Taiwanese pop singer Jay Chou (周杰倫) had the best-selling album in the world last year, the first Mandopop singer to achieve the feat, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said on Tuesday.
The IFPI announced its Global Album Sales Chart top 10 in a post on Twitter, with the 44-year-old singer — who was born in what is now New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口) — topping the list with his Greatest Work of Art album.
South Korean boy band BTS’ Proof and Midnights by Taylor Swift were second and third respectively.
Photo courtesy of JVR Music
“Congratulations again to the “King of Mandopop” & this year’s IFPI #GlobalAlbumSalesChart winner Jay Chou (周杰倫)! Here he is receiving his IFPI Global Album Sales Chart award for ‘Greatest Works of Art’ his fifteenth studio album & this year’s Global Album Sales Chart No.1!” it wrote in a subsequent post that included a photograph of the artist.
“This is a historical moment for Mandopop. This is beyond my imagination. Thank you all. This proves that music may come in different languages, but art transcends language,” Chou said via JVR Music after the announcement, crediting his fans for the achievement.
Chou released Greatest Work of Art, his 15th studio album, in July last year after fans had waited six years since the release of Jay Chou’s Bedtime Stories in 2016.
Photo courtesy of JVR Music
That Chou’s career has spanned more than 20 years is a testament to his talent, said IFPI chief executive officer Frances Moore, who praised Chou for establishing deep friendships with fans around the world through his songs.
This is the second time Chou has appeared on an IFPI list this year. On Feb. 23, he was ninth on its Global Recording Artist of the Year 2022 rankings and the first Mandarin-language singer ever to make the list, which was topped by Swift.
Photo courtesy of HT Entertainment Co Ltd via CNA
ENDEAVOR MANTA: The ship is programmed to automatically return to its designated home port and would self-destruct if seized by another party The Endeavor Manta, Taiwan’s first military-specification uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) tailor-made to operate in the Taiwan Strait in a bid to bolster the nation’s asymmetric combat capabilities made its first appearance at Kaohsiung’s Singda Harbor yesterday. Taking inspiration from Ukraine’s navy, which is using USVs to force Russia’s Black Sea fleet to take shelter within its own ports, CSBC Taiwan (台灣國際造船) established a research and development unit on USVs last year, CSBC chairman Huang Cheng-hung (黃正弘) said. With the exception of the satellite guidance system and the outboard motors — which were purchased from foreign companies that were not affiliated with Chinese-funded
‘CROWN JEWEL’: Washington ‘can delay and deter’ Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans for Taiwan, but it is ‘a very delicate situation there,’ the secretary of state said US President Donald Trump is opposed to any change to Taiwan’s “status quo” by force or extortion and would maintain that policy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Hugh Hewitt Show host on Wednesday. The US’ policy is to maintain Taiwan’s “status quo” and to oppose any changes in the situation by force or extortion, Rubio said. Hewitt asked Rubio about the significance of Trump earlier this month speaking with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) at the White House, a meeting that Hewitt described as a “big deal.” Asked whether the meeting was an indication of the
PERMIT REVOKED: The influencer at a news conference said the National Immigration Agency was infringing on human rights and persecuting Chinese spouses Chinese influencer “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣) yesterday evening voluntarily left Taiwan, despite saying yesterday morning that she had “no intention” of leaving after her residence permit was revoked over her comments on Taiwan being “unified” with China by military force. The Ministry of the Interior yesterday had said that it could forcibly deport the influencer at midnight, but was considering taking a more flexible approach and beginning procedures this morning. The influencer, whose given name is Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), departed on a 8:45pm flight from Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) to Fuzhou, China. Liu held a news conference at the airport at 7pm,
KAOHSIUNG CEREMONY: The contract chipmaker is planning to build 5 fabs in the southern city to gradually expand its 2-nanometer chip capacity Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday confirmed that it plans to hold a ceremony on March 31 to unveil a capacity expansion plan for its most advanced 2-nanometer chips in Kaohsiung, demonstrating its commitment to further investment at home. The ceremony is to be hosted by TSMC cochief operating officer Y.P. Chyn (秦永沛). It did not disclose whether Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and high-ranking government officials would attend the ceremony. More details are to be released next week, it said. The chipmaker’s latest move came after its announcement earlier this month of an additional US$100 billion