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Freak (Joker Xue album)

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Freak
Studio album by
Joker Xue
ReleasedDecember 31, 2018 (2018-12-31)
Recorded2018
GenreMandopop
Length43:42
LanguageMandarin
Label
ProducerJoker Xue, Zhang Zhenhao, Fang Yi, Guo Ding, Zhou Yili, Liu Zhou, Zheng Wei, Jin Zhiwen
Joker Xue chronology
The Crossing
(2017) 		Freak
(2018) 		Dust
(2019)

Freak (Chinese: 怪咖) is the ninth album by Chinese singer-songwriter Joker Xue. It was released digitally on December 31, 2018, by Huayu World Expo and later acquired by Xue's own label Chaoshi Music.[2] Presale for the physical album began on March 7, 2019.[3]

Background

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"What is a freak?" That is the question at the core of this album's concept. Through his music, Xue observes and analyzes the world from multiple angles then conveys his findings through strong visual symbols and different musical styles. In a noisy world hidden under complicated masks, Xue's hope is that, here, with this album, you don't have to wear a mask and you don't have to rely on the night to look forward to the day. Say hello to your inner freak and don't worry about the noise.[3]

Of the ten tracks on the album, Xue composed music for five tracks and wrote lyrics for nine tracks. Four tracks were created while on the variety show Infinite Song Season where musicians were paired with non-musicians to create songs based on a decided topic.[4] Xue created "Wake Up (Live)" with Yue Yunpeng with Yue contributing to the lyrics. "Freak" was written and composed by Xue while Yang Di adapted Yuki Hsu's "Monster" 怪兽 as a prelude for their performance of "Freak". Xue improvised the chorus of "Talent" while trying to find inspiration and did not end up using it on the show; however, the chorus received a lot of attention and requests from netizens for him to finish it so he eventually did. "The Mute", composed and written by Silence Wang, was originally sung by Liu Wei; Xue rewrote and rearranged the song when he covered it on the show then later included his version on the album.[5] Xue insisted on paying and crediting Wang for the song, even though Wang had refused because Xue only kept one line from the original version but Xue argued that "even if only one line is used, it is still used."[6]

Tencent Music UNI Chart launched in September 2018, two singles released after its launch with "Forsaken Youth" debuting then peaking at #3 on the chart and "Talent" debuting at #2 then peaking at #1 for two consecutive weeks.[7] Freak received multiple awards, notably Album of the Year from Migu Music Awards, and Xue was named Artist of the Year by CMIC Music Awards. The song "Skyscraper" served as the theme of Xue's Skyscraper World Tour.

Track listing

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# Track listing Lyricist Composer Length
1 "Skyscraper" 摩天大楼 Joker Xue Tang Hanxiao 3:53
2 "Freak" 怪咖 Joker Xue Joker Xue 4:12
3 "Unbridled" 肆无忌惮 Joker Xue Zhang Zhenhao 4:22
4 "Fox" 狐狸 Joker Xue Zhou Yili 3:57
5 "Talent" 天份 Joker Xue Joker Xue 4:10
6 "The Best" 最好 Xiaohan/Liao Huiming/Guo Ding Lin Qiyu/Guo Ding 4:17
7 "Wake Up" (Live, with Yue Yunpeng) 醒来 (Live, 与岳云鹏) Joker Xue/Yue Yunpeng Joker Xue 4:19
8 "The Mute" 哑巴 Joker Xue/Silence Wang Joker Xue/Silence Wang 4:23
9 "Life After You Left Beijing" 那是你离开了北京的生活 Joker Xue Fang Yi 4:30
10 "Forsaken Youth" 违背的青春 Joker Xue Joker Xue 5:38

Accolades

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Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2018 Global Chinese Music Awards Top 20 Hits of the Year "Skyscraper" Won
Migu Music Awards Top 10 Hits of the Year Won [8]
Chinese Song Music Festival Top Songs of the Year Won [9]
2019 CMIC Music Awards Album of the Year Freak Nominated [10]
Best Music Video "Freak" Nominated
Global Chinese Music Awards Top 20 Hits of the Year "Talent" Won [11]
Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards Most Popular Album of the Year Freak Won [12][13]
Top 20 Hits of the Year "The Mute" Won
Migu Music Awards Album of the Year Freak Won [14]
Chinese Song Music Festival Album of the Year (Mainland) Won [15]
Top Hit of the Year "Freak" Won
Best Lyric Composition "Talent" Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "阔景音乐官方微博" (in Chinese). Weibo. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "《怪咖》专辑介绍" (in Chinese). NetEase Music. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "薛之谦《怪咖》专辑 一人包揽九词五曲创作". ent.people.com.cn. March 8, 2019. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019.
  4. ^ "《无限歌谣季》薛之谦酷狗歌曲投票首首破百万成爆款". Sohu. June 27, 2018.
  5. ^ "薛之谦强势加盟《无限歌谣季》 精妙改编《哑巴》让人直呼"开口跪"" [Xue Zhiqian strongly joins "Infinite Song Season" and his exquisite adaptation of "The Mute" makes people say "kneel down"]. Sohu. April 20, 2018.
  6. ^ "点赞！薛之谦支付汪苏泷版权费" [Like! Joker Xue pays Wang Sulong copyright fees]. Sohu. August 10, 2018.
  7. ^ Tencent Music UNI Chart:
  8. ^ "薛之谦邓紫棋夺最佳男女歌手 张惠妹获最佳专辑". Sina. December 10, 2018.
  9. ^ "2018华人歌曲音乐盛典颁奖 张杰华晨宇众星云集". people.com.cn. August 30, 2018.
  10. ^ "CMA 2019". CMIC Official Website. July 31, 2019.
  11. ^ "「2019 全球華語歌曲排行榜」得獎名單" (PDF). Radio Hong Kong. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  12. ^ "流行音乐全金榜年度盛典正式启动! 周深, 陆虎, 王心凌到场助阵". Sina (in Chinese). March 27, 2019.
  13. ^ ""京都念慈菴流行音乐年度盛典"圆满落幕". China Music (in Chinese). May 9, 2019.
  14. ^ "薛之谦神武4咪咕汇斩获三项大奖，最佳专辑、十大金曲收入囊中". Sohu. December 22, 2019.
  15. ^ "2019华人歌曲音乐盛典荣誉名单". Sohu. August 31, 2019.
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