Jolin Tsai (Mandarin:[tsˈaɪ]ⓘ; Chinese: 蔡依林; born September 15, 1980) is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen of C-Pop",[1] she is one of the most influential pop cultural figures in the Chinese-speaking world.[2][3] Recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in musical style and visual image,[4][5] she is a key figure of popularizing dance-pop as mainstream music in Greater China.[6][7] She maintains control over every aspects of her career,[8][9] her works, which incorporate social themes and ideological connotations,[10][11] have achieved both commercial success and critical acclaim.[12][13]
Tsai was born in Hsinchuang, Taiwan.[14] In 1998, Tsai won a singing competition held by MTV Mandarin.[15] Her debut album 1019 (1999) made her an instant hit, while her girl-next-door image made her a teen idol with a huge teenage fan base.[16][17] Her album Magic (2003) reflected her first musical transformation,[18] marking the beginning of her dance-oriented musical direction.[19][20] Her album Dancing Diva (2006) featured dynamic dance music and dazzling dance moves,[21][22] establishing her status as a representative dance-pop artist in the Chinese music scene.[23][24]
In 2009, Tsai founded her company Eternal, and began to dominate her career.[9][25] She began demonstrating girl power and concern for minorities with her album Myself (2010), which marked a significant turning point in her musical form.[26] Her album Muse (2012) spans both mainstream and independent music.[17] Her album Play (2014) made the world aware of the high standard of Chinese dance music.[27][28] Her album Ugly Beauty (2018) explored secular beauty standard and inner psychological polarity,[29] leading the Chinese music industry in terms of production level.[30][31]
Tsai has sold over 25 million records,[32][33] making her the highest-selling Taiwanese female recording artist since 2000.[34] Beginning with her album Magic (2003), each of her studio albums has been the highest-selling album by a female artist in Taiwan in the year of release,[35][36] with four of which also being the highest-selling album overall in the country in the years of release.[37][36] She has won a total of seven Golden Melody Awards,[38] the most of any dance-pop artist in history.[39] Since 2010, she has been ranked top 20 on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list for six out of ten times, with being ranked top one in terms of Chinese female singer three times.[40] Her net worth exceeded NT$2 billion in 2014,[41] and she has been ranked as the highest-paid Taiwanese female singer 16 times across two decades (2003–2022).[42]
Life and career
1980–1998: Early life and career beginnings
Tsai was born on September 15, 1980, in Hsinchuang City, Taipei County (now Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City), Taiwan.[14] She has an elder sister.[43] Her maternal grandmother was a Taiwanese indigenousPapora people.[44] She attended Hsinchuang Elementary School,[45] Hsinchuang Junior High School,[46] and Chingmei Girls' High School.[47] When she was in high school, she formed a band called Twister with her classmates.[48] Later, she participated in singing competitions to meet the needs of extracurricular activities for university applications, and won Chingmei Girls' High School Singing Competition and the second place in the popular music category of BCC National High School Singing Competition.[49][50] In May 1998, she participated in a singing competition held by MTV Mandarin, she stood out by singing English songs and won the competition.[51]
In March 1999, Tsai signed with Universal Music Taiwan, and became the record label's key newcomer.[52] After that, Universal arranged a series of courses for her for half a year, including dance classes twice a week to help her improve her stage performance, makeup classes twice a week to help her do her own makeup when she was pressed for schedules or in between brief interviews, and speech training classes to help her cope with the media.[53] In addition, Universal arranged for her to fly to Ireland and the United States to watch live performances of foreign singers.[53] In June 1999, she was admitted to the English literature major of Fu Jen Catholic University by virtue of her first place in the recommendation examination.[54]
1999–2002: 1019, Don't Stop, Show Your Love, and Lucky Number
On July 16, 1999, Tsai released her debut single, "Living with the World".[55] On September 10, 1999, she released her first studio album, 1019.[56] The album, co-produced by David Wu, Peter Lee, and Paul Lee, combined pop with hip-hop, R&B, world music, and others,[57] showing her musical talent and versatility.[58] It was generally well received by music critics, who said that the girlish feelings exuded from the album just filled the vacancy of girl-next-door singer in Taiwan at that time, and both her idol vibe and strength combined with the excellent record production made her an instant hit.[57] The album sold more than 400,000 copies in Taiwan.[57]
On April 26, 2000, Tsai released her second studio album, Don't Stop.[59] The album was co-produced by David Wu, Paul Lee, Peter Lee, and Chen Wei, and combined pop with hip-hop, rock, reggae, R&B, and others.[60] Her singing skills on the album were more powerful than before, with a more flexible interpretation of fast songs and a more emotional interpretation of slow songs.[60] It was well received by music critics, who said that the fast songs were full of enthusiasm and the slow songs were charming, and that it started her musical direction that focused on fast songs.[61] The album sold more than 500,000 copies in Taiwan,[62] becoming the year's second highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's sixth highest-selling album overall in the country,[63] as well as her highest-selling album in the country to date.[48] On May 5, 2000, she released her photo book, Nineteen Years, which sold more than 60,000 copies in Taiwan.[64]
