Source: Xin MSN
Credit: noreen (www.jay-chou.net)
The Asian superstar refuses to tell how much his endorsement fee was, as long as “my mother likes it”
Asian superstar Jay Chou can now add another accolade under his belt. The multi-talented star who is a successful singer, actor and director is now a designer too.
On June 29, Jay made an appearance at Searching for the Incomparable, a press conference hosted by computer giant ASUS in Taipei, Taiwan. Jay is the ambassador and chief designer of the ASUS N-Series notebook.
Opening the event at W Hotel was a technological crossover performance, which featured ASUS chairman Jonney Shih as the conductor to an orchestra of notebooks, with Jay on the piano. The pair performed their rendition of classical pieces Flight of the Bumblebee and Turkish March.
More than 300 media representatives from across Asia were invited to the press conference, causing Jay to exclaim, "There are so many media representatives here today. This feels like an international press conference."
The singer, who had previously endorsed many products, said that he did not merely endorse the product this time, but also designed the notebook.
"The client needs to have a lot of courage to have me design a computer, because I'm a very casual person," the singer laughed.
Jonney immediately quipped that he liked Jay's casualness.
"Jay's a genius. He has a unique style which is a perfect match with the company's philosophy," the chairman added.
Designed by Jay, the special edition N-series notebook has a mix of east and west elements, coupled with a powerful built-in performance.
The keyboard featured a stylish baroque-design letter 'J', and Jay's signature could be found near the touchpad. The talented musician also specially composed the start-up music of the computer, with four of Jay's award-winning albums built into the system.
Jay shared the concept behind his design. He said that while he came from a classical music background, his current musical style is hip-hop and rock. Therefore, he wanted something that was a combination of the east and west.
The singer emphasised that music is very important to him and he had high expectations when it came to audio. This was the reason Jay specially composed the start-up and shut-down tones of the notebook.
The special 'J' on the keyboard was designed based on Jay's calligraphy.
"I used to learn calligraphy when I was a child. However, whether the letter I wrote is pretty or not, it depends on the individual," said Jay.
The design team at ASUS put together Jay's dedication and passion for music, turning them into a creative and unique cover design that features the fusion of traditional Chinese ceramics and musical notes, martial arts, magic and baroque motifs.
The notebook is available in black gold and hot pink.
"I really like the colour hot pink. I'm sure it will attract female consumers," Jay said.
When asked if the inspiration for the hot pink design came from a female friend -- insinuating his former love Jolin Tsai -- the singer cleverly used his Reversal War co-star Nicholas Tse to fend off the question.
"My inspiration came from Nicholas's hot pink-coloured hat, which I gave him!" he quipped.
Who will he give the hot pink notebook to?
Jay laughed, "My mother already took it."
Lady Luck has been shining brightly on Jay lately. The singer not only bagged three awards at the recent Golden Melody Awards, but a Taiwanese fan recently discovered a new star (in the universe) and named it after him (Star ID: 257248, Star Name: Chouchiehlun).
"This is really special. It meant a lot to me. Maybe I should set that as the theme for my next album," chirped the happy singer.
A one-on-one interview with the media, which was scheduled after the press conference, was cancelled at the last minute. At the press conference, xinmsn was the only Singaporean press which posed a question to Jay.
Since he's both ambassador and chief designer, is he paid better for this endorsement?
The host at the press conference attempted to fend off the question, but Jonney answered coyly, "For Jay, it's definitely a top price."
Jay also did not answer the question directly.
"The most important thing about a computer is its quality," he said, before adding, "The most important thing is that my mother is happy with it. As long as she gives me pocket money, because she knows I'm working very hard, that's enough."
A few days ago, Jay was named the highest-earning Taiwanese celebrity in the first half of 2011 (NTD 470 million).
To that, the superstar replied, "The numbers are rather astounding. Why am I here, if I really earn that much?"
However, Jay admitted that it definitely "feels good to be the champion".
"I've always been competitive. I hope I can continue to dominate the charts," he said.
Commenting on co-star Nicholas's marital woes, Jay said, "Everyone has their ups and downs. He [Nicholas Tse] chose to face his problems with a smile. However, I'm not sure how he reacts to the media."
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