''The Crossing'' () is the eighth album by Chinese singer-songwriter
Joker Xue
Joker Xue (, born July 17, 1983) is a Chinese singer-songwriter and record producer, formerly known as Jacky Xue. One of the most-streamed and most popular Mandopop artists, he is known for his emotional vocal delivery with works that span vario ...
. It was released on November 28, 2017, by Huayu World Expo and later acquired by Xue's own label Chaoshi Music.
Background
The concept behind ''The Crossing'' is a reflection of life and living as one crosses from childhood to adulthood, from one role to the next, and from yesterday to today.
This album marks a shift in Xue's music from emotional ballads about heartbreak to examinations and critique of the darker side of human nature.
Composition
Of the ten tracks on the album, Xue composed music for five tracks and wrote lyrics for nine tracks.
The only song he did not participate in creating was "Camel" which was written by Gan Shijia and composed by Guo Ding, both had collaborated with Xue on his previous albums.
Xue has stated that "Noble" is the song he's most satisfied with, it explores the twistedness of values and emotions under various societal pressures.
"The Crossing" is a
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of "Here She Comes Again" by the Norwegian electronic music duo
Röyksopp
Röyksopp () a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø formed in 1998. The duo consists of childhood friends Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland who formed Röyksopp during the Bergen Wave. After experimenting with different Electronic Mu ...
. Xue penned the Chinese lyrics, sharing to the audience through his words.
There are three original soundtrack songs on this album: "Like the Wind" for the historical drama series
I Will Never Let You Go, "The Martian Has Come" for season two of the variety show "Mars Intelligence Agency", and "I'm Afraid" for the drama series "Boy Hood".
Reception
''The Crossing'' was the top-selling album on
YinYueTai
YinYueTai (), is a music video sharing website in China. Launched in 2009, the site became China's most visited music video website by 2015. As of December 2019, YinYueTai is rumored to have been closed down.
The website first published charts r ...
in mainland China in 2017. "Ambiguous" ranked tenth on
KuGou Music's Top 500 list in August 2017.
On
TME Physical Album Annual Sales Chart, launched in 2021, ''The Crossing'' continued to appear top 50 despite being released years ago, ranking 38th in 2023, 43th in 2024, and ranked 44th in 2025.
This album signified a breakthrough in Xue's musical style, shifting away from the "Xue Style Love Songs" he was known and sometimes critiqued for. ''The Crossing'', with songs of different styles such as "Animal World", "Camel", "Noble", "I'm Afraid", and "The Martian Has Come", connect together "a grand urban fable."
Track listing
Accolades
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crossing, The
2017 albums
Joker Xue albums
Mandarin-language albums