Bad Boy | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 7, 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1997 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 49:03 | |||
Label | Forward Music | |||
Producer |
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A-Mei chronology | ||||
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Singles from Bad Boy | ||||
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Bad Boy is the second studio album by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on June 7, 1997, by Forward Music. [1] Predominantly an R&B, pop and soul record, Bad Boy centers on the theme of love and relationships. [2] The album was produced by her mentor Chang Yu-sheng with the aid of Benjamin Lin, Ma Yu-fen and Yu Guangyan. [2] It was ultimately the last album of hers that Chang was actively involved with due to his untimely death caused by a car crash five months later. [3] On August 17, 2018, 21 years after its initial release date, a vinyl reissue of Bad Boy was released by Forward Music. [4]
Commercially, the album found immense success at home and abroad, topping Taiwan's IFPI sales chart for 9 weeks and went on to sell over 1.38 million copies in Taiwan alone. [5] Since its release, Bad Boy has remained the highest-selling album of all time in Taiwan. [6] [7] The album also managed to shift more than 6 million copies throughout Asia, setting a major record for the highest sales for a Taiwanese singer. [8]
In order to promote Bad Boy, five songs off it were released as singles; the title track, "Can't Cry," "Whenever I Think About You," "Dancing Alone" and "Listen to the Sea." All five singles attained commercial success throughout Asia and are now regarded as modern day classics in the Mandopop genre. [2] To this very day they are still sung at karaoke boxes and are often performed by contestants on major televised singing competitions. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] A-Mei performed songs from the album on her concert tour A-Mei Live in Concert 1998 the following year. [14]
Seven months prior, A-Mei released her debut studio album, Sisters . [15] The record became an immediate success, selling over 1.21 million copies in Taiwan, becoming the fourth best-selling album of all time in the country, and shipping an additional 4 million copies throughout Asia. [16] [17] Therefore, breaking a glass ceiling for Taiwanese aborigines in show business. [18] This meteoric rise to fame lead Billboard Magazine to declare her Asia's most popular singer on May 17, 1997. [19]
Afterwards, Chang Yu-sheng produced the album Bad Boy for A-Mei. [20] In terms of production, Chang chose to continue the "happy songs + love songs" model from the preceding album Sisters. [2] At the time of the album's production, Forward Music was just starting out, and producer Chang's request to A-Mei was to incorporate the singing style of the Beinan countryside into the songs, and sing them "a bit rockier, a bit more violent"; he hoped to inspire A-Mei's unique qualities, believing that such qualities were not possessed or were too shy to be displayed by urban women, the largest audience for pop music. [21] In addition, Chang also added some fashionable elements to the album. [22]
The album opener "Can't Cry" was written by Liu Si Ming and composed by Liu Zhihong. [23] As the first song of the album, the power ballad fully demonstrates A-Mei's prowess in singing lyrical slow songs. [2] The title track, "Whenever I Think About You" and "Lonely Tequila" were composed and written entirely by Chang Yu-sheng. [23] "Whenever I Think About You" in particular serves as a continuation of the song "Sisters" and adds in aboriginal elements and carries a cheerful mood. [24] "Dancing Alone" was written by Yu Guangyan and composed by Sky Wu and is a fast-paced dance song. [23] [2] "Bad Boy" is a song inspired by Latin pop music. [24]