On December 22, 2000, Tsai released her third studio album, Show Your Love.[65] The album was co-produced by David Wu, Paul Lee, Peter Lee, Chen Wei, and Jae Chong, it had more broad musical styles and a more mature vocal performance.[66] It received positive reviews from music critics, and was described as one of the most musically rich albums in the real sense during her Universal period, with a balanced mix of fast and slow songs.[67] The album sold more than 260,000 copies in Taiwan.[67] On September 6, 2001, the music video of the track "Fall in Love with a Street" won an MTV Video Music Award for International Viewers' Choice.[68]
On June 28, 2001, Tsai released the Mandarin version of the theme song "Where the Dream Takes You" of the 2001 Disney film, Atlantis: The Lost Empire.[69] On July 7, 2001, she released her fourth studio album, Lucky Number.[70] The album was co-produced by David Wu, Peter Lee, Paul Lee, Chen Wei, and Kay Huang, and combined pop with R&B, disco, hip-hop, and others.[69] It was considered to be her most exciting album during her Universal period, but also suffered from a lack of promotion due to a contractual dispute with her management company D Sound.[71] The album sold more than 150,000 copies in Taiwan,[71] and was ranked among the year's top 20 highest-selling albums in the country.[72] On February 18, 2002, she, on behalf of Mandopop, together with William Roedy, chairman and CEO of MTV, and t.A.T.u. featured on the cover of Businessweek.[73]
2002–2005: Magic, Castle, and J-Game
On July 23, 2002, Tsai signed with Sony Music Taiwan.[74] On August 2, 2002, she released the book, The Masque of the Princess, the Spirit of Knight,[75] which sold more than 50,000 copies in Taiwan.[76] On March 7, 2003, she released her fifth studio album, Magic.[77] The album was co-produced by Bing Wang, Peter Lee, Jamie Hsueh, Jay Chou, Huang Yi, combining pop with disco, funk, ballads, hip-hop, Britpop, and others, and tailored according to her voice quality, vocal, positioning, and potential.[78] It received generally positive reviews from music critics, and was regarded as a key work for her positioning transformation, establishing her musical direction with dance-pop as the dominant style.[19] The album sold over 360,000 copies in Taiwan and over 1.5 million copies overall in Asia,[79][80] becoming the year's highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's second highest-selling album overall in the country.[81] The album was nominated for Golden Melody Award for Album of the Year, she was nominated for Best Female Mandarin Singer, and Baby Chung was nominated for Best Music Arranger for the track "Prague Square".[82] Eventually, Baby Chung won Best Music Arranger.[83]
On March 9, 2003, the Taiwanese television series Hi Working Girl starring Tsai premiered on CTV.[84] On April 10, 2003, she released the songs "Angel of Love", "Darkness", and "Sweetie" for the 2003 Hong Kong film, Why Me, Sweetie?!.[85] On June 14, 2003, she graduated from Fu Jen Catholic University with a bachelor's degree in English literature.[86] On September 10, 2003, she released the theme song "Mirage" of the 2003 Chinese film, Warriors of Heaven and Earth.[87] On September 15, 2003, she translated the book The English Roses for Madonna, and later translated five other books for Madonna.[88]
On February 27, 2004, Tsai released her sixth studio album, Castle.[89] The album was co-produced by Bing Wang, Peter Lee, Jay Chou, Jamie Hsueh, Huang Yi, and G-Power, and its musical styles were all-encompassing, combining pop with hip-hop, Latin, chanson, heavy metal, Britpop, and others.[90] It was widely praised by music critics, and was credited with consolidating her successful development trend in the Chinese music scene.[91] The album sold over 300,000 copies in Taiwan and over 1.5 million copies overall in Asia,[92][93] becoming the year's highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's second highest-selling album overall in the country.[94]
On August 7, 2004, Tsai embarked on her first concert tour J1 World Tour at Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai, China.[95] The tour lasted one year and nine months with eight shows in seven cities.[96] On November 12, 2004, she released the compilation album, J9.[97] On February 8, 2005, she participated in the CCTV New Year's Gala to perform the song "36 Tricks of Love".[98] On March 9, 2005, she released the book, Jolin's English Diary Book,[99] which sold more than 120,000 copies in Taiwan.[100]
On April 25, 2005, Tsai released her seventh studio album, J-Game.[101] The album was co-produced by Jamie Hsueh, Jack Chou, Bing Wang, and Adia, and combined pop with hip-hop, electronic, disco, Chinese traditional music, and others.[102] It received mixed reviews from music critics, who said that it followed the trend and pursued the extreme,[103] but its positioning was vague and it lacked personality.[104] The album sold over 260,000 copies in Taiwan and over 1.2 million copies overall in Asia,[105][106] becoming the year's highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's second highest-selling album overall in the country.[107] On September 23, 2005, she released the live video album, J1 Live Concert.[108] On September 28, 2005, Show Lo released the single "Destined Guy", which he sang with her.[109] On December 30, 2005, she released the book, Jolin's Party,[110] which sold more than 150,000 copies in Taiwan.[100]
On February 16, 2006, Tsai signed with EMI Taiwan.[111] On May 5, 2006, Sony released the greatest hits album J-Top for her.[112] The album sold over 100,000 copies in Taiwan, becoming the year's fifth highest-selling album overall in the country.[113] On May 12, 2006, she released her eighth studio album, Dancing Diva.[114] Co-produced by Adia, Paul Lee, Peter Lee, Paula Ma, Yuri Chan, and Stanley Huang, the album is based on pop and electronic music, and had a wide variety of musical styles, with smooth melodies and catchy lyrics that were impressive, dynamic dance songs and unforgettable dance moves that stirred up discussion.[21][115] It was widely praised by music critics for its rich content, exquisite production,[116][117] as well as high audibility and popularity,[118] establishing her status as a representative dance-pop artist in the Chinese music scene.[23][24] The album sold over 300,000 copies in Taiwan and over 2.5 million copies overall in Asia,[116][119] becoming the year's highest-selling album overall in the country.[113] The album was nominated for Golden Melody Award for Best Mandarin Album, she was nominated for Best Female Mandarin Singer, and Adia was nominated for Best Single Producer for the track "Dancing Diva".[120] Eventually, she won both Best Female Mandarin Singer and Favorite Female Singer/Group.[121][122]
