5 reasons why Jay Chou is the King of Mandopop – the Taiwanese superstar behind Mojito now hosting his own Netflix travel show J-Style Trip
He followed in Bruce Lee’s footsteps by playing Kato in the Hollywood remake of The Green Hornet and has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide – with latest hit Mojito showcasing a brave new Latin-pop style with surprisingly satisfying results
It is not an exaggeration to call Jay Chou the King of Mandopop – a title the Taiwanese sensation has earned the hard way over a two-decade career, all the while making it look easy.
Ever-relevant, ever-evolving, in May, Chou released his own Netflix travel show J-Style Trip, while June saw the surprise left-turn of his new of Cuban-flavoured Latin-pop smash Mojito, a viral smash across the globe. Here’s the full picture.
Making music
Many believe that Chou’s connection with music began with his mother who was a secondary school music teacher. After clocking her son’s early musical interest, Chou received piano lessons from the age of four. He later received cello lessons and also developed a passion for music theory.
Pop music managed to find a spot in his heart and Chou began to compose his own songs, combining both Chinese and Western music styles. By inventively fusing pop, rock and R&B he was credited with popularising zhongguofeng (meaning Chinese style).
Big bucks
Over 20 years, Chou, now aged 41, has sold more than 30 million albums, mounted several lucrative world tours and even crossed over to act in Hollywood movies – including his role as Kato in 2011’s The Green Hornet reboot and appeared alongside Daniel Radcliffe in Now You See Me 2 (2016).
So it was no surprise when it was reported this year that he has a net worth of 1 billion yuan (US$143 million) as of 2020. His wealth mostly came from his music but product endorsements and branding also helped.
House and home