First Take: Jay Chou's Mine Mine

I know Jay Chou is not a K-pop artist. But does it matter? He's so awesome! I also didn't say that this website is exclusively for Korean things, so I might as well spice it up a little once in a while. And what better way to spice up this blog with a little awesome Jay Chou? I can't resist.

Just a little background of my love for Jay Chou. To tell you the truth the intensity of fan-ness I have for Jay Chou is dwarfed by any type of K-pop stuff I do. Yes, maybe I'm not screaming his name for every little thing he does or I don't even tag his name on tumblr. But I am loyal, because he's the only artist I've liked for ever. Heck, I've liked him since 2005 and more than half a decade later, I still look forward to his music. I might do a post of his majestic music a little later, but again that's not guaranteed. Like anything I've ever promised to do on this blog. I know, I need to have integrity but what the hell.

Jay Chou came back with a new single called "Mine Mine" from his soon-to-be-released 11th album. Yes, 11. Those numbers don't come often in K-pop. He's one of those artists that promised to release an album each year since 2000, with the exception of 2009 when he was busy with his Hollywood branching out. Even Taiwanese mega-stars want to get a taste of Hollywood too. I actually heard this song from one of my Twitter friends who briefly mentioned it in her tweet. I of course went totally nuts because, what can I say, Jay Chou songs are the bomb. But a little precaution, there's autotune in the song. Say what now? Come on Jay, I know you can do better. Actually, when I heard the song, I thought it was really nice. Not as solid as some of Jay's previous works, but it has his flair. But the autotune is killing me. His voice is great and I see no point of using it on the song. Plus, the whole song is autotuned.

And then the video. What happened to Chinese vampires and retro cameras, Jay? This seemed like a very lazy effort from someone that I know can deliver a music video with great cinematic quality and engaging story lines. And now, it's just another K-pop idol video with multiple dance sets and fur. And feathers. I mean, I'm not saying this is the first time Jay made a bad call for his videos. I can never etch the image of ghetto Jay Chou out of my head. But because it's already past his first decade in the business, I thought he would do better. Although that piano, man it looks so badass.

The music video also includes a dance, which can be categorized as rare in a Jay Chou music video. There's been only a few that I know of that has them, and they are definitely a refreshing thing to see. I actually only knew Jay can be a dance machine if he wants to a few years back. I always thought he was a piano type of guy. But I guess this performer still has so much up his sleeve. And whenever I do see him dance, well, it's a cross between awkward and awesome. Awkward because he doesn't seem like the dance type (sorry, Jay) but awesome because he actually has some awesome dance moves that I can't duplicate even in my dreams. And also because he's friggin 32 years old and can pop and lock like any prepubescent idol out there.

This single, and music video, is a bit lackluster compared to some of Jay's other works. I felt like he wanted to try the younger music market that falls for glittery outfits and shiny dance sets. I'm disappointed because I know he can do better. But on the bright side, we can see Jay playing around with an umbrella, which is so weird and adorable at the same time. I hope the rest of the album can fare better, and I know it will. He has a certain style of music which I fell in love with and over the years he has managed to develop his music but still retain his style. And when the album comes out, you know I'll be here to write a review about it.