''J-Game'' is the seventh studio album by Taiwanese singer
Jolin Tsai
Jolin Tsai (; ; born September 15, 1980) is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter, and actress. Referred to as the " Queen of C-Pop", she is considered one of the most influential figures in Chinese popular culture. She is known for her continual rein ...
. It was released on April 25, 2005, by
Sony BMG
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
. Produced by Jamie Hsueh, Jack Chou, Bing Wang, and Adia, it incorporated genres of
pop,
hip-hop,
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
,
old school,
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
, and
Chinese style.
It received mixed reviews from music critics, who commented that it for being trendy and pursuing perfection,
but also for being vague positioning and lacking in personality.
It sold more than 1.2 million copies in Asia.
In Taiwan, it sold more than 260,000 copies,
becoming the year's highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's second highest-selling album overall.
Background and release
On February 27, 2004, Tsai released her sixth studio album, ''
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
'', which sold more than 1.5 million copies in Asia. In Taiwan, it sold more than 300,000 copies, becoming the year's highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's second highest-selling album overall. On August 7, 2004, she embarked on her first concert tour
J1 World Tour
J1 World Tour () was the first concert tour by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It started on August 7, 2004, in Shanghai, China at Hongkou Football Stadium and continued throughout Asia and North America before concluding on April 22, 2006, in Irvi ...
at the
Hongkou Football Stadium
Hongkou Football Stadium () is a football stadium in Shanghai, China. Located in Hongkou District, the stadium has a maximum capacity of 33,060. It is the first ever football stadium to be built in China. The stadium was re-built in 1999, over t ...
in Shanghai, China.
On January 23, 2005, she revealed that her new album would be released in April 2005, and she said: "I have recorded three songs, and there are also lyrics that I wrote, some works are still looking for melodies, it will be settled down before Chinese New Year in the year." On March 31, 2005, it was revealed that "J-Game" would become the lead single of the album, and it was revealed that the second single would be a ballad. On April 8, 2005, it was revealed that
Wang Leehom
Wang Leehom (; born May 17, 1976), sometimes credited as Leehom Wang, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, producer, and film director. Formally trained at Eastman School of Music, Williams College and Berklee College of Music, his music i ...
had written a song for the album, Tsai said: "There are more than hundred of songs being collected, and the ones that remain on the album are the best songs!"
Writing and recording
"J-Game" incorporated elements including
hip-hop,
old school,
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
, etc. The dynamic rhythm and catchy melody show Tsai's kind and firm self-attitude. The "tiger" and "mouse" in the lyrics represent different roles that people play in their lives unknowingly, Tsai said: "When I first got this song, I was a little surprised by the lovely lyrics of 'tiger' and 'mouse', and I didn't know how to sing it best. However, if you look at the whole song carefully, you will find that the ultimate expression is that life is like a savage game, everyone is in the 'jungle' to find their own way to survive, so you should be brave to try anything." "Sky" evolves from a progressive piano into a pulsating movement, and her rich and calm voice mood is also very touching. "Overlooking Purposely" has a dynamic melody and a clear rhythm, and the lyrics describe the tricks of love.
The lyrics of "Greek Girl by the Wishing Pond" describe the girl's first love, and the melody incorporated the harmony of innocent children. "Exclusive Myth" combined chinked-out and Chinese musical instruments, and she used a soft and delicate voice to portray a new century's love story. The lyrics of "Repeated Note" was written by Tsai, and they compare love to the musical symbols. "Missing You" describes the wonderful taste of love and the feeling of a throbbing heart. The crisp guitar sound and bright interlude show a variety of sweet and sour tastes in love. In "Oh Oh," she used a playful voice to sing the secret words among girls. In "Hunting Cupid", her gentle and strong singing voice is paired with the heavy beat
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
melody, which shows the full vitality and determination of girls to defend their love.
