fascinated with Western pop music as a teenager.
Chou admitted that he was not good at academic study. "So I concentrated on practicing the piano because I felt I needed to have some special skills. The piano gave me self-confidence," he recalled.
He was raised by his mother, a fine arts teacher, after his parents were divorced when he was 14.
Conventional wisdom has it that those who come from broken families are more likely to get into trouble. "I would not fall into such a stereotype. I hold a positive attitude toward life and I have studied piano hard since my childhood," he said.
Chou said he felt proud and gratified when he played piano together with Li Yundi, the first Chinese pianist to win the top award in the prestigious Chopin competition.
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