On September 21, 2007, Tsai released her ninth studio album, Agent J.[129] The album was co-produced by Lars Quang, Nik Quang, RnG, Adia, Paul Lee, Michael Lin, Paula Ma, and Jamie Hsueh.[130] It was released in conjunction with the film of the same name, which was co-directed by Jeff Chang, Marlboro Lai, and Kuang Sheng, and featured Kim Jae-won, Stephen Fung, and Carl Ng as the three male leads.[131] It received mixed reviews from music critics, who said that she maintained her consistent bold style and diversified musical styles,[132] but it lacked freshness and melodicity.[133] The album sold over 200,000 copies in Taiwan and over 3 million copies overall in Asia,[128][134] becoming the year's highest-selling album overall in the country.[128] Adia won Golden Melody Award for Best Single Producer for the track "Agent J", and Andrew Chen won Best Music Arranger for the same track.[135]
On November 21, 2007, Kylie Minogue released the single "In My Arms", which she sang with Tsai.[136] On July 18, 2008, she was awarded the Butterfly Award by the Taiwan's Ministry of Labor, in recognition of her outstanding performance in the entertainment industry.[137] On October 31, 2008, she released her cover album, Love Exercise.[138] The album was released in conjunction with the book of the same name, which included her covers of ten English songs, and was co-produced by Paula Ma, Peter Lee, Jim Lee, Daniel Bi, Paul Lee, and Adia.[139] It was originally planned to be released on March 7, 2008, but the release was delayed due to the personnel change and stock acquisition of EMI in Greater China.[140][141][142] It was not well received by music critics, who said that the production lacked new ideas and the original songs were too classic.[143][144] The album sold more than 30,000 copies in Taiwan,[145] becoming the year's highest-selling Western-language album in the country.[146]
2008–2018: Butterfly, Myself, Muse, and Play
On December 16, 2008, Tsai signed with Warner Music Taiwan.[147] On March 27, 2009, she released her tenth studio album, Butterfly.[148] The album was co-produced by Adia, Paul Lee, Peter Lee, and Paula Ma.[149] It was not well received by music critics, who said it lacked surprise, sincerity, and breakthrough.[150] With over 120,000 copies being pre-ordered in Taiwan, it became the most pre-ordered album of all time in the country.[151] The album sold over 130,000 copies in Taiwan and over 1 million copies overall in Asia,[152][153] becoming the year's highest-selling album overall in the country.[154] On March 28, 2009, she embarked on her Butterfly Campus Tour at Chung Hua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan.[155] The tour was originally planned to hold a total of ten shows, due to the recurrence of her old injury, it was decided to cancel the remaining shows after four shows.[156] On October 9, 2009, she released the live video album, Love & Live.[157] On October 15, 2009, she and Ke Fu-hung jointly established the company Eternal, specializing in her artist management, music production and copyright, concert production and copyright, fan club member recruitment, and other matters.[25] On April 27, 2010, she released the theme song "Heartbeat of Taiwan" of the Taiwan pavilion at the Expo 2010.[158]
On August 13, 2010, Tsai released her eleventh studio album, Myself.[159] The album was co-produced by Andrew Chen, Adia, and Paula Ma.[160] It was based on the concept of party,[161] and dance music accounted for ninety percent of the entire album.[162] It received mixed reviews from music critics, and was described as a new benchmark for Chinese dance music albums,[163] but an imbalance between commerciality and musicality.[164] The album sold more than 65,000 copies in Taiwan, becoming the year's highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's fourth highest-selling album overall in the country.[165] The music video of the track "Honey Trap" was nominated for Golden Melody Award for Best Music Video.[166] On December 24, 2010, she embarked on her third concert tour Myself World Tour at Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan.[167] The tour lasted two years and four months and held a total of 35 shows in 31 cities, with audience of about 600,000 and box office of about NT$1.5 billion.[168] On July 12, 2011, she released the book Living Slim,[169] which sold more than 120,000 copies in Taiwan.[170]
On September 14, 2012, Tsai released her twelfth studio album, Muse.[171] Co-produced by Michael Lin, Peggy Hsu, JJ Lin, and Tanya Chua,[172] the album combined pop music and pop art,[173] and spans both mainstream and independent music.[17] It received generally positive reviews from music critics, and was described as a paragon of pop albums, with clear themes and a balanced mix of fast and slow songs.[174] The album sold more than 95,000 copies in Taiwan, becoming the year's highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's third highest-selling album overall in the country.[175] The album was nominated for Golden Melody Award for Best Mandarin Album, the track "The Great Artist" and its music video were nominated for Song of the Year and Best Music Video, respectively, and she was nominated for Best Female Mandarin Singer.[176] Eventually, "The Great Artist" won Song of the Year.[177]
On January 16, 2013, Tsai represented Taiwanese singers to attend MIDEM in Cannes, France.[178] On October 19, 2013, she released the live video album, Myself World Tour.[179] On May 19, 2014, she released the song "Now Is the Time" for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which was included on the compilation album, Pepsi Beats of the Beautiful Game.[180] On June 13, 2014, she released the theme song "Kaleidoscope" of the 2014 Chinese film, Tiny Times 3.[181] On August 27, 2014, she released the theme song "Be Wonderful Together" of a campaign jointly held by Pepsi and Tmall.[182] On October 31, 2014, she began to serve as a judge of the CCTV variety show Rising Star,[183] which ended on December 30, 2014.[184]
