''Mirrors'' is the debut full-length

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by Hong Kong singer and rapper

Jackson Wang Jackson Wang (; ko, 왕잭슨; born 28 March 1994) is a Hong Kong rapper, singer, dancer, record producer, fashion designer, and music video director. He is the founder of record label Team Wang and is the creative director and lead designer ...

. It was released by his own label, Team Wang and Western and 6th, on October 25, 2019. "Bullet to the Heart" and "Dway!" served as the album's lead singles.

Background

On September 12, 2019, Wang held a listening session of his first album ''Mirrors'' for the press: the digital record, which expresses the emotions of the contemporary youth and incorporates elements of China's traditional culture, was produced in China, South Korea, and the United States. Wang supervised the whole process, from the initial creation to the packaging, and was personally involved in arrangements, lyrics writing, and music video shooting. The album features the Chinese version of Stephanie Poetri's " I Love You 3000" and seven tracks in English, among which "Faded" was supposed to be released as a standalone single in March 2019. In an interview with ''i-D'', Wang stated "For this album I actually found my true identity. I've released a lot of rap songs in the past; In China I release many ballads and R&B songs, so it just came to a conclusion where I felt like the fusion of it all was me." Through ''Mirrors'', he shares his truest and deepest feelings, talking about love, running out of time, his achievements and where he is in life. Although the songs' main theme looks like romantic love, the counterpart he sings about is himself, his demons, fears, or his passions. The album's first single, "Bullet to the Heart", was released on September 24 and is about overcoming the obstacles and hardships experienced while pursuing a dream. The album's second single was "Dway!", published on October 22, and expresses Wang's pride towards his achievements and his conviction that he's able to master his life. The title is a word play with the Chinese word "对", which means "I'm right". The full album was released on October 25, 2019 along with a music video for "Titanic", a collaboration song with Indonesian singer and rapper Rich Brian. In the music video, Wang dances with Asian dance group Kinjaz.

Critical reception

About the album, '' Clash'' said "Jackson Wang's solo career is set to truly shine. ..What's most impressive about the record ..is the brilliant range of distinct sounds the young artist has managed to cover in eight short tracks; no track sounds like another and that sets the bar really high for whatever he comes out with next. Connections of the heart, the career he has worked for and his conviction in seeing himself through the hard journey, and a celebration of his Asian culture to boot, makes up Jackson Wang's debut album – and it's hard to find any glaring faults with it barring the slow start of the first few tracks and a wish that the record was longer than just a total of 20 minutes." It also indicated "Titanic" as the highlight of the record. Jeff Benjamin from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' wrote "The album's title of ''Mirrors'' is a perfect fit as an album shooting a real, sometimes harsh, reflection of one's true self. It's a change-up from the previously announced ''Journey to the West'' title Jackson was previously playing, as these eight songs all look to be a larger meditation on Wang as a human rather than about a crossover attempt. ..One of ''Mirror'''s standout tracks "Bad Back" shines as one of the most interesting on the album as it seems to have multiple layers to representing Jackson as both an artist and as a person" and "''Mirrors'' felt like a journey of self-discovery with a tracklist that showcased new sides of Jackson as an artist."

Commercial performance

Upon its release, "Bullet to the Heart" debuted at #1 on the Billboard China Chart and peaked at #1 on the China Social Chart. In the November 3–9 week, the album placed #32 on

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...

, becoming the highest-charting debut album ever from a Chinese artist. In the same week, it also debuted on other ''Billboard'''s charts: it placed #3 on Digital Albums Chart, #1 on Independent Albums Chart, #2 on Rap Album Sales Chart, #3 on Digital Albums Chart, #4 on Top Album Sales Chart and Top Current Albums Chart, #18 on Top Rap Albums Chart, and #22 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart.

Track listing

Credits adapted from NetEase Music.

Accolades

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2019 debut albums Hip hop albums by Chinese artists Contemporary R&B albums by Chinese artists