Jay getting commercialised

[*SkyLark*]

I just heard the most provoking comment on the radio just now. There was this listener who called in to respond to the topic of the day: Which is your least favourite R&B singer? No prizes for guessing who she nominated. :realsad:

She said that Jay's attitude towards music is wrong, because he had said during an interview that his 4th album would be similar to his previous three albums, or else the fans would not be as impressed with his music. The listener then said that Jay sounded as if sales figures were more important than the spirit of making music.

She also cited the example of Black Humour. She said that since he could produce this piece in his first album, which is a far cry from his present R&B style, then why wouldn't he continue to make such inspired music, instead of conforming to his fans' tastes? She also disliked his mumblings and inaudible lyrics, saying that successful R&B singers like Z.Chen could carry tunes without slurring their words, so why can't Jay do that too.

I was a bit perturbed by her remarks. We all know Jay's style, and have all grown to like it. I truly believe that he composes out of his love fr music, and not at all to just up sales figures. I hope that in his next album, more attempts will be made to diversify his styles too, but from the looks of it, it might be highly unlikely, though I don't doubt that surprises might just be found within it.

Long live Jay and his music!

[nunchakus]

I don't really like it when people stereotype how singers should sing. So what if he slurs? I mean, it is a style...I mean, she doesn't even sound like his fan and I bet, she doesn't bother to read up on him and to follow his music, his impromptu compositions, how he always brightens up at the mere mention of the word "music" and how he promotes music so actively in campaigns (remember the Vancouver campaign where he urges people to release anger through music and not hell-racing?)...

Ahh...I'm exasperated. I think it's ok for people to have their own thoughts, but I just think it's so wrong to stereotype and generalise things when the little details have not been paid any attention to.

[jeannie]

In the entertainment industry, you have your admirers and as well as your critics. I guess it's part of life or showbiz.
Like for instance, some people think Meteor Garden is a waste of money and some thinks it's the greatest drama on Earth. Fcoz for us, Jay Fans, we aren't happy to hear such comments but i guess she is entitled to express her opinions just as we are entitlted to express ours. :happy:

[regina12]

I really feel we don't need to even bother to respond to such pple and their comments. We know that Jay's music is the best and that we have good taste and that's enough.

These pple make so much noise.. in the end they actually just embarress themselves... they're just too blind to realise it. Hahah! :bonk:

[-dream-]

she can think any way she desires, Jay writing music for the sake of money? Never, he does not change his style, because it is his style, the style that makes him Jay Chou, I am proud, and impressed with the way he stands so strong and hang onto his beliefs, I trust in Jay and what he does with his music, as for the mumbling, well, it's a habit, perhaps some people dislike it, but that's that, she says that he's 'conforming to his fans tastes' to earn money ...well, if he has to change to fit your definition of a 'good R&B singer' than wouldn't that be conforming to your taste?

[koolok]

yeah its his style... thats wut makes him more unique..and why it attracted more ppl to listen to his music...
his next album shouldn't be too different from his previous albums.. but hopefully there will be some fresh new sounds... cuz the 4th album had songs sounding a little simliar to his previous songs..

[Gwen910]

I think that Jay is successful for who he is and how he does things. He has a control over his music that many musicians don't have. Also...you know you're a success if people praise and rag on you. There has to be both sides of the spectrum.

[~sugarcookie~]

who cares what she thinks...it's not like we can make everyone in the world become a jay fan. and i think that jay won't want everybody to like his music, if they all did, there won't be a challenge anymore.

[m o n k e e]

everybody is entitled to their opinion, but i think that caller was abit confused.

if jay relli wanted to focus on sales and conformity, den y da hell woldnt he sing like everyone else? here is where sum chinese people (not ABCs) piss me off like this bcoz they dun noe wat RnB is, and they criticise with ignorance and cannot accept new concepts. if they actualli opened their ears and listened to real RnB (american) they wold realise that everyone slurs and pronounces unclear...i men, dat IS rnB style..so...i dun get it. wen i first started listenin to jay, his pronounciation wasn't even an issue... its onli wen i started talkin to non-ABCs bout it dat i realise this unecessary fuss ova his singing... Jay isnt RnB den i dun noe wat is

she cold have picked a beta example than Z.Chen tho, he cannot compare to Jay. Ive herd him sing live and his voice is wafer thin....

[sawmui13]

i love this quote on this site
http://yelo8egg.esmartweb.com/jayhome2.html

"no surprises, but still creating beautiful musical fireworks. thats jay chou"
nuff said :)

[cystaltears]

if i find out who said dat i'll kill her!!! argh!! jays slurs is jus da style..datz wat i like bout him...so unique..if da slurs were gay den y would all da newcomers copying jay's style?...-.-..she should use her brain...