On November 15, 2014, Tsai released her thirteenth studio album, Play.[185] Co-produced by Starr Chen, Andrew Chen, Tiger Chung, JJ Lin, and Michael Lin,[186] the album broke away from the framework of previous Chinese albums,[187] with rich contents and all-encompassing themes.[27] It received critical acclaim from music critics, and was credited with introducing the world to the high standard of Chinese dance music.[28] The album sold more than 85,000 copies in Taiwan,[188] becoming the year's highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's fourth highest-selling album overall in the country.[189] It was nominated for a total of ten Golden Melody Awards, becoming one of the albums with the most Golden Melody Award nominations in history.[190] The album was nominated for both Best Mandarin Album and Best Vocal Recording Album, the track "Play" was nominated for Song of the Year, the music videos of "Play", "We're All Different, Yet the Same", and "I'm Not Yours" were all nominated for Best Music Video, Alex Ni and Starr Chen were jointly nominated for Best Music Arranger for "Play", Starr Chen and Andrew Chen were nominated for Best Single Producer for "Play" and "Lip Reading", respectively, and Aaron Nieh was nominated for Best Album Packaging.[191][192] Eventually, the album won both Best Mandarin Album and Best Vocal Recording Album, and Andrew Chen won Best Single Producer.[193]
On May 22, 2015, Tsai embarked on her fourth concert tour Play World Tour at Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan.[194] The tour lasted one year and two months and held a total of 34 shows in 23 cities, with audience of about 600,000 and box office of about NT$1.5 billion.[96] On December 2, 2015, she won Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Asian Artist.[195] On February 26, 2016, she dubbed Judy Hopps in the Taiwanese Mandarin edition of the 2016 Disney film Zootopia, which was her first dubbing work.[196] On September 30, 2016, Alesso released the single "I Wanna Know" in collaboration with her.[197] On October 31, 2016, Starr Chen released the single "Ego-Holic" in collaboration with her.[198] On May 12, 2017, she released the theme song "Give Love" of a Mother's Day campaign held by Da Ai Television.[199] On June 20, 2017, Hardwell released the single "We Are One" in collaboration with her.[200] On November 20, 2017, she released the theme song "On Happiness Road" of the film of the same name.[199] On December 29, 2017, she released the theme song "Stand Up" of the 2018 Chinese film, Monster Hunt 2.[201] On January 30, 2018, she released the live video album, Play World Tour.[202] On June 12, 2018, she released the 10th anniversary theme song "The Player" of the video game, Dungeon & Fighter.[203]
2018–present: Ugly Beauty
On December 26, 2018, Tsai released her fourteenth studio album, Ugly Beauty.[204] The album was co-produced by Starr Chen, Razor Chiang, Howe Chen, Øzi, and her,[205] and combined pop with reggae, electronic, hip-hop, and others.[206] It returned to the inner level of the singer herself, with the theme of breaking the secular beauty standard and exploring the inner psychological polarity.[29] It was generally praised by music critics, who said that the concept of the album was complete and unified,[207] the singing state was comfortable,[208] and the production was exquisite and ranked top among Chinese albums.[31] The album became the highest-selling album of 2019 overall in Taiwan.[36] As of August 13, 2023, it has sold more than 850,000 digital copies in China,[209] becoming the highest-selling digital album by a female Hong Kong/Taiwan artist in history,[210] she also became the female Hong Kong/Taiwan artist with the highest-selling digital sales of all time.[211] The album was nominated for a total of eight Golden Melody Awards. The album was nominated for Album of the Year, Best Mandarin Album, and Best Vocal Recording Album, the track "Womanly" was nominated for Song of the Year, the music videos of the tracks "Ugly Beauty" and "Lady in Red" were nominated for Best Music Video, she was nominated for Best Female Mandarin Singer, and she and Starr Chen were jointly nominated for Best Single Producer for the track "Ugly Beauty".[212][213] Eventually, the album won Album of the Year, and "Womxnly" won Song of the Year.[214]
On January 21, 2019, Tsai began to serve as the dance mentor of the iQiyi variety show Youth with You,[215] which ended on April 6, 2019.[216] On January 24, 2019, she released the single "Happy New Year Do Re Mi", which she sung with Liu Yuning and TikTok influencers.[217] On November 1, 2019, she released the single "Gravity" with Karry Wang.[218] On December 30, 2019, she embarked on her fifth concert tour Ugly Beauty World Tour at Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan.[219] On April 3, 2020, she released the single "Fight as One" with Eason Chan.[220] On November 22, 2020, she released the songs "Who Am I", "Turn Back Time", "Opposite" for the 2020 Chinese television series, The Wolf.[221] On March 21, 2021, she released the single "Stars Align" with R3hab.[222] On October 21, 2021, she released the single "Equal in the Darkness" with Steve Aoki and Max Schneider.[223] On December 9, 2022, she released the theme song "Untitled" of the 2022 Taiwanese film, Marry My Dead Body.[224] The song was nominated for Golden Horse Award for Best Original Film Song.[225] On October 31, 2023, she released the theme song "Someday, Somewhere" of the 2023 Taiwanese web series, At the Moment.[226] On November 20, 2023, she released the 40th anniversary theme song "Oh La La La" of McDonald's Taiwan.[227]
Artistry
Influences
Tsai said that her opening yoga performance on the J1 World Tour (2004–2006) was inspired by Madonna's opening yoga performance on the Re-Invention World Tour (2004), and she also performed vogue, which was popularized by Madonna, in the music video of "Honey Trap" on the album Myself (2010).[228]
