Castle (Jolin Tsai Album)

''Castle'' is the sixth studio album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai, released on February 27, 2004 by Sony. The album was produced by Bing Wang, Peter Lee, Jay Chou, Jamie Hsueh, Huang Yi, and G-Power. It incorporates a wide range of musical styles, blending elements of pop, hip hop, Latin, chanson, heavy metal, and British rock. The album received widespread critical acclaim and is regarded as a significant milestone in Tsai's continued success in the Chinese-language music industry.

In Taiwan, ''Castle'' sold over 300,000 copies, and its total sales across Asia exceeded 1.5 million copies. It ranked as the second best-selling album of 2004 in Taiwan and earned Tsai the title of the highest-selling female artist of that year. Following the album's release, Tsai embarked on her first concert tour, the J1 World Tour, which began on August 7, 2004, at the Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai, China, and concluded on April 22, 2006, at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, United States.

Background and development

On March 7, 2003, Tsai released her fifth studio album, ''Magic''. The album sold over 360,000 copies in Taiwan and more than 1.5 million copies across Asia. It ranked as the second best-selling album of 2003 in Taiwan and earned Tsai the title of the highest-selling female artist of that year. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 15th Golden Melody Awards, and Tsai herself received a nomination for Best Female Mandarin Singer. Additionally, the album's track "Prague Square" earned Baby Chung a nomination for Best Music Arrangement, and he ultimately won the award.

Later in the year, on November 13, 2003, media outlets reported that Tsai was preparing to record a new album, which was slated for release in January of the following year. It was also revealed that Tsai would begin her first concert tour in March 2004. Tsai commented, "I've already started working out for the tour, and I will be in the best condition when I take the stage around the world!" On December 14, 2003, it was announced that due to Tsai's pursuit of perfection, several songs on the upcoming album were being re-recorded, leading to a delay in its release until after the Chinese New Year in 2004. On January 9, 2004, media reports revealed that Jay Chou had written songs for Tsai's new album.

On February 10, 2004, it was confirmed that Tsai's new album would be released on February 27, and it was reported that due to the intense pressure she was under, Tsai had recorded four to five versions of each song on the album. On the same day, it was also revealed that Jay Chou had contributed three tracks to the album. The production team from her previous album, including Jamie Hsueh, Peter Lee, Bing Wang, and Huang Yi, was once again involved. The album was described as incorporating a diverse range of styles, including pop ballads, hip hop, and rock. Tsai expressed, "The demands are high, and the record company's expectations are also high, so everyone was almost on the brink of depression. We were all determined to do our best. Even if something was 95% perfect, it was still unacceptable."

Writing and recording

The lead single, "Pirates", blends a medieval retro atmosphere with flamenco and hip-hop elements, incorporating various sound effects, including the scratching of records. Jay Chou also provided backing vocals for the song's rap sections. "36 Tricks of Love" expresses the perspective of Generation Z women on love. Tsai explained, "It reflects an independent and autonomous view of love for women. It's like being attracted to a tall, handsome man but lacking the courage to approach him. In reality, the opportunity is always there, and if a woman lets go of her shyness and talks more or makes a call, love may come her way." Both "36 Tricks of Love" and "Priority" were part of the "Sweet Metal" genre created specifically for Tsai. This style merges the heavy guitar and bass sounds typical of heavy metal with dance music. The sharp, explosive tones, when combined with Tsai's sweet voice, create an interesting contrast that enhances the power of the songs. Tsai noted, "It's my first time trying a punk-inspired rock style. I hadn't sung anything like it before, so it was challenging and felt directionless at first, but I was very satisfied with the recording results."

"The Smell of Lemon Grass" showcases a richer vocal expression and more stable emotional control from Tsai compared to her previous work. "Love Love Love" is a cover of Nu Virgos' " Stop Stop Stop" and combines French chanson with a Mediterranean romantic Southern European flavor. The song's bright rhythm and Tsai's sweet vocals create a joyful, uplifting atmosphere. "The Starter" was written by Tsai herself. She explained that the lyrics reflect her perspective on love: "There is no third party in love. I hope that after a breakup, people don't blame each other because love has no right or wrong." The song is a poignant slow ballad, with Tsai's raw, emotional delivery in the prelude demonstrating her growing vocal maturity. Tsai shared, "People often see me as the lively, bubbly type, and few understand my inner world. I express my true feelings through my songwriting. Though I may look 17 or 18 in photos, my emotional age is a bit beyond my actual age—around 23. I've become a little more mature."