"Listen to the Sea" was written by Eric Lin and was composed by Michael Tu. [23] On the day of writing the lyrics of "Listen to the Sea," Eric Lin went to a small bar with a book and didn't come out until four in the morning, then followed the bartender and drove to have a late-night snack, and at that time the dawn was breaking in the sky, and one of the waiters suddenly said that she would like to go to the seaside to have a look, and everybody felt that the proposal was good, so the group went there. When they went there, they sat on the beach and chatted, and Lin asked the girls about their relationship status and their views on relationships. All their answers were different, which gave Lin a certain understanding of women's views on relationships in that era, and laid the groundwork for the creation of "Listen to the Sea." [25] It was not originally intended to be the title song, but fans liked it so much that they urged it to become the fourth title song. [24]
Cheng Hua Jiuan wrote and composed the song "Sweet Words." [23] The torch song "Lover? Enemy?" was written by Wu Yukang and composed by Guo Tzu. [23] "Loving Isn't Too Early or Too Late" is a synthesizer-laden ballad written by Daryl Yao and composed by Zheng Zhiming. [23] The pop, R&B and gospel influenced album closer "Loved You" was penned by Lo-Jung Chen and composed by Chen Chih-yuan. [23]
Buoyed by the success of several hit singles, Bad Boy debuted at number one on the Taiwan IFPI albums chart and remained at that position on the chart for nine weeks, becoming her second consecutive record to accomplish this. [26] Bad Boy sold 1.38 million copies in Taiwan, making it the record holder for Taiwan's highest-selling album to date, a record which was previously held by Jacky Cheung's The Goodbye Kiss (1993). [27] [28] The album sold 6 million copies throughout Asia. [29] The success of Bad Boy led A-Mei to receive various music awards in Asia, which attracted the high attention of the international music scene and established her status as one of the most sought-after celebrities in East Asia. [24]
The album's title track made it onto the leaderboard of the 4th China Music Awards' Chinese Top 20 Chart Songs, which was held by Channel V. [30] At the same ceremony she also won the prize for Best Newcomer. [30] At the 9th Golden Melody Awards held in 1998, Michael Tu was nominated for Best Composer for his work on the song "Listen to the Sea." [31] At the same ceremony A-Mei herself was nominated for Best Mandarin Female Singer while the album Bad Boy was nominated for Album of the Year. [31] Bad Boy ranked first in the 1997 Golden Songs Dragon and Tiger Chart Annual Ranking on February 17, 1998. [32]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
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1. | "哭不出來" (Can't Cry) | Liu Si Ming | Liu Zhihong | Baby Chung | 4:44 |
2. | "一想到你呀" (Whenever I Think About You) | Chang Yu-sheng | Chang Yu-sheng | Koji Sakurai | 4:48 |
3. | "孤單Tequila" (Lonely Tequila) | Chang Yu-sheng | Chang Yu-sheng | Koji Sakurai | 5:11 |
4. | "一個人跳舞" (Dancing Alone) | Yu Guangyan | Sky Wu | Baby Chung | 4:29 |
5. | "聽海" (Listen to the Sea) | Eric Lin | Michael Tu | Michael Tu | 5:18 |
6. | "Bad Boy" | Chang Yu-sheng | Chang Yu-sheng | Martin Tang | 4:22 |
7. | "甜言蜜語" (Sweet Words) | Zheng Huajuan | Zheng Huajuan | Koji Sakurai | 4:51 |
8. | "情人?敵人?" (Lover? Enemy?) | Wu Yukang | Guo Tzu | Ricky Ho | 5:00 |
9. | "愛,不太早不太晚,剛好。" (Loving Isn't Too Early or Too Late) | Daryl Yao | Zheng Zhiming | Martin Tang | 4:49 |
10. | "愛過你" (Loved You) | Lo-Jung Chen | Chen Chih-yuan | Chen Chih-yuan | 5:27 |
Total length: | 49:03 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Taiwan (RIT) [34] | 3× Platinum+Gold | 1,380,000 [35] |
Summaries | ||
Asia | — | 6,000,000 [36] |
Kulilay Amit, Han Chinese name Chang Hui-mei, better known by her stage name A-Mei, is a Taiwanese singer and record producer of Puyuma descent. Born as Amit Kulilay in the rugged mountains of eastern Taiwan, she made her debut in 1996. A leading figure of the Mandopop music scene since the mid-1990s, A-Mei is widely known for breaking ground for Taiwanese indigenous peoples and being a voice for LGBT rights and gender equality. She has been given the moniker "Queen of Mandopop" and the "Pride of Taiwan." Her career longevity, resilience, artistry, and versatility have established her as a pop culture icon in the Sinophone world.
"Jump In" is a song by Taiwanese singer A-Mei for her seventeenth studio album, Faces of Paranoia (2014). It was released on July 2, 2014, as the album's lead single by Universal Music Taiwan, while its accompanying music video was released on July 28, 2014. The song is also the Chinese promotional song for The Expendables 3.
