Jay Chou is undoubtedly one of the most highly touted Chinese popular artists in the world at present. The fervent Jay Chou craze spans the first decade of the twenty-first century and for good reason. Chou is an extremely talented musician who excels in his facility to appeal to both Western and Eastern sensitivities. For the Chinese, he offers a popular musical style that has its roots firmly planted in the West. For the non-Chinese, he offers up bits and morsels of Chinese culture in the form of traditional Chinese instruments such as the aforementioned erhu as well as other prominent symbols of Chinese culture (e.g. calligraphy). Perhaps even more significant than even that is Chou’s enviable ability to weave relatable lyrics with touching videos that appeals to his listeners’ sympathy and empathy.
As mentioned before, Chou excels in his artistic sentiment for synthesizing Western culture and style with a classical Chinese flair. This is especially evident in the song “East Wind Breaks.” In this song, Chou blends the beat of a pop ballad with the classic strumming of traditional Chinese instruments such as the erhu and the pipa. A further testament of his flair for blending the two styles, the video has him and his love interest practicing calligraphy and wearing a late 1800s-style cheongsam while sporting a cowboy hat. Such a paradoxical positioning of East and West symbols constantly recalls to mind that Chou is an artist of the twenty-first century. As such, his style reflects the fantastic phenomenon of globalization.
In another example of such a meeting of two worlds, his song “Nun-chuks” juxtaposes many different symbols of East meeting West. This song is essentially about martial arts, yet the very traditional concept of martial arts is placed in the context of a modern, Westernized setting. His style of dress, a black wife-beater and loose-fitting trousers, brings to mind the great Chinese martial artists, Bruce Lee—himself another great symbol of the promotion of Chinese culture in the West. As with many of his songs, Chou synthesizes the melancholy sound of the erhu with an upbeat rock beat. To add to the plethora of East-West amalgams, he even inserts brief interlude with an iconic Western classical instrument: the piano. Calligraphy makes another appearance as one of the backdrops in the video. There is something anachronistic about the fact that Chou is rapping in a room decorated with panels of calligraphy.
Jay Chou’s success is also owed to his ability to write and demonstrate through music videos songs that the listener can easily relate to. He is unafraid of touching upon social issues and for this reason, this generation of youth have found him to be someone who tells their own story. In the song “Third Year Class Two,” Chou takes the story of a boy who was bullied from childhood but who becomes, with the encouragement from a female classmate, a competitive ping-pong player. The lyrics—though not written by Chou himself, was still written with his personal vision in mind—tell the story of someone who is virtually unseen and unpopular (the line "Why is it that someone else's mobile is ringing" is pure, heart-wrenching genius), something many people could relate to with similar feelings in their adolescence. But this is not just a cliché story in which the downtrodden works hard and gets his just reward. Rather, this is Chou denouncing the need for social affirmation to know his worth. This is the man who loses on purpose because he understands the “vanity of pride.”
The song “Dad I’m Back” is a song that marks Chou’s willingness to venture into the dangerous rapids of serious social issues in that he writes about a subject that is rarely openly discussed, much less mentioned in popular music. This is also one of the songs that Chou writes the lyrics to himself. This is significant in that it suggests that the subject of domestic abuse and alcoholism is one that he takes seriously and wants to make a statement about society through such. The video is powerful in that it captures the disillusionment of a generation of youth who may have faced the harsh reality of domestic abuse. The setting is an urban intercity area, illuminated dimly to reveal the coldness of concrete and the prison-like chain-link fences. Chou is surrounded by several youths whose empty eyes and all-too serious expressions show that they’ve been forced to grow up too quickly and have no support system. Through this vivid imagery, the audience is confronted with the bleak reality of a generation struggling to find their place in the world apart from the stifling trappings of an orthodox family structure in which they find no comfort.
The verse where it says “Mum often tells me to be good and listen to your words / You tell me how I can be like you” is especially profound. This clearly shows the cyclical nature of society. Fathers teach their sons how to talk like them, how to act like, and how to abuse like them. These sons go on to do the same to their own sons and so forth. However, in this song, Chou makes a strong statement against such blindness. In this way, "Dad, I'm Back" speaks to those who feel like they are ignored by their orthodox-minded parents. This is, after all, a generation facing challenges and issues that differ greatly from those in their parents’ era. Therefore, the youth of today must find a way to break out of this traditional cycle of abuse and scorn to find their places in this new society.
Jay Chou is a master of symbolism. His songs are rife with elements that at once entice the sensibilities, whether one is interested in the mix of traditional and contemporary styles of music or in the social issues that he touches upon. As such, Chou has successfully made a name for himself as a pioneer in Chinese popular culture.