Title and artwork
The album takes the concept of 'game' as the starting point, and it was divided into three themes—"Jisco-Game", "Jissing-Game", and "Jancy-Game", which these three represent the three musical styles of the album, namely "dynamic dance music", "moderate love song", and "fantasy world", and Tsai said she wanted to show creative and adventurous attitude towards life through the album.
Tsai wore a blue dress on the cover of the album's pre-order gift, and it was used the computer technology to create a collage of cuts by adding stars and flowers to the end of the dress. She wore a white T-shirt and jeans on the cover of the album's standard edition, while she wore a punk calfskin off-the-shoulder top and miniskirt on the cover of the album's champion celebration edition, with accessories on her arms and waist showing a full mature femininity.
Release and promotion
On April 11, 2005, Sony BMG announced that the album would be available for pre-order on April 15, 2005, and it was revealed that the pre-order gift would include a behind-the-scenes video of the music video of "J-Game". On April 16, 2005, Tsai held an album premiere in Taipei, Taiwan. On April 21, 2005, it was revealed that the album had been pre-ordered for more than 60,000 copies in Taiwan within the first three days. On April 25, 2005, Tsai held a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan and announced that the album had been pre-ordered for more than 150,000 copies in Taiwan within the first ten days. In its first week of release, it topped the weekly album sales charts of
G-Music
G-Music Limited is a company built in 2002 by Rose Records and Tachung Records, both are the largest local music retails and wholesale chains in Taiwan. The physical retail arms have been kept separate, for different customer bases and brand ident ...
, Asia Records, and Five Music in Taiwan. On May 27, 2005, G-Music announced that it topped their weekly album sales chart for five consecutive weeks.
On June 1, 2005, Tsai held an album celebration event in Taipei, Taiwan, and she announced that the total sales in Asia exceeded 1 million copies. On June 9, 2005, Asia Records announced that it topped the weekly album sales chart for five consecutive weeks. On June 18, 2005, she held the Exclusive Asia Concert in
Taichung
Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Taiw ...
, Taiwan. On July 8, 2005, the label released the deluxe edition of the album, which additionally includes ten music videos.
On July 31, 2005, the label announced that the album had sold more than 1.2 million copies in Asia.
On December 21, 2005, it was revealed that Tsai and Sony BMG's contractual relationship had actually ended as early as February 2005, but in return for the label's kindness to her, Tsai still actively cooperated with the album's promotion without a contract. The album reached number two and number four on the year-end album sales charts of G-Music and Five Music of 2015, respectively.
Live performances
![Jolin tsai performing in 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Jolin_tsai_performing_in_2019.jpg)
On July 24, 2005, Tsai attended the 7th CCTV-MTV Music Awards and sang "J-Game". On July 31, 2005, she attended the
TVB Jade
TVB Jade (), or simply Jade, is a Hong Kong Cantonese-language free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) as its flagship service, alongside its sister network, the English-language TVB Pearl. Bro ...
television show ''
Jade Solid Gold
Jade Solid Gold (Chinese: 勁歌金曲, literally ''"powerful song golden melody"'') is a music show on the TVB Jade television channel in Hong Kong. It has been running since October 10, 1981.
Broadcasting time
TVB Jade
*Sunday at 11:00pm to 11: ...
'', where she sang "J-Game" and "Sky". On August 5, 2005, she attended the 2005 Metro Radio Mandarin Hits Music Awards and sang "Sky" and "J-Game". On August 20, 2005, she attended the 2005 Taipei Pop Music Festival and sang "Overlooking Purposely" and "J-Game". On September 3, 2005, she attended the 5th
Global Chinese Music Awards
The Global Chinese Music Awards (abbreviated as GCMA)() is a music awards founded by seven Mandarin radio stations in 2001, including Hit FM, RTHK
Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is the public broadcasting service in Hong Kong. GOW, the ...
and sang "J-Game". On October 19, 2005, she attended the opening party of the 7th Nanning International Folk Song Arts Festival and sang "J-Game". On October 25, 2005, she attended the China Online Music Festival Concert and sang "J-Game".