"Disappearing Castle" reflects the sadness and realization of love crumbling, with the bitterness of reality setting in. "Good Cat" is a mix of Latin rhythms and heavy, rhythmic hip-hop, with Tsai cleverly mimicking cat sounds, showcasing both a cool and sweet vocal style. Tsai explained, "I came up with it myself. It's a fun song. There's a line in it that says, 'I'm not the cat you raised', and I thought adding a cat meow at the end would make it even more interesting." "Rewind" is a song in the style of British rock.

Title and artwork

''Castle'' symbolizes a musical world akin to a mysterious and fashionable castle, awaiting exploration by listeners to uncover its treasures. Tsai explained, "First of all, there is a song on the album called 'Disappearing Castle'. I feel that a castle is very much like love—when it disappears, it also represents a vanishing love. At the same time, this album is like a castle filled with treasures, hiding different types of great music. To me, every song on this album is a treasure."

The album's concept is built around the elements of "Heaven", "Earth", and "Sea", expressed through three main themes: "The Bird of the Sky", "The White Horse of the Forest", and "The Blue Fish of the Deep Sea." These themes reflect the diversity of the album's musical styles, with "The Bird of the Sky" representing energetic and lively dance tracks, "The White Horse of the Forest" symbolizing exotic and whimsical sounds, and "The Blue Fish of the Deep Sea" capturing emotional, heart-rending ballads. Tsai commented, "Since my previous album, I've wanted my music to feel like a fairytale, with a sense of imagery and mystery. This time, I'm using three different colored outfits—pink, blue, and green—to represent the different songs on the album. Pink symbolizes 'The Bird of the Sky,' representing the energetic and lively dance tracks; blue symbolizes 'The Blue Fish of the Deep Sea,' representing the ballads; and green represents 'The White Horse of the Forest,' symbolizing the exotic and imaginative songs."

The album's visual aesthetics were carefully crafted with a budget of NT$3 million. Six months prior to its release, the production team collaborated with Sony Music Japan and designers Yuichi Miyashi and Yasuyuki Watanabe, who studied Tsai's previous album photos and music videos. Three months before the album's release, Tsai met with the designers in Japan to discuss how the visuals could align with the musical concepts of the album. Watanabe also traveled to Paris to help Tsai select the album's fashion items. Additionally, Miyashita designed a unique logo for Tsai's new album. Inspired by Tsai's dynamic dance performances, which he likened to a phoenix soaring through the air, he created a logo incorporating the letter "J" in the shape of a bird, symbolizing Tsai's vibrant movement and energy.

For the special edition of the album, "Celebration Edition", Tsai featured a photo shoot inspired by the album's theme, incorporating various textures and castle imagery. Tsai shared, "Because the pure white cake should be paired with pure white clothing, I added a touch of beige to give it a slightly dreamy yet real feel."

Release and promotion

On February 11, 2004, Tsai released the lead single, "Pirates", from her new album. On February 13, 2004, the album was officially available for pre-order, with pre-order gifts including a VCD featuring the music video for "Pirates". On February 22, 2004, Tsai held a preview session at the Red House Theater Square in Ximending, Taipei. Media reports indicated that the event cost over NT$1 million to organize. Tsai expressed her gratitude, stating, "Of course, I hope this will bring good luck. I am really thankful to the record company for giving me such a grand event for the preview. I also hope this album will not only be recognized for its musical quality but also achieve high sales numbers."

The album was officially released on February 27, 2004. In addition to a CD containing new tracks, the album also included a VCD featuring a documentary short film titled ''2003 Magic Performances Documentary''. On the same day, Tsai held a press conference for ''Castle'', where it was reported that the production budget for the album was around NT$100 million. During the press conference, it was also revealed that Tsai would embark on a world tour following the album's promotional period. On April 17, 2004, Tsai held the It's Love Concert at the parking lot next to the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi Store in Taipei, where over 10,000 people attended the event.

