|
Dancing Forever
Dancing Forever (Chinese: 唯舞獨尊) is a compilation album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai, released on September 29, 2006, by EMI and Mars.[1] The album features seven new songs, six remixed tracks, and live performances from her Pulchritude Concert, held on July 1, 2006, at the Kaohsiung Cultural Center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.[2] The song "Marry Me Today" won the Song of the Year award at the 18th Golden Melody Awards.[3] Background and developmentOn May 12, 2006, Tsai released her eighth studio album, Dancing Diva.[4] On May 31, 2006, her manager, Howard Chiang, revealed that Tsai planned to embark on a new tour later that year.[5] On July 17, 2006, Tsai announced that she would kick off the second leg of her world tour, the Dancing Forever World Tour, at Hong Kong Coliseum on September 15, 2006.[6] On August 20, it was reported that she had recorded the theme song, "Dancing Forever", for the tour and had filmed its music video the previous day.[7] On August 25, media outlets revealed that Tsai would release a compilation album titled Dancing Forever in September 2006. The album was expected to feature Tsai's covers of songs by Faye Wong and Sandy Lam, including "Missing" and "Heard That Love's Ever Been Back", respectively. Tsai expressed her admiration for both artists, saying, "I have loved the music of Faye Wong and Sandy Lam since before my debut. To me, they are forever divas."[8] On August 30, it was revealed that the album would also include Tsai's cover of the song "Dare to Go to the Cemetery" by Yeh Chi-tien, which would be produced by Wu Bai.[9] On September 7, Tsai confirmed that the album would be released on September 29, 2006.[10] Writing and recordingThe lead single, "Dancing Forever", features an intense, heavy beat in its intro, creating a sense of suspense and calm, while its catchy lyrics resonate with the youthful spirit of excitement and energy. "Missing", originally by Faye Wong, sees Tsai adopting a melancholic vocal style, reflecting on the past with a sense of longing. "Dare to Go to the Cemetery", originally by Yeh Chi-tien, was re-arranged into a vibrant Taiwanese electronic dance track. Tsai's playful vocal delivery contrasts with the song's fast tempo, which also presents a challenge in articulating the Taiwanese language clearly. "Heard That Love's Ever Been Back", originally by Sandy Lam, features a spoken introduction by Lam herself, adding a poignant touch to the song. Tsai's vocals, paired with Lam's emotional introduction, guide listeners through the multifaceted joys of love. "Rival in Love" is an upbeat and captivating dance track. "Marry Me Today", a light and romantic ballad, is a duet with David Tao. Lastly, the Cantonese version of "Pretence" emphasizes the heartfelt sense of helplessness and lingering attachment.[11] Title and artworkThe album cover features Tsai performing a nearly ergonomically impossible yoga pose on a large "J"-shaped steel hoop. Tsai revealed, "I had to hold a yoga-like pose on a specially made, oversized 'J' steel hoop, pushing the limits of my body's flexibility. I also had to keep my legs locked in the hoop for four hours. After the shoot, I found my legs covered in bruises."[12] Release and promotionOn September 18, 2006, Tsai held an album press conference in Taipei, Taiwan.[13] On September 29, 2006, she hosted an album promotion event in Taipei,[14] followed by an album signing session on September 30.[15] On October 1, 2006, Tsai held additional signing events in Kaohsiung and Taichung.[16][17] On October 28, Sam Chen, General Manager of EMI Greater China, announced that the album had sold over 50,000 copies in Taiwan.[18] In its first week of release, the album topped the weekly sales charts in Taiwan, including at major retailers such as G-Music and Five Music.[19] It also ranked 15th on the 2006 G-Music year-end sales chart.[20] Live performancesOn November 17, 2006, Tsai appeared on the variety show Let's Shake It on Dragon TV, where she performed "Dancing Forever".[21] On February 3, 2007, she attended the 2007 Hito Music Awards, where she performed "Marry Me Today" with David Tao.[22] The following day, on February 4, Tsai participated in the Windows Vista Wow Concert, performing "Heard That Love's Ever Been Back" and "Dancing Forever", and also joined David Tao for a duet of "Marry Me Today".[23] On February 17, 2007, Tsai performed "Marry Me Today" with David Tao again on the CCTV New Year's Gala.[24] On April 26, 2007, she appeared at the 2nd Expo Central China Concert, where she performed "Marry Me Today" with Tao.[25] On June 29, 2007, Tsai attended the 2006 Music Radio China Top Chart Awards, where she once again performed "Marry Me Today" with David Tao.[26] On November 1, 2007, she participated in the Our Chinese Heart, where she performed "Dancing Forever".[27] On January 11, 2008, Tsai performed "Dancing Forever" and "Marry Me Today" with David Tao at the M Conference.[28] On April 28, 2008, she took part in the 4th China International Cartoon & Animation Festival Opening Ceremony, where she performed "Dancing Forever" and "Marry Me Today" alongside Tao.[29] Tsai continued to participate in various events, performing songs from the album at each of them. Singles and music videosOn August 17, 2006, David Tao and Tsai released the music video for their collaboration "Marry Me Today", directed by Tony Lin.[30] On September 13, 2006, Tsai released the single "Dancing Forever".[31] On September 16, she followed up with the music video for "Dancing Forever", directed by Jeff Chang. In the video, Tsai plays a human statue inside a museum, first emerging from a glass display case as an elegant lady, then changing into a red hip-hop outfit to dance alongside other performers.[32] On October 2, 2006, Tsai released the music video for "Missing", directed by Marlboro Lai.[33] On October 16, she released the music video for "Dare to Go to the Cemetery", also directed by Marlboro Lai.[34] The music video for "Heard That Love's Ever Been Back" was similarly directed by Marlboro Lai. "Dancing Forever" ranked 46th on the 2006 Hit FM Top 100 Singles chart in Taiwan, while "Marry Me Today" topped the same chart, securing the number 1 position.[35] Critical receptionTencent Entertainment's music critic Shu Wa commented, "This is Jolin Tsai's second remix compilation album with promotional support, and also serves as a promotional warm-up ahead of her second world tour. Compared to her previous remix album J9 released during her time with Sony, Dancing Forever includes as many as seven new tracks (including covers). The extravagant new image and high production costs make this the most expensive promotional effort for any of her remix compilations. Additionally, the album was released shortly after the successful launch of Dancing Diva, and as a result, it debuted at number one on two major sales charts in Taiwan during its first week, becoming the best-selling remix album in the history of Taiwanese music."[36] AccoladesOn January 18, 2007, the song "Marry Me Today" was awarded one of the Top 10 Most Popular Mandarin Songs of the Year in the 2006 Canadian Chinese Pop Music Awards.[37] On February 3, 2007, "Marry Me Today" won two awards at the Hito Music Awards: Top 10 Mandarin Songs of the Year and Listener's Favorite Song.[22] On February 25, 2007, "Marry Me Today" received the Most Popular Duet Song award at the inaugural Family Music Awards.[38] On May 3, 2007, "Marry Me Today" was recognized as one of the Top 10 Singles of the Year by the Chinese Musicians Exchange Association.[39] On June 16, 2007, "Marry Me Today" won the Song of the Year award at the 18th Golden Melody Awards.[3] On June 29, 2007, "Marry Me Today" was named the Top Songs of the Year at the 2006 Music Radio China Top Chart Awards.[40] On October 7, 2007, "Marry Me Today" received the Most Popular Duet Song award at the 7th Global Chinese Music Awards.[41] On January 13, 2008, "Marry Me Today" won the Best Selling Duet Song award at the 2nd Migu Music Awards.[42] Track listing
Release history
References
External links
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