On December 31, 2005, she attended the New Year's Eve Concert in
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...
, Taiwan and sang "J-Game", "Sky", and "Overlooking Purposely". On January 11, 2006, she attended the 12th
China Music Awards
The China Music Awards () is a Chinese music awards founded by Channel V
Channel '' ("V" standing for the letter, not the Roman numeral "5") is a Chinese and former Asian pay television musical network originally launched by Star TV Hong K ...
and sang "J-Game". On January 21, 2006, she attended the 2006
Hito Music Awards
The Hito Music Awards ( zh, t=Hito流行音樂獎) is an annual Mandopop music awards show, presented by Hit FM in Taiwan. Unlike the Golden Melody Awards, which are awarded on the basis of votes by members of the jury, the Hito Music Awards are ...
and sang "Sky" and "J-Game". On February 22, 2006, she attended the recording of the TVB Jade television show ''Jade Solid Gold'' and sang "J-Game". On February 26, 2006, she attended the 2006 TVBS Music Awards and sang "Greek Girl by the Wishing Pond" and "Sky".
Since then, Tsai has been performing songs from the album at various events.
Singles and music videos
![Taichung City Gaomei Wetland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Taichung_City_Gaomei_Wetland.jpg)
On April 13, 2005, Tsai released the single, "J-Game". The music video of the song was co-directed by Marlboro Lai and Bill Chia, it cost a total of NT$1.5 million, and the computer technology was used to create the animation effect of flowers sea scene, and the helicopter in the music video worth NT$30 million was designed by
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
's designer and took Tsai between the "real world" and the "virtual world".
The pink dress in the music video is a ballet-inspired design by
Rei Kawakubo
(b. 1942) is a Japanese fashion designer based in Tokyo and Paris. She is the founder of Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market. In recognition of the notable design contributions of Kawakubo, an exhibition of her designs entitled '' Rei K ...
.
The music video of "Sky" was directed by JP Huang and was filmed at Qingtiangang Grassland in
Yangmingshan National Park
Yangmingshan National Park is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan, located in both Taipei and New Taipei City. The districts that are partially in the park include Taipei's Beitou and Shilin Districts; and New Taipei's Wanli, Jinshan, ...
in Taipei, Taiwan. The music video of "Exclusive Myth" was directed by Kuang Sheng, and it cost a total of NT$150. The music video is based on the concept of dialogue with past life using the
ouija board
The ouija ( , ), also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and grap ...
. Meanwhile, it was also set up scenes of alleys and arches which are full of strong Chinese classic style, and the film art team was invited to produce the animation effects in the style of
ink wash painting
Ink wash painting ( zh, t=水墨畫, s=水墨画, p=shuǐmòhuà; ja, 水墨画, translit=suiboku-ga or ja, 墨絵, translit=sumi-e; ko, 수묵화, translit=sumukhwa) is a type of Chinese ink brush painting which uses black ink, such as tha ...
. The song's composer
Wang Leehom
Wang Leehom (; born May 17, 1976), sometimes credited as Leehom Wang, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, producer, and film director. Formally trained at Eastman School of Music, Williams College and Berklee College of Music, his music i ...
also gave ideas for the music video, including the Chinese style layout,
erhu
The ''erhu'' (; ) is a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a ''Southern Fiddle'', and is sometimes known in the Western world as the ''Chinese violin'' or a ''Chinese two-s ...
,
guzheng
The zheng () or gu zheng (), is a Chinese plucked zither. The modern guzheng commonly has 21, 25, or 26 strings, is long, and is tuned in a major pentatonic scale. It has a large, resonant soundboard made from ''Paulownia'' wood. Other co ...