On April 30, the special "Celebration Edition" of the album was released. This edition included 10 additional music videos and a remixed version of the track "36 Tricks of Love". Tsai remarked, "This edition includes the remixed version of '36 Tricks of Love' and some great MV performances. I want to give these to my fans. If you are a collector, please buy it at the record store." Additionally, the songs "It's Love" and "36 Tricks of Love" ranked 8th and 78th, respectively, on the Taiwan's Hit FM Top 100 Singles chart of 2004.

Live performances

On July 6, 2004, Tsai participated in the 2004 Perfect Show Beijing, where she performed the song "36 Tricks of Love". On July 24, she attended the 6th CCTV-MTV Music Awards, performing "36 Tricks of Love" once again. On August 1, 2004, Tsai took part in the 2004 Metro Radio Mandarin Hits Music Awards, where she performed "Pirates". On August 16, 2004, she performed "36 Tricks of Love" and "Rewind" at the Qingdao Beer Festival Opening Ceremony. On September 4, 2004, Tsai attended the 4th Global Chinese Music Awards, where she performed "Pirates". Later that month, on September 24, 2004, she participated in the 5th Golden Eagle TV Arts Festival Concert, performing both "36 Tricks of Love" and "Rewind".

On December 17, 2004, Tsai performed "Pirates" at the 2004 TVB8 Mandarin Music On Demand Awards. On December 26, 2004, she took part in the 2004 Metro Radio Hits Music Awards, again performing "Pirates". On January 11, 2005, Tsai attended the 11th China Music Awards, where she performed both "Pirates" and "36 Tricks of Love". On February 8, 2005, she participated in the CCTV New Year's Gala, performing "36 Tricks of Love". Following these appearances, Tsai continued to perform tracks from the album at various events.

Music videos

The music video for "Pirates" was directed by Marlboro Lai and had a production budget of NT$3 million. To complement the song's fusion of flamenco and hip-hop styles, Tsai played with cross-dressing in the video. At one moment, she appeared as a pirate captain with a red bandana and a sword, and at another, she donned a three-layer, voluminous gown as a pirate princess. Tsai commented, "I almost ended up with a gender confusion! But I'm really proud of my first men's outfit look; being able to duel with a sword and act tough felt pretty 'manly'!" Choreographer Bruce Chang also specifically designed a dance routine that combined hip-hop and flamenco, allowing Tsai to dance with both male and female dancers in the video. Tsai explained, "When you look at someone, for example, when you're dancing, you have to look at them with conviction. That kind of gaze is like saying, 'Yes, bring it on!' There's a bit of flirting between the male and female dancers in the MV." To capture the grandeur of a medieval pirate treasure hunt, the director invited a professional art team to design all the set blueprints for the music video. They built a meticulously detailed pirate ship cabin, using antiques and golden ornaments as decorations. The production of the video required three days for set construction and filming, followed by an additional ten days for the complex post-production process.

The music video for "36 Tricks of Love" was directed by Kuang Sheng. The video for "It's Love" was also directed by Marlboro Lai. The music video for "The Smell of Lemon Grass" was directed by Tony Lin and filmed at the Yingge Ceramics Museum. The music video for "Love Love Love" was co-directed by Marlboro Lai and Bill Chia. The choreography for this video was based on mambo from International Ballroom dance, with influences from the Broadway-style dancing seen in the film ''Chicago'' (2002). Finally, the music video for "The Starter" was directed by Tony Lin.

Touring

On July 8, 2004, Tsai announced that she would kick off her ''J1 World Tour'' on August 7, 2004, at the Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai, China. The tour lasted for one year and nine months, spanning eight performances across seven cities worldwide, and concluded on April 22, 2006, at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, United States. On September 23, 2005, Tsai released a live video album titled ''J1 Live Concert''. The album features footage from the tour's performance at the Chungshan Soccor Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan, on November 20, 2004.

Commercial performance

On February 22, 2004, media reports revealed that, just six days after pre-orders for the album opened, it had already surpassed 60,000 pre-orders in Taiwan. The album debuted at number one on the weekly sales charts of Taiwan's G-Music and Asia Music during its first week of release. By April 6, 2004, it was reported that the album had maintained the number one spot on the weekly sales charts of G-Music in Taiwan for four consecutive weeks, with total sales in Taiwan exceeding 200,000 copies. On May 3, 2004, it was revealed that the album's sales in Taiwan had surpassed 250,000 copies. On May 15, 2004, the album's sales in Asia were reported to have exceeded 1.5 million copies. By May 24, 2004, it was announced that the album had sold more than 450,000 copies in Mainland China. On August 4, 2004, media outlets reported that the album had maintained its position at number one on Taiwan's Asia Music sales chart for nine consecutive weeks.