Tsai has cited that Madonna, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Destiny's Child as major influences on her career. In May 1998, she won a singing competition, in which she performed songs by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.[229] She admitted that these two singers had a great influence on her when she was a student,[230] she said: "I've been listening to music since I was a child, at that time, I often listened to tapes and radios. Western music was very popular at that time, I liked Whitney Houston, and I often recorded myself imitating her singing voice. After that, I made my debut as a singer by participating in singing competition."[32] In addition, she claimed that Destiny's Child, who can sing and dance, also inspired her a lot,[230] she said: "I really admire them [Destiny's Child], dancing and singing are really skills."[231]
Tsai said that she became a fan of Madonna after noticing that Madonna has been full of muscles,[232] she said: "I want to be a stage artist in the future, just like Madonna, she can lead the trend in music, stage, dance, and costume, she is the goal I want to achieve."[228] Taiwanese choreographer Bruce Chang recalled that Tsai had observed Madonna's stage performance very carefully, Tsai said: "She [Madonna] rarely does line dancing, but her every move is very powerful, and that is the stage performance I want to achieve." She also said: "Madonna has always been an artist I admire, she has a lot of stuff are very innovative, even at the moment her works have been attacked by a lot of public opinion, but now looking back people still think her stuff are very amazing."[233] Therefore, Tsai has been trying to introduce the most popular Western dance music elements into the Chinese music scene, she believed that "when making popular music, we should lead people to accept new styles and new elements, and challenge existing concepts."[28] In addition, she has also named Kylie Minogue,[234]Britney Spears,[235]Lady Gaga,[236] and others as inspirations.
Musical style
Tsai has been experimenting with different musical styles and adding personal musical ideas,[4][237] she said: "In addition to challenging various styles, I explore how to interpret and express them with my own colors."[32] Her musical style is mainly dance-pop,[18] she believed that "every singer must establish own brand and characteristics. Maybe I don't have many representative ballad works, but dance music is what I am best at."[28] Her debut album 1019 (1999) featured ballads,[238] but also Included the R&B track "Because of You" and the hip-hop track "Out on the Street".[58] Her 2000 album Don't Stop added elements such as rock and reggae to the styles of the previous album, and began to feature dance tracks such as "Don't Stop" and "You Gotta Know".[61] Her next two albums Show Your Love (2000) and Lucky Number (2001) featured R&B and hip-hop, and also incorporated elements such as disco.[67][71]
Her 2003 album Magic, which combined elements of disco, funk, hip-hop, rock, and R&B,[78] is considered to be her first musical transformation,[18] establishing her musical direction dominated by dance music.[19] Her 2004 album Castle continued the styles of the previous album,[92] and included the tracks "36 Tricks of Love" and "Priority" that integrated heavy metal music element, as well as the chanson track "Love Love Love".[90] Many of the dance tracks on her 2005 album J-Game were heavily influenced by electronic music, and in addition to retaining the elements of disco and hip-hop in the previous two albums,[105] the track "Exclusive Myth" incorporated hip-hop and Chinese traditional music.[102] Her 2006 album Dancing Diva is based on pop and electronic music,[21] while the title track of the album revealed a strong exotic style, it also included the electronic rock track "Good Guy".[22] Her 2007 album Agent J featured Eurodance, and in addition to continuing to include elements such as disco and hip-hop,[128] it included the swing track "Fear-Free".[130]
Her 2009 album Butterfly dabbled in synth-pop.[239] Her 2010 album Myself featured house music,[240] but also included the R&B track "Nothing Left to Say" that incorporated urban pop element.[160] Her 2012 album Muse is a pop-based album with styles span mainstream and independent music, and the overall musical temperament was quite different from that of her previous albums,[17][241] while the tracks "Fantasy", "Dr. Jolin", and "Beast" were influenced by trance, progressive house, and techno, respectively.[240] Her 2014 album Play was largely influenced by genres of electronic dance music such as trap and dubstep,[240] while the track "Gentlewomen" blended noise rock and alternative dance, and the track "Miss Trouble" integrated opera.[242] Her 2018 album Ugly Beauty incorporated reggae, electronic, hip-hop, and other elements,[206] but also included the track "Necessarily Evil" that integrated gothic rock and the track "Vulnerability" that incorporated soul music.[243]
Voice
Tsai possesses a mezzo-sopranovocal range,[244] her voice is quite recognizable,[245] but since her debut, she has often been criticized for her weak singing skills,[246] including problems such as thin voice and limited range.[247] Taiwanese musician Bing Wang once said: "[Tsai's] singing skills are very ordinary, but the good thing is that her enunciation has characteristics."[248] She debuted her career by winning a singing competition, one judge Wawa Chen said: "She [Tsai] is really a natural talent, she is singing with her talent."[249]Sohu Entertainment said: "Jolin Tsai's musical works have been continuously recognized in recent years. In addition, in terms of singing skills, you can also hear her real improvement in essence, for the two successful albums of Muse and Play, people no longer only praise her style of music, but her singing has gained new attention, and her vocals and singing methods in ballads and even electronic dance music have accumulated and sublimated."[13] Qu Er of Tencent Entertainment pointed out that Tsai's singing skills have often been misunderstood, and believed that "Jolin Tsai has top breath and high-pitched skills, and there are not many singers who still have the smooth breath after dancing the whole show."[250]
