Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

5 things you can do to get closer to Jay Chou

SINGAPORE — A lot has changed for Jay Chou, but one thing’s for sure: He can do no wrong in the eyes of his fans.

SINGAPORE — A lot has changed for Jay Chou, but one thing’s for sure: He can do no wrong in the eyes of his fans.

The Taiwanese singer-songwriter got hitched to then-21-year-old model Hannah Quinlivan in January last year in a European-style wedding in Yorkshire, northern England (which was followed by two other glamorous wedding banquets in Taiwan and Gold Coast, Australia, no less) and then welcomed a baby girl, Hathaway in July.

The fans though, couldn’t care less about his changed status. The 37-year-old is performing in Singapore tonight for The Invincible concert tour — his first here since becoming a new father — and as a sign of his reigning popularity, some 30,000 tickets were snapped up in just two hours of being released in February.

Category 1 tickets worth S$338 were sold out within half an hour after counters opened at 10am, while tickets for the other five categories (from S$118 to S$288) were also left with limited quantities that day.

So, what can you do to get closer to the mumbling crooner, now that you’ve missed your shot at being in the same vicinity as him?

Besides moping at home blaring his old albums on loop, here are other stuff you can do to get your Jay Chou fix.

 

TUCK IN AT A JAY CHOU RESTAURANT

It’s not a restaurant opened by Chou, but it’s the closest thing we have here. The 8 degrees Taiwanese Bistro, a Jay Chou-themed restaurant located off Upper Serangoon Road, was opened because the owner is a huge fan of the megastar, its staff told TODAY. Named after Chou’s hit 2002 album Ba Du Kong Jian, it serves classic Taiwanese fare, such as stewed pork belly rice, oyster mee sua, salted crispy chicken, and of course, “national drink” bubble milk tea. There are also Taiwan beer and desserts with taro and sweet potato balls. Best of all, its walls are adorned with framed Jay Chou posters and albums, which are from the owner’s personal collection, while some tables are covered with printed lyrics of his hits. Well if you can’t be with him, at least you can be comforted by his presence while eating delicious grub from his homeland, right?

37 Teck Chye Terrace

 

SHOP AT HIS STORE

Drats, you’ve missed him again. Chou was here yesterday at about 4pm to launch his Orchard Gateway store, Phantaci Singapore. He must be mighty proud of this 1,200sqf space, which had a soft launch in May, as it is the brand’s first overseas outlet outside Taiwan (Chou, who is its creative director, started the brand in 2006 and it has since grown to four stores in Taiwan. But you probably already knew that). Prove to Jay you are his biggest fan in Singapore, by getting all decked out in his streetwear collection. Phantaci’s apparel includes both menswear and womenswear, with graphic tees, denim, slogan caps and shades dominating its offerings.

Orchard Gateway, #02-05/06

 

EAT AT HIS FAVOURITE RESTAURANT

It’s an open secret: Jay Chou loves his bak kut teh. And his favourite haunt is Founder Bak Kut Teh on Balestier Road, already a popular spot of choice for many celebrities (Chow Yun-Fat, we’re talking about you). According to a news report in 2014, the daughter of Founder’s owner said Chou pays a visit to the eatery every time he comes to Singapore. Look hard enough and you’ll probably spot a picture of him on their celebrity adorned walls. We recommend heading there for breakfast (and lunch, and dinner too — why not?). Who knows, you might catch a glimpse of him digging into a peppery bowl of ribs the day after his concert. How can you call yourself a true blue fan unless you do some stalking?

New Orchid Hotel, 347 Balestier Road

 

GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH HIS EXES

Back in the day, Chou and Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai’s rumoured romance was the talk of the town. “Double J” kept us on tenterhooks — until the pair split, supposedly after pictures of him and TV host Patty Hou shopping in Tokyo surfaced. Well, now you can, erm, get a piece of Tsai and Hou, with the “Jolin Tsai Sesame Chicken Thigh” or the “Patty Hou Taiwan Tempura” at Taiwanese street food eatery I Love Taimei. The brand, which began as a Bugis Village outlet in 2009, now has several outlets islandwide, so you can seek out his former belles with ease.

www.ilovetaimei.com

 

SING YOUR HEART OUT

Can’t sing along with the crowd at the National Stadium? Here’s the next best thing — belting out his angsty tunes in an enclosed space. Head to Party World, which has seven outlets islandwide and 229 Jay Chou songs in their system. They update their song bank twice a month, so you can usually find songs in their database as early as one to two weeks after their release in Taiwan or China. With their largest outlet at Liang Court Shopping Centre closing at 6am, you can probably sing every single Jay Chou song before calling it quits. If you want to conduct a mass commiseration session cum mini gig with your pals, 10 of their rooms are dedicated to premium VIP usage — they come with pool tables and a raised stage — and are able to accommodate groups of up to 30 people. On a budget? Head to Ten Dollar Club, which charges S$10+++ per person (from 7pm till late, minimum charges apply), or family-friendly Teo Heng, which charges hourly. Both told TODAY their repetoire includes the latest songs by Chou, so don’t worry, you won’t be stuck with tunes that are circa 2000.

www.partyworldktv.com.sg

www.tendollarclub.sg

www.ktvteoheng.com

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.