Monday 17 September 2012

Jay at F1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix: Counting down!

Look at His Royal DIAOness on the cover of the latest Uweekly issue, in the run-up to this Friday's concert at the F1!!
Doesn't he look so cool??
Facial features quite quite perfect in that photo. *swoon*
I recognise that red and black combo too..it was from a promo shoot for his latest album, Exclamation Mark. ;)

But erm...I can't say the same about the outfit he's wearing for the article inside the mag...and I won't detract from the point of this post (which is about the countdown to his concert) by writing a critique about Mr Chou's at-times, 'adventurous' fashion sense. That will be a topic for another post where I'll discuss both the fabulousness and faux pas-ness of his dressing at various events...lol!


In a nutshell, the interview talks about how happy he is to be part of the F1 entertainment and whether he might get a chance to try some of the cars!
Also some info about Rooftop and he reassures us that his new album will be released on 12 December 2012 (12/12/12); how making movies inspires him in his songwriting and the requisite question about his love life, which as usual, the tight-lipped-about-his-'girlfriend' Jay manages to not make a big deal of. ;)

Another interview from TODAY on 30 August:

http://www.todayonline.com/CultureAndLifestyle/Music/EDC120830-0000020/Aint-no-stoppin

Singapore - Legendary rock guitarist Marty Friedman has said that he would absolutely love to work with him. Asia's pop music elite thinks he ranks up there as one of the best singer-songwriters in the business. And his fans all think he's the best thing to happen to Chinese pop since bubble tea.

We are, of course, talking about Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou, who'll be returning to our shores for the 2012 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix.

"Being able to come to Singapore for the F1 - I'm looking forward to it," wrote Chou in an email.

You could say that there's precious little things left in the field that the man hasn't done already. Since he broke out in 2000, he's not only established himself as a singer and songwriter, with 11 albums to his name; he's also acted in movies such as Kung Fu Dunk, Curse Of The Golden Flower, Initial D and The Green Hornet; he directs his own music videos, and even did one movie, Secret; he runs his own company, JVR Music; and he's also written a book, Grandeur de D Major.

"All these years, the key thing I've learned is to be more active, more hardworking in life and not be afraid of setbacks," he said. "We must have the courage to keep trying. The most important thing is to love yourself and be yourself."

But if there's one thing he's grateful for, it's his supporters, who he said he regarded more as friends than fans. "I am well aware of the thousands - and more - friends who have given me support - either from Taiwan or mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, or Singapore and Malaysia and the other countries in South-east Asia, and even Japan and South Korea," he said. "To have that long-standing support of my friends - I'm very grateful."

As for his career, Chou said he didn't have a timetable set. "Retirement? I don't know. In recent years, I've been doing other things such as movies, and I'm happy to multi-task," he said, adding that his new movie, Rooftop, is in the works, and there are plans for a new album.

"As for a legacy, my fans have become parents already; I think it'll be great he would tell his children, 'When your father was younger, your father's idol was Jay'. I think music is immortal, it will never die. And I hope to give back some day, once I've settled what I set out to do when I was 20 years old, then… and I hope my old friends will still continue to sing my songs."

Jay Chou performs on Sept 21, 11.15pm, at Zone 4 (Padang stage). Tickets from www.singaporegp.sg.









The earlier posts leading up to this:

http://jaychoudiaoness.blogspot.sg/2012/06/jay-loves-wheels.html

http://jaychoudiaoness.blogspot.sg/2012/08/jay-at-f1-tickets.html

http://jaychoudiaoness.blogspot.sg/2012/08/jay-at-singtel-f1-singapore-grand-prix_31.html


Anyway, I ended my previous post saying I had to get new batteries for my lightsticks; well, a serendipitious trip to Vivocity two days ago made that unnecessary 'cos I finally found beautiful, decent-sized pink and orange lightsticks at Tenchi, a shop there which specialises in manga, anime and similar stuff!

I mean, I've been hunting for these for ages and even contemplated asking security guards where they got their heavy-duty ones from...lol!
Thank goodness I don't need to now! ;)





As mentioned in my last post, the stage for the Padang is going to be of an unprecedented scale and magnitude and a quote from Mr Michael Roche, the executive director of Singapore GP confirms it in a newspaper report last Fri:

He notes that Chou's gig at the massive Padang stage, which measures 24m by 14m, will be his only concert so far this year. 
 "His set is on a scale never seen before in Singapore. I should say this is the grandest stage and setting for an Asian artiste ever seen. He has curated the show and added some wonderful stage props and surprises that I believe will truly thrill the fans."


WOOHOO!!!

I already said Jay would put his own stamp on this special concert!


Here's link to the Singapore GP site with Jay's biography:

http://singaporegp.sg/media/entertainment-detail.php?url=jay_chou

"Since releasing his first self-titled album Jay in 2000, he has become one of the most influential Chinese music artistes of the 21st century, winning more awards and accolades than most veterans twice his age and sold more than 30 million albums worldwide – with each album moving over 3 million units.

Hailed by the media as the "King of Asia," and the "King of R&B", Chou's talents are not limited to music, as he has also crossed over to the film industry. Chou is the first Chinese artiste to direct his own music videos and has been touted by renowned directors as the most promising movie star of his generation.

He is one of handful of Asian artistes who has made his mark in Hollywood as a crimefighter on 'The Green Hornet' and conquered the Asian box office at the same time. Chou directed and starred in the romantic tearjerker 'Secret', picked up a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards for his appearance in the period blockbuster 'Curse of the Golden Flower', and amassed legions of fans worldwide as a street racer on 'Initial D' which bagged him a Golden Horse Best Newcomer Actor award.

In November 2011, he released his 11th album Exclamation Point. Chou is currently focusing on other directorial projects and running his own record company JVR Music.
Chou is the first Chinese artiste to grace the Padang stage at the FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX, and will be staging a one-night only performance with a set specially designed for the Marina Bay Street Circuit."



Here's a link to a map of the circuit:

http://singaporegp.sg/ticket/ticket_map.php


And the on track/off track schedule for Fri, 21 Sept (Jay's concert night):

http://singaporegp.sg/race/schedule.php


20 tips to make the most of the F1 weekend:

http://singaporegp.sg/race/tips.php



Four more sleeps to go!!!!










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