Tsai has been nominated for Golden Melody Award for Best Female Mandarin Singer four times,[251] and won the award for her 2006 album Dancing Diva.[122] This was her first time to receive a Golden Melody Award,[252] but some people have questioned whether her singing strength has been qualified for the award.[253] Liu Ya-wen, chief jury of the 18th Golden Melody Awards, responded that Tsai's all-round qualities were the reason for her success, and said: "Jolin Tsai leads the way with her smart, dexterous, and excellent singing and writing performances, especially her album Dancing Diva is very rich in content, allowing her to break away from an entertainer and become a real vocalist."[252] She was nominated for ten Golden Melody Awards for her 2014 album Play, but was not nominated for the category of Best Female Mandarin Singer after a judge raised the issue of serious pitch correction on the album, which influenced the voting of other judges.[254] Regarding this, Tsai's manager Tom Wang responded: "Jolin Tsai is not a singer who relies on pitch correction. Welcome to listen to her live performance. I have confidence in her ability."[254] DJ Casey Cheng said that he didn't think there was a problem with pitch correction, and believed that "records are creating very unique sounds."[254] In 2017, she performed at the 54th Golden Horse Awards, she was out of tune when she sang the first song "Tian mi mi",[255] and because a series of later songs were dominated by low pitch, her overall performance was not good because she was usually good at middle and high pitches,[244] the performance was discussed and criticized by many people, and she also freely admitted to her mistakes.[256]
Tsai has a high quality pursuit of music videos, creating content with creativity and aesthetic value while taking into account commercial efforts.[257] According to Apple Music: "She [Tsai] has always been on the cutting edge of fashion, and her music videos are full of varied costumes, sometimes colorful and sometimes avant-garde, very dazzling. Her music videos occasionally carry exotic colors, from the Gothic architecture of 'Prague Square' to the Siamese style of 'The Spirit of Knight', it seems like everyone is traveling around the world together. In recent years, Tsai has praised diversity through songs, and visually presents the depth of music with music videos: 'We're All Different, Yet the Same' was adapted from a true story, through same-sex wedding, deeply explored the issue of gender equality; 'Ugly Beauty' used absurd plots and styles to accuse rigid aesthetics."[258] You Zuo of The Beijing News said: "In the shooting of music videos, she has made breakthroughs in almost every album. Although it is not without the kind of traditional music videos that focus on showing the singer's image. But at the same time, music videos with such a strong style like 'Play', 'Womxnly', and 'Lady in Red' are coming out, and her work has evolved with each album."[257]
Tsai's music videos have been recognized by professional awards domestically and overseas. The music videos of the songs "Honey Trap", "The Great Artist", "Play", "I'm Not Yours", "Ugly Beauty", and "Lady in Red" have all been nominated for Golden Melody Award for Best Music Video,[259] while the music videos of the songs "The Great Artist", "Play", "I'm Not Yours", and "Ugly Beauty" all won Golden Pin Design Awards.[260] In addition, the music video of the song "The Great Artist" was awarded the Bronze Award for Visual Design at the International Design Awards.[261] The music video of the song "Play" was described by Time as "might be 2014's best pop music video",[262][263] and won Red Dot Design Award for Visual Communication Design.[264] The music video of the song "Sweet Guilty Pleasure" won the Gold Award for Best Music Video at the Telly Awards.[265]
Public image
Tsai's fashion taste has always been the focus of public attention, and her unique style of dressing has led the fashion trend, she is the "Fashion Queen" of the popular music industry in the eyes of the public.[266][267][268] Since her debut, she has been known for her bold and innovative fashion style,[267] "[Tsai] has gradually changed from a girly and sexy style to a trendy and avant-garde fashion style, and with a variety of styles, she is firmly on the throne of the 'Queen of Pop'," said Anny Ting of Vogue Taiwan.[269] Her debut appearance was as pure and cute as the girl next door, so she became popular among teenagers and was named the "Teenage Boy Killer", then she encountered a contractual dispute, and started again with the album Magic (2003), returning to the public eye with a fashionable and sexy look and dynamic dance music.[269] In 2003, she was named Taiwan's "Fashion Hierarch" by the Taiwan edition of Ray magazine for her versatile look.[270] In 2006, she was awarded The Style Award at the MTV Asia Awards.[271] In the same year, she was voted the Best Fashion Artist by fashion magazine editors and netizens in a voting held by Yahoo! Taiwan.[272] In 2016, Vogue reported on her versatile styles and outfits, and praised her bold attempts and ability to pull off various looks.[273][274]
Since 2007, Tsai has been invited to attend international fashion events such as the "Big Four" fashion weeks, the Met Gala, and the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and became the first Chinese singer to attend all these six fashion events,[275] the first Taiwanese artist to attend the Met Gala,[276] and the first Asian artist to attend the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.[277] She has appeared on the covers of Vogue,[278]Elle,[279]Harper's Bazaar,[280] and Marie Claire several times.[281] In addition, she has been ranked top ten on the FHM Taiwan's 100 Sexiest Women list eight times from 2000 to 2018, including one time being ranked top one.[282] She also led the nail art trend.[283] In 2005, she appeared the cover of the Taiwan edition of Nail Up magazine and was dubbed the "Queen of Nail Art" by the magazine.