[xiaoli]

She also cited the example of Black Humour. She said that since he could produce this piece in his first album, which is a far cry from his present R&B style, then why wouldn't he continue to make such inspired music, instead of conforming to his fans' tastes?

that just doesn't make sense. she's saying he 'conformed to fans' taste' by changing his r&b style since the days of black humour. if our taste wasn't jay's music previously, then what was it? what other tastes did we cause jay to conform to? i mean, if you're a fan, you like his music the way it is, you don't have expectations that he should change it to this style or that style. she implies that the likes of 8D are a result of jay changing his r&b style to suit his fans' taste, yet some ppl criticise jay for not changing his style throughout his 3 albums.. gosh he can't please everyone..

[Miss_gun]

if i find out who said dat i'll kill her!!! argh!! jays slurs is jus da style..datz wat i like bout him...so unique..if da slurs were gay den y would all da newcomers copying jay's style?...-.-..she should use her brain...oh...relaxes..girl..that listener is just giving her own opinion..
atcually we do feel very sad about those ppl who doesn't agree about Jay's style..I mean like mumbling and soo..
it may be insulting when she said that Jay is producing music for money..sounds like he is very commercialised..but it's just her opinion..and just chill girl..you dun have to kill her!:D

[gracecherry]

yeah i totally agree with u guys, i mean these girl probably dont even understand jay at all. all she is trying to say is that jay isnt such a true musician as what others proclaim him to be......coz he is just trying to create music that would suits his fans taste in order to have better album sales......which is completely untrue!!!!! we all know that jay doesnt care much when he writes music.....its the inspiration in him that matters and also the theme that the piece will convey.......thats what matters to him. but......this is a realistic world.......pple will support u for what they like in u........so of course fans opinions or tastes does play a role in a way or another which will somehow influence his compostisions........rite? if someone really make music completely without taking into consideration anyones opinion at all........and if they dont care about anything........just making music that no one likes but themselves........then how would their music ever set a trend or.......how would he/she ever expect their music to be acknowledge....since no one likes it??? so success is not quite likely to be achieved. the special thing about jay is he makes music his way......and yet, its well accepted........and when he notices that things werent working too well for him.....than he also takes into consideration about........improving himself........thats the way to learn and improve.........and thats jay.......

[girl_next_door]

gawd...that girl made some pretty harsh comments...yes yes i know - like quite a few of you have already pointed out - everyone is entitled to their own opinion and i agree with that but it just sounds like she didn't really know what she was talking about half the time. Jay is unique in his own right and i think it was harsh to have said that Jay is simply conforming to the fans taste. He is a true musician and all his music comes from the heart. I don't feel it's a case of him becoming more commercialised as such, it's how his music has come to be...a progression...it's what happens to all musicians. At the end of the day, Jay will do whatever he feels comfortable with in terms of his music and i really respect that. And I'm pretty sure that his love for his music is too strong to ever let some 'dumb' sales figures take over!

[linny]

Actually, when you think about it, each album HAS had at least one awe inspiring song in it... Jay never stopped making different music that didn't conform to just one style. For Fantasy, the awe inspiring could be considered Silence. For 8th Dimension, it could be the The Final Battle. He never stopped making new, interesting songs.

Ugh. And he isn't "conforming to his fans tastes" because we, the fans, like him for HIS music, HIS style, whatever that is...

The mumbling... Why is everyone so tripped up on the mumbling? It's his style; why should he have to conform to everyone else's idea of how a singer should sing? If he mumbles, let him mumble. We don't mind it, and we're the fans. Why should other critics mind it if they're not going to listen to his music anyhow?

To say Jay is only going for the money is completely off. His life is the music. He wouldn't be anywhere if it wasn't for the music. Part of his whole appeal is the fact that he's all about the music.

*breathe* Okay, I'm done ranting now. :) If this lady isn't a huge fan of Jay, it's fine. She is entitled to her own opinion, afterall.

She's just missing out on some really wonderful music.

[dazzlette]

i believe that this lady represents the general public who don't know better.. those that listen to jay's music occationally and then don't know better and simply make comments on his music.. honestly there are many people out there so we shouldn't get too uptight about such comments.. people tend to like to criticise things that are too popular or mainstream.. i bet if jay wasn't so successful she wouldn't have said that.. so let them be..

i believe that as long as jay continues to produce music from the heart.. even if it sounds commercialised.. we as his fans know better and will continue to support him.. all the way jay!

[hisashi]

Yeah. Everyone has their say but that doesn't make us love Jay less. If the listener says, he gets commercialised by accepting more CMs then I wld say yes. But there is nothing wrong with his music. Jay wld cater to fans' favour, I dun no but he did say that if he doesn't win the golden melody award, then he wld try to make songs that fans like. I dun think that is necessary as long as he thinks this song is great and he has feelings to it, then I will support him even though it may not sound great to others.

[pennylane]

i do actually think jay is getting pretty commercialized...but it could just be his company pushing him to earn more money...i doubt the poor guy enjoys being on set 24-7 in random countries.. and im sure he's content with the money he already has!! so its prolly just the company... its like free publicity (not that they need it!!) before his new CD! works out well! personally tho, it doesn't make me think any lower of jay...just feel bad for him that he has to be workin his butt off on things that have nothing to do with music...

