Jay Chou releases never-before-heard demo tracks in collector’s edition

Pop phenomenon Jay Chou has just released five demo tracks from the heyday of his career. The never-before-released songs are early versions of his biggest hits. When Chou burst onto the music scene two decades ago, he became one of Taiwan’s most beloved singers. Now his diehard fans can finally hear some new versions of his tunes.

“Love Before BC” is one of Jay Chou’s biggest hits. Everyone’s heard it. But have you ever heard this passage?

Jay Chou
Pop singer
You probably wouldn’t guess, at first “Love Before BC” was a rap.

There’s a very different vibe to the demo version. Chou chose five demos to release in this limited collector’s edition, giving fans a new view on the genesis of the hit.

And there’s another surprise in the 2004 hit, “Step Aside.”

Jay Chou
Pop singer
I’m actually signing the lyrics of “Qi-li-xiang” in the backing vocals there. If you don’t have any lyrics to sing but you want to add something into the demo, you might just take the lyrics from another song.

Despite being demos, the tracks are fully produced. In the past, these early versions were only heard by the singer’s producer and collaborators.

Fang Wen-shan
Lyricist
His music became a phenomenon. If you collect these works by a royalty-grade phenomenon, you’re not just part of an artistic moment, you’re part of a musical event.

JR Yang
Music producer
I listened to him making demos every day. It was so unique and full of life. So one day I asked him, I said, “Jay, who are you making this music for?” He said, “I don’t know, for other artists.” I said, “Well, why not for yourself?”

Chou has been making music for two decades, and many of his songs are absolute classics of Taiwanese pop. Now real fans can get their hands on five new releases – recordings that even the man himself thought would never be played in public.

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