Tsai has always been an artist with lucrative commercial interests,[284] and has been called the "Queen of Money-Making" by the media for many years.[285][286] She has been the highest-paid Taiwanese female singer of the year from 2004 to 2019,[42] and the second highest-paid Taiwanese female singer of the year in 2020 and 2021.[287][288] In 2014, Hong Kong's Next Magazine reported that her net worth exceeded NT$2 billion.[41] Her record sales have so far exceeded 25 million copies,[32][33] making her the highest-selling Taiwanese female recording artist since 2000.[34] Beginning with her 2003 album Magic, each of her studio albums has been the highest-selling album by a female artist in Taiwan in the year of release,[35][36] with four of which also being the highest-selling album overall in the country in the respective years of release.[37][36] She has been ranked top 20 on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list for six out of ten times since 2010, including being ranked top one in terms of Chinese female singer three times.[40] In addition, she was also listed among the Forbes Asia's 100 Digital Stars, with more than 43 million followers on Sina Weibo and 4 million followers on Instagram by the end of 2020, she became one of the most influential social media celebrities in the Asia-Pacific region.[36]
Tsai is considered a gay icon by the LGBT community.[289] In 2012, she participated in the gender equality initiative by the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights.[290] Later, she expressed her support for the LGBT community through her songs such as "Dr. Jolin", "Fantasy", "Gentlewomen", "We're All Different, Yet the Same", and "Womxnly".[291][292] In 2015, she was awarded Icon of the Year at the Asia LGBT Milestone Awards, with judges recognizing her as a public figure in support of LGBT rights despite the pressure of public opinion.[293] In the same year, she featured on the cover of the lesbian magazine Lezs, stating that it was only natural for her to advocate for gender equality and same-sex marriage rights.[294] In 2017, Billboard's Tamar Herman reported that she has promoted the value of love and quality through provocative songs and music videos in the generally conservative Chinese music industry, making her one of the most visible icons for LGBT people in Asia, Tsai responded: "I don’t intend to become an idol for any specific group of people. All I want to do is to encourage some people by saying things I think to be right, so that they know they are not alone."[295][296]
Legacy
Tsai has become a symbol of the C-pop music scene with her music, image, and dance, as well as her never-giving spirit and boundless potential.[27] "Back in the early 2000s, Taiwanese artists such as Jay Chou and Jolin Tsai dominated Chinese-speaking markets throughout Asia, creating a golden era for Taiwanese pop music," said Liu Hsiu-wen of Billboard.[297] "Her [Tsai] artistic achievements have already set an unsurpassable benchmark in the C-pop music industry. The name 'Jolin Tsai' can be said to have accompanied a generation of young people through two decades of brilliant youth," said Hung Hsiu-chu, former chairwoman of the Chinese Nationalist Party.[298]NetEase Entertainment's Liang Xiaohui said: "Perhaps, in a few more generations, when we look back on the Chinese divas in the early 21st century, the first one that comes to mind will be Jolin Tsai rather than others, just as looking back at the second half of the 20th century, you can never avoid the shining name of Madonna."[163] In 2010, she was awarded Top Ten Influential Hong Kong/Taiwan Music Figures of the Decade at the Top Chinese Music Awards.[299]
Having a status to influence Chinese popular culture, Tsai has exerted a positive influence in the field of social issues.[292][300][301]Billboard's Tamar Herman said: "As the reigning goddess of Chinese pop music, Tsai has represented same-sex couples and diverse LGBTQ+ lifestyles through her bright pop songs, offering an outlet for diverse expression in the generally conservative Chinese music scene. Through provocative songs and music videos that encourage self-love and understanding of one another's differences, Jolin has become one of the most visible icons in Asia's LGBTQ+ community."[295] Liao Yuanling of Business Today said: "Jolin Tsai constantly uses microphones and spotlights to increase the energy of paying more attention to gender equality, but also use her diva halo, as the backer of these minority groups, making them feel more brave to speak up for themselves."[292] In 2019, in the "Who Are the Most Influential Women to the New Generation" survey jointly conducted by Cheers magazine and Elle Taiwan, she was ranked first in the field of fashion styles, and second in both fields of gender issues and life attitudes.[302]
Tsai's dance-pop has become an indicator of mainstream music in Greater China,[6] and she has led the way for dance-pop to become mainstream music in the region.[7] Fan Jung-ching of Taiwan's Bloomberg Businessweek named her the "Great Chinese Dance Music Artist", and said: "Jolin Tsai has composed 'her era' with music, and has made the world know the world-class quality of Chinese dance music."[28] "Jolin has elevated the pattern of Chinese dance music and has set a high standard that is difficult to surpass," said Hou Cheng-nan, associate professor of the Department of Mass Communication at I-Shou University.[28]QQ Music's critic Mimimao said: "Jolin Tsai is undoubtedly the biggest contributor to the development of electronic dance music in the C-pop music industry, and electronic dance music has also completely fulfilled Tsai's music career, bringing the C-pop industry of the second decade of the 21st century into 'Jolin's era'. Tsai's keen sense of trend and bold attempts have become the benchmark of Chinese dance music, making her far ahead of her competitors of the same period."[240]
According to Apple Music: "Jolin Tsai’s legacy is built on her tenacity as much as her pioneering vision. Moving on from her first incarnation of sweet idol singer in 1999, she honed her signature slick dance-pop and dazzling moves on albums like Dancing Diva in 2006. But this was just the beginning for the daring artist, who continued to innovate her sound—and became an LGBTQ icon in the process. Songs like 'Play' and 'Ugly Beauty' are both sharp societal critiques and helped set new visual and creative standards for Mandopop, leaving no doubt about Tsai’s lasting artistic relevance."[303] She has influenced many artists and has become the idol and learning object of many other artists, including Cyndi Wang,[304]Rainie Yang,[305]A-Lin,[306]Lala Hsu,[307]Eve Ai,[308]Shi Shi,[309]Emma Wu,[310]Yao Yao,[311]By2,[312] and others. You Zuo of The Beijing News said: "As one of the most influential female stars in the C-pop music scene, Jolin Tsai's insistence on making breakthroughs in art and caring for the society deserves the respect of everyone who cares about C-pop music."[257]