By December 29, 2004, it was reported that the album had ranked second on Taiwan's annual album sales chart for the year and was also the top-selling female artist album in Taiwan for that year. On January 28, 2005, it was announced that the album had ranked 10th on Singapore's annual Chinese album sales chart for 2004. On March 23, 2005, the album was also reported to have ranked among the top 10 Mandarin albums in Hong Kong for 2004. Ultimately, it was reported that the album had sold over 300,000 copies in Taiwan and more than 1.5 million copies across Asia.

Critical reception

'' Tencent Entertainment'''s Shuwa commented, "The album ''Castle'' is a continuation of Jolin Tsai's ''Magic''. Therefore, whether it's the styling, musical styles, or even some of the song titles, you can find echoes of ''Magic'' in ''Castle''. The record label's approach of continuity is clearly a result of the success they found with the production style of ''Magic''. By making only minor adjustments, they managed to continue the album's success. The five key producers—Huang Yi, Jamie Hsueh, Jay Chou, Peter Lee, and Bing Wang—were brought back to create a number of hit songs, further solidifying Jolin Tsai's position in Taiwan and across the Chinese-speaking music world."

''Sina Entertainmen''t's Deng Wulin wrote, "If ''Magic'' was a bold experiment, then ''Castle'' maintains the same level of quality as its predecessor. However, because ''Magic'' was so innovative at the time, ''Castle'' lacked that same level of surprise that would make it stand out." 21hifi described, "When Jolin Tsai first debuted, her singing ability was already impressive, and now, she has developed into a mature artist. She sings up-tempo songs with power and brings a new interpretation to ballads. ''Castle'' should further solidify Jolin Tsai's successful position in the music industry."

Accolades

On July 24, 2004, Tsai won the Best Female Singer Taiwan award at the 6th CCTV-MTV Music Awards for the album ''Castle''. On August 1, 2004, she won the Best Female Singer and Best Stage Performance at the 2004 Metro Radio Mandarin Hits Music Awards, with her song "It's Love" earning the Top Songs award. On August 5, 2004, Tsai won the Top 20 Singers award at the 3rd MTV Mandarin Awards. On September 4, 2004, she won the Media Recommended Award and Best All-around Artist at the 4th Global Chinese Music Awards, while her song "Pirates" won the Top 20 Songs and Best Music Arrangement. On September 10, 2004, she received the Most Popular Female Singer and Most Popular Taiwan Singer at the Singapore Hit Awards 2004.

On November 15, 2004, Tsai was nominated for the Favorite Artist Taiwan award at the MTV Asia Awards 2005. On December 17, 2004, she won the Most Popular Female Singer award at the 2004 TVB8 Mandarin Music On Demand Awards, while "Pirates" earned the Top Songs award. On December 27, 2004, Tsai won the 2004 Metro Radio Hits Music Awards for Most Popular Mandarin Female Singer and Most Popular Asian Female Singer, with "Pirates" winning the Top Mandarin Songs award. On January 11, 2005, she won the Most Popular Hong Kong/Taiwan Female Singer award at the 11th China Music Award, while the music video for "Pirates" was awarded Best Hong Kong/Taiwan Music Video.

On January 16, 2005, Tsai won the Hito Music Awards' Best Female Singer, and "It's Love" was ranked among the Top 10 Songs. On March 12, 2005, she was named the Most Popular Taiwan Female Singer at the Music Pioneer Awards. On March 23, 2005, ''Castle'' was recognized as one of the Top 10 Best-Selling Mandarin Albums of 2004 at the IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards. On April 7, 2005, the music video for "Pirates" was nominated for Best Buzz Asia Taiwan at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards Japan. On June 13, 2005, the music video for "Pirates" won the Best Music Video award at the China Gold Disc Awards. Additionally, "Pirates" won the Top 10 Mandarin Songs award on the Canadian Chinese Pop Music Awards.

Track listing

Release history

References

External links

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2004 albums
Jolin Tsai albums
Sony Music Taiwan albums