Portal:Taiwan/Selected biographies/12

Jay Chou (traditional Chinese: 周杰倫; simplified Chinese: 周杰伦; pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún; Wade–Giles: Chou Chieh-lun; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chiu Kia̍t-lûn) (born January 18, 1979) is a Taiwanese musician, singer, producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. He is well-known for composing all his own songs and songs for other singers. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for popular Chinese singers. Although he was trained in classical music, Chou combines Chinese and classical music from Western culture styles to produce songs that fuse R&B, rock and pop genres, covering issues such as domestic violence, war, and urbanization.