Tsai has cooperated with some of the brands to launch cooperative products. In December 2018, Pony launched two limited-edition collaborative sneakers of her design, based on the brand's M100 series of sneakers.[353] In July 2019, Gap released six collaborative T-shirts she designed, inspired by six songs from her 2018 album Ugly Beauty.[354] In September 2019, Gap released four long-sleeved pullover hoodies designed by her.[355]
Products
In September 2007, Tsai and her sister released the nail polish brand Oops! Jealous, which was originally sold on the Taiwanese online shopping website PayEasy, while she was mainly responsible for the development of nail polish colors and styles.[356] In August 2010, PayEasy and it further cooperated and sold its products in the vending machine at Qsquare in Taipei, Taiwan.[357] In October 2011, it entered the personal care chain retailer Watson.[356] It has been discontinued since 2014.[358]
In February 2009, Tsai and Ken Erman announced the release of the fashion brand Seventy Two Changes in New York City.[359] It was originally sold in Nordstrom in 12 cities in North America, and planned to expand the business scope to Asia, including Taiwan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, and others.[360][361] In February 2010, it entered the mainland Chinese market, and opened its first flagship store in Shanghai Times Square in Shanghai, China.[362] In the following year, it was reported that because the shareholders in the United States and China had differences in business philosophy, coinciding with the expiration of her two-year contract, she quit being the designer of the brand.[363]
On October 20, 2015, Tsai opened a fondant cake fan page Your Majesty on Facebook.[364] On December 7, 2015, she set up a company mainly engaged in the affairs of the fondant cake brand, which mainly sold fondant cakes and offered customized fondant cake order services on Facebook and Instagram.[365] On January 8, 2018, she said that her cake business had four cake chefs.[366]
Tsai has been nominated for a total of 15 Golden Melody Awards, including two Album of the Year, four Song of the Year, four Best Mandarin Album, four Best Female Mandarin Singer, and one Best Single Producer.[367] She has received a total of seven Golden Melody Awards, Including one Album of the Year for the album Ugly Beauty (2018), three Song of the Year for the songs "Marry Me Today", "The Great Artist", and "Womxnly", one Best Mandarin album for the album Play (2014), one Best Female Mandarin Female Singer for the album Dancing Diva (2006), and one Favorite Female Singer/Group.[367] She has become the dance-pop artist who has been nominated for and awarded the most Golden Melody Awards in history,[39] and has also been certified by the Guinness World Records as the artist who has won the most Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year in history.[368] Her 2014 album Play has become one of the albums with the most Golden Melody Award nominations in history with a total of ten nominations, tying Jay Chou's Fantasy and A-Mei's Amit for the record.[369] In addition, her 2018 album Ugly Beauty was also nominated for a total of eight Golden Melody Awards.[212][213]
Tsai has reached number one on the Taiwan's Hit FM Top 100 Singles of the Year chart five times with her songs "Marry Me Today", "Sun Will Never Set", "Honey Trap", "Play", and "Ugly Beauty", becoming the singer with the most number one songs on the chart so far.[394] Each of her studio albums, beginning with her 2003 album Magic, has been the highest-selling album by a female artist in Taiwan in the year of release,[35][36] with four of which, Dancing Diva (2006), Agent J (2007), Butterfly (2009), and Ugly Beauty (2018), also being the highest-selling album overall in the country in the respective years of release.[37][36]
Personal life
Tsai's personal life has been discussed and concerned by the public and the media. Since her debut, she has had suspected or real long-term romantic relationships with three male artists, Jay Chou, Eddie Peng, and Vivian Dawson.[395] In January 2001, she and Chou met on the CTV variety show, Guess.[396] In December 2001, she and Chou were seen dining at an izakaya in Shinjuku, Japan,[397] and the two were later seen meeting privately several times in Taiwan.[398] In February 2005, Chou and Patty Hou were seen together in Shibuya, Japan,[399] after which Tsai and Chou began to avoid seeing each other on various occasions.[400] In June 2010, Tsai was invited to be the guest performer of Jay Chou's The Era World Tour at Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan.[401]
In January 2007, she and Eddie Peng were seen together in London, England,[402] and the two were seen meeting privately in Taiwan several times.[403] In September 2008, Peng was involved in a dispute with his management company, which allegedly tried to block his relationship with Tsai.[404] In August 2009, Peng's former manager Liu Wei-tzu indirectly confirmed that Tsai and Peng had been in a relationship for more than three years since mid-2006,[405] and that the breakup was suspected to be due to Peng's mother preventing the two from continuing their relationship because she was unhappy with Tsai's reluctance to disclose her relationship with Peng.[406]
In July 2010, Vivian Dawson appeared in the music video of her song "Love Player".[407] In September 2010, she and Dawson were seen together in Tokyo, Japan,[408] and the two later traveled together around the world several times.[409] In November 2011, her father indirectly confirmed the relationship between Tsai and Dawson, and indirectly revealed that Tsai had relationships with both Chou and Peng.[410] In February 2013, she and Dawson flew to New Zealand to meet his parents, and the relationship between the two was confirmed.[411] In December 2016, her agent Tom Wang confirmed that the relationship had ended in November 2016.[412]
In 2010, the list started to include Chinese celebrities born in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other countries. Prior to that it only included celebrities born in mainland China.
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