News Roundup 3/14/11 – 3/31/11

Jacky Xue Zhiqian went to Hokkaido and Tokyo to film his new MV

Jacky Xue Zhiqian went to Hokkaido and Tokyo to film his new MV

Music

After one year of hibernation, Jacky Xue Zhiqian released a new single for White Day, titled “I Finally Became Another Person’s Woman” (我终于成了别人的女人). It is apparently his attempt to “write out the worries of women and sing about the scars at the bottom of a woman’s heart,” and is based on the experiences of a good friend. The MV, which was filmed in Japan, was directed by Jennifer, Jay Chou’s main director. You can watch it here, thanks to fountainpark723.

After releasing an MV earlier this month, Vae released his third album, titled Su Ge La Mei You Di (苏格拉没有底).

Television

Ma Xueyang of Top Combine composed another song for the HunanTV variety show, Glee Sunday. The song is titled “Glee Sunday” and can be listened to here. He and the rest of the Top Combine boys recently flew to Changsha to record an episode for the show.

A novelization of the upcoming drama Runaway Sweetheart will be available in April, with an initial printing of 100,000 copies to meet expected demand. There will also be a limited edition version that will be distributed only on April 2. Actors Chen Xiang and Wu Yi will also be holding a book signing session.
(more…)

Xue Zhiqian's MV for My Athena and Unfinished Song

December 21, 2009 | Posted in Mainland China,Music, Tagged

Jacky's 4th Album Went On Sale a Week Ago

Xue Zhiqian just released his My Athena MV for his compilation album, NOT Completed Song. When I started this site, I thought he was just another pretty boy with minimal talent. Then I found out he composed almost all of his songs. Then I realized how everyone else under his record label Universal has essentially failed  because Universal barely gives him promotion opportunities. He deserves so much credit for getting where he is today, by being so hard-working, whether it be composing hit songs that get him on the charts, or taking the initiative to learn to dance to vary his style.

My Athena (Co-composed and Written by Xue Zhiqian)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWsqAnmhiEc]

(more…)

Xue Zhiqian Reveals New Song For…Chinese Chess? + Other Performances

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d76qF4pH-xU]

Xue Zhiqian sang his new song, “Chu He Han Jie” (not on his recently released compilation album) , which apparently is the themesong to… the end of the year Chinese Chess tournament in Shanghai.  Poor Xue Zhiqian. Why does Universal suck so much at finding promotional opportunities for you? Composed by Xue Zhiqian, and lyrics cowritten by him and the charmain of the chess organization. I really hope Xue Zhiqian goes back and edits the song, because his lyrics are usually better.

(more…)

More Music News and Announcements

Li Xijun and Yu Haoming on the set of Yu Haoming's new MV filming...not sure why, but they're so cute together

The bad news is that Xue Zhiqian‘s upcoming album is actually a compilation album. Which means Incomplete Song and My Athena are the only new tracks, whereas the 12 other tracks are old. But for him it’s probably better that he doesn’t put out all that effort into composing for an actual album.

Because there’s too many new releases and too much competition.

(more…)

December Jammed With Releases From The Male Side of Cpop

4278d796208db921d52d4f4813269977

Kimi in the MV for Window of Dreams on his upcoming album

Releases from mainland female Chinese artists were spread out throughout this year, but a considerable portion of the male side seem to have waited until the last minute to release, causing an massive pileup of both albums from the soloists to the boybands, ranging from pop to grunge. Despite the spectrum in musical styles, this still can’t be good for the artists, nor the companies  involved which I listed alongside the artists, and as you can see, there’s a lot.

