Actor (song)
| "Actor" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Joker Xue | ||||
| from the album | ||||
| Language |
| |||
| Released | June 5, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2015 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:21 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter(s) | Joker Xue | |||
| Producer(s) | Zhao Yingjun | |||
| Joker Xue singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Actor" on YouTube | ||||
"Actor" (Chinese: 演员; pinyin: Yǎnyuán) is a song by Chinese singer-songwriter Joker Xue.[1] It was released on June 5, 2015, as part of his first extended play (EP) Gentleman (2015) then later included on his seventh studio album Beginner (2016) under Ocean Butterflies; both of which have been acquired by Xue's own label Chaoshi Music.[2][3] The song was written and composed by Xue.
"Actor" is Xue's best-known song both domestically and internationally, with more than 200 million views on YouTube, more than 100 million streams on Spotify[4] and more than 27 million collection counts on QQ Music.[5] It is a staple in the setlist for Xue's three concert tours: I Think I've Seen You Somewhere Tour (2017), Skyscraper World Tour (2018-2019), and Extraterrestrial World Tour (2021-2025).
In 2015, "Actor" ranked first on KuGou Music's Top 500 list from Week 22 to Week 45[6] and on Global Chinese Music chart in June.[7] In 2018, "Actor" ranked 9th on UFM100.3's U1000 Music Countdown of the top 1,000 Mandarin songs.[8]
Background
The Gentleman, on which "Actor" is the second track, took 19 months to complete.[9] Xue said the inspiration for the song was the wish that in front of love, I am not an 'actor' but I hope to be a 'gentleman.'
[10]
Music video
The music video for "Actor" was directed by Shockley Huang and starred Xue and Bae Seul-ki as the male and female leads. It tells the story of a couple who were once in love but now she is only pretending her feelings for him, like an actor on stage. Aware of this, he pretends to be cruel so she can leave without regret. As he watches her leave, a tear dripped down his cheek that becomes a raindrop.
To capture the atmosphere of the song, the music video incorporated elements that portray the male protagonist's inner emotions, such as "raining indoor" and the "rewinding" the relationship.[11]
Accolades
"Actor" won Hottest Song of the Year at KuGou Music Awards[12] and Top Hit of the Year at Music Radio China Top Chart Awards.[13] It was also named among the Top 10 Songs of the Year at Migu Music Awards[14] and MTV Global Chinese Music Festival.[15] "Actor" was also a Song of the Year nominee at the 2017 CMIC Music Awards.[16]
Cover versions
In 2016, "Actor" was covered by Li Jiage on season 1 of the Chinese version of Mask Singer[17] and Hebe Tien on season 1 of Sound of My Dream.[18] In 2017, a duet version of "Actor" was released by Kenny Khoo and Rose Liu[19] and Sammi Cheng covered "Actor" during her Nude Live concerts in Taipei and Beijing.[20]
Credits and personnel
- Joker Xue – vocals, lyrics, composition
- Zhao Yingjun – production, background vocals
- Zheng Wei, Zhang Baoyu – arrangement
- Shockley Huang – director
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | June 5, 2015 | Ocean Butterflies |
References
- ^ "演员 – 由薛之谦演唱" [Actor – Performed by Joker Xue]. Apple Music. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ^ "《绅士》专辑介绍" (in Chinese). NetEase Music. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ "《初学者》专辑介绍" ["Beginner" Album]. NetEase Music (in Chinese). Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ^ ""Actor" 演员 on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ^ "歌曲收藏量破千万"榜单：薛之谦第一，周杰伦第二，蔡徐坤垫底" [The song collection volume exceeds 10 million "list: Xue Zhiqian first, Jay Chou second, Cai Xukun third]. Sohu (in Chinese). March 12, 2021.
- ^ "薛之谦最经典的十首歌排行榜". paihang.com (in Chinese). Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ^ "《全球中文音乐榜上榜》 20150622 嗨! 榜上榜" [Global Chinese Music Chart 202150622 Hi! On the chart]. CCTV (in Chinese). June 22, 2015.
- ^ Chan, Boon (November 18, 2018). "Concert review: Joker Xue shows vocal chops and funny side in first Singapore concert". The Straits Times.
- ^ "薛之谦全创作EP《绅士》网易云音乐首播" [Xue Zhiqian's all-original EP "Gentleman" premieres on NetEase Cloud Music]. NetEase (in Chinese). June 8, 2015.
- ^ "薛之谦《演员》预告片公布 续写深情伤感" [Xue Zhiqian's trailer for "Actor" released, continuing the sentimental story]. Sina (in Chinese). June 2, 2015.
- ^ "薛之谦全创作EP发布 主打歌《演员》曝MV" [Xue Zhiqian's EP released, title song "Actor" MV is available]. Sina (in Chinese). June 8, 2015.
- ^ "酷狗年度大奖出炉, 薛之谦化身"双料王"". China National Radio (in Chinese). January 17, 2017.
- ^ "华语流行乐坛至高荣耀 中央人民广播电台"2016年度MusicRadio携程旅行 中国TOP排行榜颁奖盛典"隆重举行". Sohu (in Chinese). June 22, 2017.
- ^ "Moto第十届音乐盛典咪咕汇圆满落幕 最强华语乐坛阵容闪耀魔都不眠夜". China Style (in Chinese). Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
- ^ "MTV Taiwan 新聞 MTV全球華語音樂盛典 公告延期舉行". MTV Taiwan (in Chinese). Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ "CMA 2017". CMIC Official Website (in Chinese). July 20, 2017.
- ^ "蒙面唱將猜猜猜第一季 第5期 (Live)" [Guess the Masked Singer Season 1 Episode 5 (Live)]. Apple Music. October 16, 2016.
- ^ "田馥甄改编《演员》 羽泉沉寂两周终开嗓" [Hebe Tien remakes "Actors" and Yu Quan finally sings after two weeks of silence]. Sina (in Chinese). December 23, 2016.
- ^ "薛之謙《演員》男女對唱爆好聽!" [The duet version of Xue Zhiqian's "Actor" is so good!]. ET Today (in Chinese). March 21, 2017.
- ^ "郑秀文"裸"音乐会在京举行 大秀港式儿化音" [Sammi Cheng's "Naked" concert held in Beijing, showing off Hong Kong-style music]. Sina (in Chinese). May 28, 2017.