Some critics say (often uncharitably) that Jay Chou's fusion of elements from traditional Chinese culture with minoritized (but commercial) genres like hip-hop is a performance of expected, "benign" "Chineseness" (essentially a variation on the argument of selling out "your culture" for access to larger global markets). What's your take on that argument?
ReplyDeleteI think that a certain degree of such cultural "selling out" is inevitable--and perhaps even necessary--for any performing artist who desires to succeed in the global market nowadays. The reality is that we reside in a world in which those who are best able to "sell" their products (i.e. via appealing to the sensitivities of the larger global markets) are the ones who succeed. To me, the question then is not so much "is he selling out?" so much as how he handles this so-called "selling out."
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, does the fact that Chou is performing to cater to the sensibilities of the larger global market make the "Chinese" aspects of his music any less viable? While I would agree that his music purposefully incorporates only a certain "type" of Chinese culture (i.e. the aspects global audiences expect and desire to see), it is likewise true that the elements he uses are a part of Chinese culture regardless. The construct of such "Chineseness" in popular culture then, is as much a product of attempting to appeal to Western sensitivities as it is a self-created facade made by the Chinese themselves. That is, while the fusion of martial arts and calligraphy and the use of traditional Chinese instruments into commercialized genres are what entices Western audiences to Chou's music, these self-same elements are what Chinese as a social group use to differentiate themselves from the plethora of cultures in the world.
As a musician myself and an ethnic Chinese, I personally think that such fusion of styles is a good way of preserving interest (especially that of the younger generation) in the traditional arts in an age where modern is good and old is...well...often perceived of as boring. In that way, Chou, while perhaps indeed "selling out" in an economic sense, is nonetheless also playing a part in "saving" the Chinese culture.
I think that those are all fair points. While I certainly understand the dangers and frustrations of slipping into Orientalism, I'll be honest, with the seemingly never-ending construction in the western media of "the China threat," it's nice to see some positive press. Anyone else have a take on this issue?
ReplyDeleteThe world, as it is right now, is meant to bring aspects of different cultures together forming an intertwined layer of uniqueness in all sense. This is especially seen in artistic forms. It is really hard to judge an artist because of their interest in music. As we have probably already seen, Jay Chou is an multitalented musician and songwriter. His ability to produce popular music using traditional instruments should be the center of attention for critics.
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting how he gets judged for producing music that will sell while most of the artists now a day do the same. We usually argue for the artist to be themselves. This influence of hip hop and r&b in Jay Chou's music fusion with Chinese music is who he is.
Lets also remember that Cui Jian had a similar musical fusion in his songs. He had rock influences and also incorporated Chinese traditional instruments and the trumpet to form the works of art that he is so well known for; however, he is considered the father of Chinese rock music.
I agree with Jack that sometimes people tend to be too critical of the act of borrowing and localizing western influences. In this particular case, Jay Chou infusing hip-hop and r&b with Chinese tradition music/instruments. I think it's quite unique and refreshing, and definitely appeals to many youth. Although, it might seem very commercialized in that it brings these very trendy western touches. However, I think that this kind of hybrid or bridging of music forms should be appreciated as a new kind of music native to Chinese pop culture.
ReplyDeleteI think its safe to assume that at this point in time very few still care about preserving ethnic roots or "Chinese-ness" and most of what they care about is how much moolah they are raking in.
ReplyDeleteJay Chou influenced me to study Chinese because although I could not understand what he was saying, I loved this new fusion of sounds and rhythms I was accustomed to and sounds I had never heard before. His music may lack "Chinese-ness" in some people's eyes, but I wouldn't know anything about China if it were not for him introducing me to even small aspects of Chinese culture. I think people in the arts like Jay Chou are important in giving Westerners an interest China so that one day they can begin to understand the culture.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Jay Chou may be thought at times as an artist who is 'selling out' through his use of Western elements like R&B and Hip-Hop in his songs, there is still a certain charm in his music that I believe can be understood by all cultures. Although I do not speak mandarin fully, nor am I Chinese, every time I listen to Jay Chou's, I can not help but feel a strong, resounding presence in his lyrics. I started listening to his music long before I even started studying Mandarin, so at the type all I had to go by was the music and the emotions he portrayed in his singing. Which I must say, are both amazingly beautiful. The way Jay Chou can incorporate a variety of musical components from both the East and the West, are nothing but sheer genius. He is amazing at what he does, and although he may sell out at times to reach a larger audience, his intentions seem genuine. From what I have seen from interviews, and from what I take from his music, he seems to be the type of musician that truly cares more about making an impact on society and getting a point across than making money. I feel that he is not world famous now because he sold out to other countries, but because the people of those countries truly take something from his music. Although certain songs of his can be a bit much, and a little too Western (personally I see this in some of the songs on his "Cowboy on the Run" album), I think he still does an amazing job of integrating the two cultures into his music.
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