, smoke effect, and
slow motion
Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slo-mo or slow-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use o ...
technique. The music video of "Overlooking Purposely" was directed by Kuang Sheng, the music video of "Greek Girl by the Wishing Pond" was co-directed by Marlboro Lai and Bill Chia, and both music videos of "Repeated Note" and "Sweet and Sour" were directed by Marlboro Lai. "J-Game" reached number 26 on the
Hit FM Top 100 Singles of the Year
Hit FM Top 100 Singles of the Year () is the music industry record chart that ranks the most popular songs in Taiwan, published yearly by Hit FM since 1998. Chart rankings are based on online poll in Taiwan.
The first number-one song on this cha ...
chart of 2005, where "Sky" and "Overlooking Purposely" reached number two and 65, respectively.
Critical reception
The Chinese Musicians Exchange Association commented: "Nowadays the direction of making records is heavy and complicated, their commercial approach is making songs sound extreme, popular, and avant-garde. This album is at the pinnacle of
bubblegum music
Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States ...
, this development direction suits her very well, I really admire the way in which the album production follows the trend and achieves the ultimate. There is surprise, I want to listen to it for a second time, but she can focus more on her vocal range."
Music critic Yang Liay Teing commented: "In ''J-Game'', she collaborated with another talent
Wang Leehom
Wang Leehom (; born May 17, 1976), sometimes credited as Leehom Wang, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, producer, and film director. Formally trained at Eastman School of Music, Williams College and Berklee College of Music, his music i ...
. She also played a lot in the musical styles on the album, which continued to consolidate her status as the "Queen of Dance-Pop".
Guangzhou Radio's DJ Liang Yucong commented: "I think it sounds more international and more diverse than her previous music, and it also feels mature and a little feminine. In addition to bringing
hip-hop music to the album, Wang Leehom also gave the album a promotional topic, I haven't found any obvious weakness for the time being, I feel that her singing skills have improved."
Ai FM
Ai FM (Chinese name: 爱 FM, literally "Love FM") is a Malaysian Mandarin-language radio station for Malaysian Chinese community operated by Radio Televisyen Malaysia
Radio Televisyen Malaysia ( en, Radio Television of Malaysia, abbreviated ...
's DJ PM Wang commented: "
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
again, Jolin's success is to penetrate her own characteristics in the current dance-pop music."
Wa! FM's DJ Xi Fei commented: "Given the overall performance of the album, Jolin's ''J-Game'' seems to be slightly weaker than her previous album, you need to listen to the songs several times before they leave an impression, the album lacks an impressive song, but it's more delicate, I have to praise Jolin's efforts and progress. In each album, Jolin's personal performance has made obvious improvement. I think that is the reason why she can become a long-lived superstar, Jolin is definitely worth supporting!"
Tencent Entertainment
Tencent Holdings Ltd. () is a Chinese Multinational corporation, multinational technology and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimedia companie ...
's Shuwa commented: "The overall production style of ''J-Game'' is still the same as her previous two records. This time it's more
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
in the style of the dance songs. In terms of local songwriters, in addition to Jamie Hsueh, who has cooperated with her all the time, the works of
Ivana Wong
Ivana Wong Yuen Chi ( Chinese: 王菀之; born 18 June 1980) is a Hong Kong female singer-songwriter who entered the music industry in 2005. In subsequent years, she swept the board of creative singer awards as well as songwriting awards. She ...
and Wesley Chia also made people feel the different Jolin Tsai from before. As for the producers, Jamie Hsueh's production accounts for most of the works, although the first-time collaboration with Wang Leehom was fresh, but it didn't have as much repercussions as the previous cooperation with
Jay Chou
Jay Chou ( zh, t=周杰倫, s=周杰伦, poj=Chiu Kia̍t-lûn, p=Zhōu Jiélún, first=t, w=Chou Chieh-lun; born January 18, 1979) is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter, record producer, rapper, actor, and television personality. Dubbed the " King ...
, also Adia appears in Jolin Tsai's producer list for the first time, but unfortunately the moderate "Sky" did not spark a later collaboration."