“Left Behind” (身後) is a song by Taiwanese singer A-Mei Chang, included in her album The Story Thief, and is the fourth wave hit of the album. It was written by HUSH, composed by JJ Lin, and directed by Luo Jingnian.On December 26, 2017, a video clip of the making of the music video, titled "That Breathtaking Missing, You Must Have Been There", was released on the YouTube website.On December 28, the official video clip of the music video was released, with more than 200,000 hits in a short period of time. On the same day, A-Mei posted a live message on her Facebook page, On the same day, A-Mei posted a live message on her Facebook page, in which she revealed how much she missed her family.
Sisters is the debut studio album by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on December 13, 1996, by Forward Music. The album was primarily handled by Taiwanese producer Chang Yu-sheng, with the assistance of Yu Guangyan, Ma Yu-fen, Baby Chung, David Wu, and Chen Fu-ming. Musically, it experiments with genres such as pop, soul music, R&B, adult contemporary and easy listening to exhibit A-Mei's vocal talent and versatility. On June 23, 2017, 21 years after its initial release date, a vinyl reissue of Sisters was released by Forward Music.
You Make Me Free Make Me Fly! is the third studio album by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on December 29, 1997, by Forward Music. The album was recorded as an in advance listen for A-Mei's 1998 live stadium concert. The record features cover versions of Chinese and English songs, except for the tracks "You Make Me Free" and "I Do Not Mind." You Make Me Free Make Me Fly! has sold 800,000 copies in Taiwan and over 4 million copies throughout Asia to date.
Faces of Paranoia is the seventeenth studio album by Taiwanese recording artist A-Mei. It was released on July 2, 2014, by EMI and Universal Music. The album was originally scheduled to be released on July 4, 2014, but due to the audio files being leaked online, it was announced that the album would be released two days earlier. It was jointly produced by A-Mei and Adia, and contains a total of ten songs. The album continues the concept of the first and second half of her previous work R U Watching? (2011), since the first half of the album contains slow-tempo songs while the second half contains upbeat ones.
The discography of Taiwanese singer A-Mei consists of 19 studio albums, 4 extended plays, 6 compilation albums, and 17 live albums. She released her debut album, Sisters, in 1996, which sold over 1 million copies in Taiwan and 4 million copies in Asia. Her sophomore record, Bad Boy, (1997) was also commercially successful and sold over 1,300,000 copies in Taiwan, and remains the highest selling album in the country to date. Her fifth studio album, Can I Hug You, Lover? (1999), sold over 1,180,000 copies in Taiwan and 8 million copies throughout Asia.
Holding Hands is the fourth studio album by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on October 12, 1998, by Forward Music. The album was produced by musicians such as David Tao, Chen Chih-yuan and Jerry Huang and was A-Mei's first original studio album since the death of her mentor Chang Yu-sheng eleven months prior. On the record, A-Mei sang Chang's posthumous works "Are You Ready" and "After Knowing," and for the first time, she collaborated with David Tao on the songs "Don't Lie To Me" and "High High High," which allowed A-Mei to try out different kinds of music creations. The music on Holding Hands fuses pop music with other genres including R&B, dance pop, adult contemporary and rock music.
Feel is the first extended play by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on April 20, 1999, by Forward Music. The EP contains four songs in total on the Taiwanese edition and six song on the Hong Kongese edition. The EP Feel was released to coincide with a Sprite advertisement. A-Mei was the spokesperson for Sprite Asia in 1999, who also created "Give Me Feelings" and "Sunrise" for A-Mei. Feel has sold 180,000 copies in Taiwan, making it the best-selling EP in Taiwanese music history.
Can I Hug You, Lover? is the fifth studio album by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released throughout Greater China on June 8, 1999, by Forward Music. There are 12 songs on the album in total, which are produced by musicians such as David Tao, Ma Yu-fen and Yu Guangyan. The album itself incorporates popular musical genres such as pop, pop rock, R&B, and surf rock.
