The controversy began when Blackpink Rosé shared a short video of herself playing a piece of piano Secret (2007), a Taiwanese romantic fantasy film directed by and starring Jay Chou himself. In response, Chou shared his clip and followed a comment in Chinese, “Thanks for performing my piece.”
While some fans appreciated the respectful gesture, others, especially in the Chinese language online community, were not so happy. Critics have labeled Jay Chou’s enthusiasm as excessive and “flattering” against a Korean artist who had not recognized his comment. Many wondered why a senior figure in mandopop would seem excessively affected by a performance of his iconic work.
“Jay Chou should be a pioneer against Hallyu’s wave. What happened to his cultural pride?” He wrote a Netizen. Others underlined the irony of Chou’s reaction, remembering how Secret Once he enjoyed enormous popularity in South Korea, obtaining over 800,000 cinema-playful spectators, they claimed, who did not need such validation from a K-pop star.
By adding fuel to the fire, some users re-emerged the 2012 comments of Jay Chou in which he warned against the growing influence of K-pop in China. At the height of Gangnam styleThe global mania, according to what reported, observed Chou, “I find the gangnam style fun, but Chinese music is deeper.” He also encouraged local artists to join and resist the cultural wave.
Now, more than a decade later, the critics see his praise of Rosé and his visible camaraderie with G-dragon – with which he often shares photos and musical sessions – as a change of position, even a betrayal.
In July, Jay Chou even sent congratulations to the G-Dragon concert in Taiwan, further fueling the rumors of a next collaboration between the two superstars. Although nothing has been officially confirmed, its silence in the face of these speculations has not gone unnoticed.
The Netizen also remembered another accident in which Chou boasting to receive a special invitation from Taylor SwiftConcert. Fans later discovered that his ticket was standard, purchased like everyone else, raising questions about the fact that he tends to overestimate his global connections.
Despite the turmoil, Jay Chou remains an iconic figure. At 46 he boasts over 30 million album sales (starting from 2017) and was the third most unloaded artist globally in 2010. His filmography includes titles such as Curse of the gold flower AND Real legendfurther cementing his cultural heritage.
Sources: Kenh14, Naver, Soompi, Weibo
