What is Jay Chou's Net Worth?
Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, and actor who has a net worth of $95 million. Jay Chou is one of the best-selling artists of all time in terms of digital album and single sales. He's one of the best-selling Taiwanese artists ever. In the years after rising to fame with his second studio album, 2001's award-winning "Fantasy," he has released multiple hit albums and embarked on several major world tours. As an actor, Chou has appeared in such films as "Initial D," "Curse of the Golden Flower," "The Green Hornet," and "Now You See Me 2."
Early Life and Education
Jay Chou was born on January 18, 1979 in Taipei, Taiwan to schoolteachers Yeh Hui-Mei and Chou Yao-Chung. Interested in music early on in life, he began taking piano lessons at the age of four. In the third grade, Chou started practicing the cello. He was educated at Taipei Jinhua High School and Tamkang Senior High School as a youth. After his parents divorced when he was 14, Chou became reclusive, withdrawing into his music. Following his high school graduation, he was conscripted into mandatory military service; however, he was ultimately exempted due to a debilitating back condition caused by playing sports.
Career Beginnings
Performing in a talent show in 1998, Chou was noticed by the show's host, Jacky Wu, who was so impressed he hired Chou as a contract composer, pairing him with lyricist Vincent Fang. Chou went on to learn music producing, recording, sound mixing, and songwriting in Wu's studio. He subsequently released his debut studio album, "Jay," in late 2000. The album earned Chou his first Golden Melody Award for Album of the Year.
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Commercial Breakthrough
Chou truly rose to fame in 2001 with his second studio album, "Fantasy." Selling around two million copies in Taiwan alone, the album earned ten Golden Melody Award nominations and five wins, including Album of the Year. Chou quickly became renowned for his unique style of music, which combines ancient Chinese themes with R&B, hip hop, and futuristic imagery.
Further Albums
Chou experienced further commercial success with his third studio album, 2002's "The Eight Dimensions." His next album, 2003's "Yeh Hui-Mei," was named after his mother; it earned him his third Golden Melody Award for Album of the Year. Chou's fifth studio album, "Common Jasmin Orange," came out in 2004 to great success in Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong. The next year, he released "November's Chopin," named after his favorite classical musician. Chou's other albums have included "Still Fantasy," "On the Run!," "The Era," "Wow!," and "Greatest Works of Art." The lattermost of those was the best-selling album of 2022 worldwide.
Musical Collaborations
Chou has collaborated with a surfeit of other musical artists over the years, often as a songwriter. He has written songs for Jolin Tsai, Landy Wen, Will Pan, Edison Chen, Karen Mok, Gigi Leung, and Selina Ren, among many others. Chou has also written songs for his mentor Jacky Wu, as well as for Hong Kong singers such as Kenny Bee and Andy Lau. His longest-standing collaboration has been with lyricist Vincent Fang, who has written upwards of 40 of Chou's songs. The two are also business partners, having launched the record company and talent agency JVR Music.
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Film Career
Chou made his acting debut in 2005 as the star of the Hong Kong action film "Initial D," an adaptation of the Japanese manga series. He next appeared in Zhang Yimou's epic wuxia drama "Curse of the Golden Flower," playing the supporting role of Prince Jai. After that, Chou made his feature film directorial debut with "Secret," in which he also starred. He had another starring role in the 2008 action comedy "Kung Fu Dunk." Chou went on to land his first role in a Hollywood production in 2011, starring opposite Seth Rogen's titular superhero in Michel Gondry's "The Green Hornet." Back in China, Chou starred in the action film "The Viral Factor" in 2012. The following year, he released his second film as a director, the musical "The Rooftop," which he again also starred in. Chou later returned to Hollywood to appear in the 2016 heist thriller sequel "Now You See Me 2."
Other Endeavors
Among his myriad other endeavors, Chou penned an autobiographical book entitled "Grandeur de D Major," which was published in late 2004. He founded his own fashion brand, PHANTACi, soon after. Chou has also been prolific as a spokesman for various major brands, including Pepsi, Panasonic, Motorola, and Levi's. Also significant is his involvement in the gaming world. In 2016, he purchased the eSports team Taipei Assassins and renamed it J Gaming, and the next year donated millions toward the construction of an eSports building in Shenzhen, China.
Personal Life
Previously, Chou dated fellow Taiwanese musical artist Jolin Tsai. The two reportedly broke up due to Chou being unfaithful. Chou went on to date model and actress Hannah Quinlivan, also known as Kun Ling, whom he married in early 2015. Together, they have three children named Hathaway, Romeo, and Jacinda. Due to the influence of his wife, as well as his mother, Chou became an evangelical Christian in 2012.
