The controversy began when Rosé of BLACKPINK shared a short video of herself playing a piano piece from Secret (2007), a Taiwanese romantic fantasy film directed by and starring Jay Chou himself. In response, Chou shared her clip and followed up with a comment in Chinese, “Thank you for performing my piece.”
While some fans appreciated the respectful gesture, others — particularly in the Chinese-speaking online community — weren’t as pleased. Critics labeled Jay Chou’s enthusiasm as excessive and “flattering” toward a Korean artist who had not acknowledged his comment. Many questioned why a senior figure in Mandopop would appear overly impressed by a performance of his own iconic work.
“Jay Chou is supposed to be a pioneer against the Hallyu wave. What happened to his cultural pride?” one netizen wrote. Others pointed out the irony of Chou’s reaction, recalling how Secret once enjoyed massive popularity in South Korea, garnering over 800,000 cinema viewers — proof, they argued, that he didn’t need such validation from a K-pop star.
Adding fuel to the fire, some users resurfaced Jay Chou’s 2012 comments where he warned against the rising influence of K-pop in China. At the height of Gangnam Style’s global craze, Chou reportedly remarked, “I find Gangnam Style amusing, but Chinese music is more profound.” He also encouraged local artists to unite and resist the cultural wave.
Now, more than a decade later, critics see his praise of Rosé and his visible camaraderie with G-Dragon — whom he frequently shares photos and music sessions with — as a shift in stance, even a betrayal.
Back in July, Jay Chou even sent congratulatory flowers to G-Dragon’s concert in Taiwan, further stoking rumors of an upcoming collaboration between the two superstars. While nothing has been officially confirmed, his silence in the face of these speculations has not gone unnoticed.
Netizens also recalled another incident where Chou boasted about receiving a special invite from Taylor Swift’s concert. Fans later discovered his ticket was standard, bought like everyone else’s, raising questions about whether he tends to overstate his global connections.
Despite the uproar, Jay Chou remains an iconic figure. At 46, he boasts over 30 million album sales (as of 2017) and was the third most downloaded artist globally in 2010. His filmography includes titles like Curse of the Golden Flower and True Legend, further cementing his cultural legacy.
Sources: Kenh14,Naver,Soompi,Weibo
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