Late November

Yu Haoming – eeMedia
KeNT – ? (EP)

December Releases:

Jacky Xue Zhiqian – Universal/SMG
Anson Hu Yanbin- Gold Typhoon
Kimi Qiao Renliang – Chengtian (Orange Sky Entertainment)
Chen Kun – ?
Peng Tan (four new songs/acoustic album)- Tai Rye Music
Xie Tian Xiao – Thirteen Month Records
Li Jian - ?
Sha Baoliang -

Top Combine – eeMedia

(more…)

Xue Zhiqian Release Dance Track From Fourth Album

November 7, 2009 | Posted in Mainland China,Music, Tagged

4918fc36fd320d1f0855a96c

Xue Zhiqian composes almost all the songs on his albums, including his hits singles. But why not all? Because while he likes dance, his compositional forte are pretty ballads, and  so he leaves the one or two fast-tempo tracks for others to make. But this time he co-composed one track from his upcoming album along with two others. It could be better, but it’s at least as good as the lackluster Let U Go from his third album, so there is no downside to his trying to diversify and learn how to compose them. If it’s not your thing, you can listen to his ballad  Unfinished Song, the first single from his upcoming fourth album.

Xue Zhiqian – My Athena

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yc6g2LG4XI]

Performance and lyrics below the cut.

(more…)

Xue Zhiqian Comes Back With New Hair and a New Song

September 23, 2009 | Posted in Mainland China,Music,Photoshoot, Tagged

U1819P28T3D2709103F326DT20090922160329

His first new song after his third album release over a year ago is finally here! This comeback was a bit shocking, because I have never  seen him with black hair.  I think even in his baby pictures it’s a dark or light brown, certainly never this black. And the style is now different from the usually slightly spikey hair he had that I loved. Overall… kinda emo but I guess it’s time for a change after three albums. And how after so many albums is he still  so underrated? Where’s the Xue Zhiqian love? He’s cute, he composes beautiful ballads, he sings well live, and he even dances! What’s not to love?

Jacky Xue Zhiqian – Incomplete Song (ironically I love the end of the song)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13ADMK8wDU4]

Two more photos of Xue Zhiqian from the same shoot under the cut.

(more…)

Hit-5 vs Cotton Candy on Mix-Box

Img264211311

Xue Zhiqian did a great job trying to get votes for his company juniors, Cotton Candy and looked hot while doing it.

Xue Zhiqian opened up the show with a performance of Let Go, one of only two tracks from his latest album that he didn’t write. He also later on did a great rendition of a song he did write, his first hit, Ren Zhen De Xue. But the show was not about Xue Zhiqian, but two other artists. As suspected, Cotton Candy was great, but surprisingly, HIT-5 wasn’t bad either. A lot better than I thought their performance would be.

Singaporean singer Yong Bang was the older musician supporting HIT-5. and Gao Xiaosong was the CMO judge. His credits include producing and sometimes writing for the likes of legends like Liu Huan, Lao Lang, and Na Ying.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLTYQiq_iDA]

Visit Official HIT-5 for the rest. Thank you for putting up perhaps the first full episode from this show. I really like how it gives new artists a platform for exposure and I hope Hunan keeps improving on it.

Prince of Tennis Season 2 Begins Production

Oh man...the netizens are going to attack me again.

Just let me rest bfore the netizens attack me again with their vicious verbal abuse.

Sometimes it doesn’t pay to play by the rules.  Hunan TV, despite having some shameless promotion tactics, and a reputation in China for being “Shanzhai”, has had a long history of turning out good dramas, from Princess Returning Pearl to their latest Ugly Wudi. In contrast, straight-forward Shanghai-based Dragon TV has always been kind of fail with their attempts at shows. For a station situated in such a trendy city, Dragon (aka Tomato) TV has been one step behind Changsha-based  Hunan-TV, and never had the knack that Hunan TV has had in actually delivering quality fun drama. It was however, the first in China to tackle adapting a manga, buying the rights for a live-action drama adaptation to the fanatically-followed manga, Prince of Tennis in 2007, with much support and enthusiasm from its writer, Takeshi Konomi who hoped this would help promote his beloved manga in the huge Chinese market.

(more…)

Xue Zhiqian Holds Concert in Shanghai with Old Friends

December 21, 2008 | Posted in Events,Mainland China,Music, Tagged , ,

img261334788

My sole reason for posting on Xue Zhiqian’s concert is because it’s been an incredibly long time since I have seen Xue Zhiqian with his friend Jun Jun (not pictured above). (more…)