A-Mei New Century Collection is the first greatest hits album by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on December 28, 1999, by Forward Music. The album contains Sprite's 2000 advertising song "I Want to Fly," along with the charity single "Love, Never Disappears," which was specially composed by Leehom Wang for the 1999 Jiji earthquake victims. In addition, the album also includes A-Mei's past best-selling hit singles from her previous studio albums that were released between 1996 and 1999. Commercially, A-Mei New Century Collection was a huge success in Greater China, selling over 410,000 copies in Taiwan, while also selling over 3 million copies throughout Asia. It is also Taiwan's best-selling album by a female artist in the 21st century, along with being the third best-selling album in Taiwan of the year 2000.
Regardless is the seventh studio album by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on December 5, 2000, through Forward Music, and was ultimately her final studio album to be released under the label. After a year and a half since her last album Can I Hug You, Lover?, Forward Music created a $10 million alliance of musicians from Taipei, Singapore and Los Angeles to create the album Regardless. The album had the longest pre-production period, the longest production period, the largest amount of money spent, and the largest number of people involved in the production out of any of A-Mei's studio albums to that point. All 10 songs were by well-known music connoisseurs from Greater China, which include David Tao, Huang Yi, David Huang, Sky Wu and Yuan Wei-jen.
Journey is the eighth studio album by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on September 7, 2001, by Forward Music. The album contains 18 songs that were recorded during A-Mei's tenure at Forward Music, but were never released. It also contains a bonus CD of eight English cover songs. The album sold over 100,000 copies in Taiwan and 1 million copies in Asia.
Truth is the ninth studio album by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on October 29, 2001. The album was her first album to be released after joining Warner Music Taiwan in June 2001. Crafted collaboratively with musicians such as Tino Bao, Kevin Yi, Peter Lee, Eric Chen and JJ Lin, it incorporates genres such as pop, Latin pop, R&B, hip-hop and adult contemporary.
The ASMR World Tour is the eighth concert tour by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. The tour began in with twelve concerts at the Taipei Arena in Taipei on April 1, 2022, and expanded into North America, Oceania and Europe. An extension of the tour, titled ASMR Max, commenced in Nanjing, China on May 11, 2024.
Fever is the tenth studio album by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on August 30, 2002, by Warner Music Taiwan. It was released two weeks after its intended release date to feature the song "Katsu," which is A-Mei's aboriginal nickname and also means “victory” in Japanese. With this song, A-Mei expresses how a little girl left her aboriginal home and went on a journey into the unknown, and that little girl has become her present self. Fever features a total of 10 songs and is produced by Tino Bao, Ma Yu-Fen and others. The album itself incorporates genres such as pop, country pop, pop rock, funk, hip-hop and R&B.
Brave is the eleventh studio album by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on June 27, 2003, by Warner Music Taiwan. The album was produced by Xu Guangyi, Jae Chong, Will Lin, Eric Chen and Martin Tang. Lyricists include Chen Jiawen, Xia Mu and others, and composers include Tanya Chua and others. Brave incorporates musical genres such as pop, R&B, hip hop, dance, jazz, reggae and ska. Around the time of the album's release, A-Mei landed her first major acting role by starring as the heroine of the movie Brave, with the album's title track serving as its theme song.
Maybe Tomorrow is the twelfth studio album by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on September 21, 2004, by Warner Music Taiwan. Maybe Tomorrow comes hard on the heels of cross-straits controversies from earlier in the year, which led to some of her concerts having to be canceled due to the high amount of tension developed between the political figures on both sides. The album's music style presents a more daring and avant-garde experimental rock, and A-Mei is involved in the production for the first time, as well as contributing a number of lyrics and compositions.
I Want Happiness? is the thirteenth studio album by Taiwanese recording artist A-Mei. It was released on February 17, 2006, by Warner Music Taiwan and was her final release with the label. After her 2004 album Maybe Tomorrow underperformed on the record charts, A-Mei took a one-year hiatus from the entertainment industry to study abroad in Boston, Massachusetts to return afresh. Eric Chen served as the sole producer of I Want Happiness. Following the release of Maybe Tomorrow, I Want Happiness? saw A-Mei return to her early lyrical style, setting aside her image as a Chinese pop diva. With a simple microphone and her unadorned voice, she sought to connect with her audience through heartfelt love songs that resonated with her fans.
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