NetEase Entertainment commented: "Musically, this album can be described as exquisite but mediocre, in other words, although each song sounds a copy of song from her previous two successful albums, although each song was exquisitely crafted, but it lacks the finishing touch of a talented person."
Guangdong Radio's DJ Zhou Bin commented: "Strictly speaking, it can only be no failure, although there is no Jay Chou, but it did not affect the quality of the whole record, it's a continuation of her old style, which is still popular among young fans, however, her weakness is that the sense of melody in her several albums is still relatively poor, it will be problematic in the long run."
He Yajia of ''New Express Daily'' commented: "The new album integrated hip-hop, electronic,
old school, and
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
, creating a so-called unique 'Jisco', but such unsuccessful change made the album seem disorganized, lack of clear positioning and personality. The music is stronger and faster, the effort to erase Jay Chou's brand in detail hardly seems to realistically highlight Jolin Tsai, every producer has their own strength, after collection of various popular elements, instead, where Jolin Tsai went became a question."
Accolades
On July 24, 2005, Tsai won a CCTV-MTV Music Award for Best Female Singer (Taiwan). On August 5, 2005, Tsai won Metro Radio Mandarin Hits Music Awards for Best Asian Singer and Best Stage Performance, "J-Game" won Song of the Year and Top Songs, and "Sky" won Top Songs. On September 3, 2005, Tsai won
Global Chinese Music Awards
The Global Chinese Music Awards (abbreviated as GCMA)() is a music awards founded by seven Mandarin radio stations in 2001, including Hit FM, RTHK
Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is the public broadcasting service in Hong Kong. GOW, the ...
for Favorite Female Singer and Best Stage Performance. On October 30, 2005, "J-Game" won a
South-East Music Chart Award for Top 10 Songs (Taiwan). On November 5, 2005, Tsai won a Singapore Hit Award for Best Chart Performance. On December 15, 2005, Tsai won a China Gold Record Award for Best Female Singer (Imported).
On January 11, 2006, Tsai won a
China Music Award for Favorite Female Singer (Hong Kong/Taiwan), and "Sky" won Top Songs. On January 21, 2006, Tsai won
Hito Music Awards
The Hito Music Awards ( zh, t=Hito流行音樂獎) is an annual Mandopop music awards show, presented by Hit FM in Taiwan. Unlike the Golden Melody Awards, which are awarded on the basis of votes by members of the jury, the Hito Music Awards are ...
for Best Female Singer and Most Chart Entries Singer, the album won Most Weeks at Number One Album, and "Sky" won Top 10 Songs. On January 23, 2006, Tsai won a
Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award
Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards () is one of the main C-pop music award in Hong Kong. The award is sponsored by RTHK. Beginning in 1978, it is the oldest major award in Hong Kong, even earlier than the Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards. The cerem ...
for Favorite Female Singer (copper). On February 17, 2006, Tsai won a
KKBox Music Award for Top Female Singer, the album won Top 10 Albums, "Overlooking Purposely" won Top 10 Songs, and "Sky" won Top 10 Karaoke Songs. On February 26, 2006, Tsai won a
TVBS Music Award for Best Female Singer, and the album won Top 10 Albums.
On March 1, 2006, Tsai was nominated an
MTV Asia Award for Favorite Artist Taiwan. On April 24, 2006, Tsai won
Music Radio China Top Chart Awards
The Music Radio China Top Chart Awards () is a music awards ceremony founded by China National Radio in 2003.
Ceremonies
Categories
2017 Music Radio China Top Chart Awards
* Most Popular Male Singer (Mainland China)
* Most Popular Male Sin ...
for Best Female Singer (Hong Kong/Taiwan), Best Stage Performance, and DJ Favorite Artist. On May 20, 2006, Tsai won a Music King Award for Favorite Female Singer (Taiwan), and "J-Game" won Top 10 Songs (Mandarin).
Track listing
Release history
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
2005 albums
Jolin Tsai albums
Sony Music Taiwan albums