[jeansco_84]

i don't mind what ppl say about Jay in front of me, cuz i respect their opinion...but i also expect other "non-Jayers" to respect me for who i like.

that woman that went on and on about Jay not musically professional or how he's only doing it for the money, if she doesn't like him, fine, it's really not necessary to pick on him or diss him just cuz his music isn't her style! i think the dj shouldn't have had that kind of topic on air in the first place! it's just giving ppl like that woman to put down other artists as well.

[snail]

i really hope what she said isn't true (about jay doing it for money)
but even if he is (slightly) he has a right to... i mean, he is an artist right? he has to survive too! but i dont' care whether or not he is doing it for money anymore, cuz i love his music too much to stop.
*and deep down i know he loves the music he makes....!

[dazzlette]

you know i was just thinking.. jay is probably in quite a spot when he is offered commercials to do.. on one hand if her does too many commercials.. he is labelled as being too commercialised.. yet if if he doesn't the papers would probably label him as selfish and arrogant or something.. so honestly it would probably be better to accept the offers.. even though you may end up being criticised..

we shouldn't judge a singer based on the number of adverts he/she does.. it's more important that he/she continues to make good music.. of cos if if filming adverts is at the expense of making good music then i would definitely disapprove

[ninjabeast]

Hey to all:

Think the lady who called in needs to get her brain/head sort out a little.. think she is under some wrong mediaction or seriouys depression to come up w something like this.. its ok if u dun support Jay but pls do not critisise any artist.. they are all in this line to entertain and of coz they each hv their own styles catering to different prefernces..like i said.. its alright to comment but do not critisise..

N wat is she doing by making comparisons between Jay n Z Chen.. they are miles apart..

I do know that some pple dislike Jay's singing style coz they cant make out what he is singing.. but tt is y Mr Chou has his own brnad/identitiy tt is so different from all other singers.. his way fo making music is terrific.. she should start listening to Jay's ballads then..

Agree totally w jeansco_84 for the comments on non Jayers.. there should really be respect between all sets of fans.. like Jay said.. its good to be passionate but the most impt thing is to be RATIONAL..

[Emjay]

shucks....as a radio deejay, she should have kept some of her opinions to herself, cos listeners sometimes do get influenced by what deejays say. But I guess that people do have diff. opinions and I respect that.

I totally love and admire Jay for his passion for music, and I definitely think that his music is of A******* grade. more stars than that. so I hope that deejays would not haf anymore of such comparison, it's a total disrespect to singers, be it jay or not.

and btw, realised all the replies are rather long...dun get too worked up eh...=]

[-dream-]

actually...it was a listener that called in and said that, not the dj. :happy:

[sUm^MeR]

Well, she's just a regular listener, not anyone important. :dry: Everyone has their own opinion. They have their likes and dislikes. It's fine to express opinion. But what I don't like when she started to compare Jay with other singer. And his mumbling and everything, That's b'coz Jay is DIAO!!! He has his own style and he doesn't follow others!!:bleh:

Everyone has their own style of music. This Jay style is what attracts the fans to his music. I remembered reading Jay's interview about why he only make the same type of music, and he said, that's b'coz he likes to hear this type of music the most. I think it's fair. I mean, would you make a song that you don't even like to hear? :?

[fuku05]

i feel that his latest album is pretty different from the last three....in terms of musical arrangements...tune....the whole style basically....very very different......
took me a while to get used to it.
many people i know don't like it but i beg to differ.

:yeah: :yeah: :yeah: :yeah: :yeah:

[cacky]

Jay should keep his album 风格 to be the same as his previous albums coz' this is Jay! It's just like we hear certain Emil Chau's songs and even before we are told who the singer is, we know it's Emil Chau. Not just Emil Chau but other unique singers like Stephanie Sun too.

There is nothing wrong in keeping his albums similar. The challenge, however, is how to inject creativity into his new album ie. How to use new instruments, how to play around with the music, creativity in his lyrics.
:happy:

On the whole, the style should be kept the same. As for Jay's mumblings and slurrings of his songs, that has always faced the attention of most music critics. That's probably becoz' people are too used to listening to conventional music where singers sing it crisply and clearly.

Enough said. As long as Jay continues to be inspired and produce good music, and have people like us to appreciate, I believe that's good enough.

[phoebe]

first i want to tell all ppl who are so keen on clear diction to listen to diction recordings - don't lsiten to songs - where the melody and the lyrics are blended to form music.
i enjoy the raw emotion of jay's ballads . i am hooked on his fast tempo songs - cannot sing or hear clearly the lyrics but who cares - it's the music that makes me listen again and again - discovering newer layers to each song with repeated lsitening. i cannot really differentiate hip-hop/ rap /r+b/ rock - whether asian or western standard or style . but i know i can lsiten to every jay song and enjoy the variety of sounds . i just would like jay to create music that he likes - let listeners ride along his music train wherever he likes to go. ppl fall in love with a songs not because it sound like something they like but because somebody created something that makes them fall in love with it. let the musician dictates and fans follow.