Freak (Joker Xue album)
| Freak | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 31, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 2018 | |||
| Genre | Mandopop | |||
| Length | 43:42 | |||
| Language | Mandarin | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Joker Xue, Zhang Zhenhao, Fang Yi, Guo Ding, Zhou Yili, Liu Zhou, Zheng Wei, Jin Zhiwen | |||
| Joker Xue chronology | ||||
| ||||
Freak (Chinese: 怪咖) is the ninth album by Chinese singer-songwriter Joker Xue. It was released digitally on December 31, 2018, by Huayu World Expo and later acquired by Xue's own label Chaoshi Music.[2] Presale for the physical album began on March 7, 2019.[3]
Background
"What is a freak?" That is the question at the core of this album's concept. Through his music, Xue observes and analyzes the world from multiple angles then conveys his findings through strong visual symbols and different musical styles. Say hello to your inner freak and don't worry about the noise.[3]
Composition
Of the ten tracks on the album, Xue composed music for five tracks and wrote lyrics for nine tracks. The song "Skyscrapers" served as the theme of Xue's Skyscraper World Tour.
Four tracks were created while on the variety show Infinite Song Season where musicians were paired with non-musicians to create songs based on a decided topic.[4] "Wake Up (Live)" was created with Yue Yunpeng. "Freak" was written and composed by Xue while Yang Di adapted Yuki Hsu's "Monster (怪兽)" as a prelude for their performance.
Xue improvised the chorus of "Talent" while on the show; after it received a lot of attention and requests from netizens for Xue to finish it, Xue completed the song. "The Mute", composed and written by Silence Wang, was originally sung by Liu Wei; Xue rewrote and rearranged the song when he covered it on the show then later included his version on the album.[5] Xue insisted on paying and crediting Wang for the song, even though Wang initially had refused because Xue only kept one line from the original version but Xue insisted that even if only one line is used, it is still used.
[6]
Reception
On Tencent Music UNI Chart, "Forsaken Youth" peaked at #3 and "Talent" ranked #1 for two consecutive weeks.[7] "Talent" was named the Most Popular Single on NetEase Cloud Music's 2018 annual music chart.[8]
On TME Physical Album Annual Sales Chart, launched in 2021 and three years after the album's release, Freak ranked 91th in 2022 but then rose and continued to be in the top 50 in 2023 (ranked 45th), 2024 (ranked 47th), and 2025 (ranked 47th).[9]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Skyscrapers (摩天大楼)" | Joker Xue | Tang Hanxiao | 3:53 |
| 2. | "Freak (怪咖)" | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:12 |
| 3. | "Unbridled (肆无忌惮)" | Joker Xue | Zhang Zhenhao | 4:22 |
| 4. | "Fox (狐狸)" | Joker Xue | Zhou Yili | 3:57 |
| 5. | "Talent (天份)" | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:10 |
| 6. | "The Best (最好)" | Xiaohan/Liao Huiming/Guo Ding | Lin Qiyu/Guo Ding | 4:17 |
| 7. | "Wake Up (醒来)" (Live, feat. Yue Yunpeng) | Joker Xue/Yue Yunpeng | Joker Xue | 4:19 |
| 8. | "The Mute (哑巴)" | Joker Xue/Silence Wang | Joker Xue/Silence Wang | 4:23 |
| 9. | "Life After You Left Beijing (那是你离开了北京的生活)" | Joker Xue | Fang Yi | 4:30 |
| 10. | "Forsaken Youth (违背的青春)" | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 5:38 |
| Total length: | 43:42 | |||
Accolades
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Chinese Pop Chart 华人歌曲音乐盛典 |
2018 | Top Hit of the Year 年度金曲 |
"Skyscrapers" | Won | [10] |
| Migu Music Awards 音乐盛典咪咕汇 |
2018 | Top 10 Hits of the Year 年度十大金曲 |
"Skyscrapers" | Won | [11] |
| Canadian Chinese Pop Music Awards 加拿大至 HIT 中文歌曲排行榜 |
2019 | Top 10 Mandarin Singles of the Year | "The Mute" | Won | [12] |
| CMIC Music Awards 唱工委音乐奖 |
2019 | Artist of the Year (Male) 年度男歌手 |
Freak | Won | [13] |
| Album of the Year 年度专辑 |
Freak | Nominated | |||
| Best Music Video 最佳音乐录影带 |
"Freak" | Nominated | |||
| Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards 全球流行音乐金榜颁奖典礼 |
2019 | Most Popular Album of the Year 年度最受欢迎专辑 |
Freak | Won | [14][15] |
| Top 20 Hits of the Year 年度二十大金曲 |
"The Mute" | Won | |||
| Global Chinese Music Awards 全球华语歌曲排行榜颁奖典礼 |
2019 | Top 20 Hits of the Year | "Talent" | Won | [16] |
| Global Chinese Pop Chart 华人歌曲音乐盛典 |
2019 | Album of the Year (Mainland) 年度最佳专辑(内地) |
Freak | Won | [17] |
| Top Hit of the Year 年度金曲 |
"Freak" | Won | |||
| Lyricist of the Year 年度最佳作词 |
"Talent" | Nominated | |||
| Migu Music Awards 音乐盛典咪咕汇 |
2019 | Album of the Year | Freak | Won | [18] |
| Q China Annual Music Ceremony Q China 年度音乐盛典 |
2019 | Best Song of the Year 年度最佳单曲 |
"Skyscrapers" | Won | [19][20] |
References
- ^ "阔景音乐官方微博" [Grand Vista Music Group Official Weibo]. Weibo (in Chinese). Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ "《怪咖》专辑介绍" ["Freak" Album Details]. NetEase Music (in Chinese). Retrieved June 17, 2024.
- ^ a b "薛之谦《怪咖》专辑 一人包揽九词五曲创作" [Xue Zhiqian's "Freak" album, he wrote nine lyrics and five songs]. People's Daily Online (in Chinese). March 8, 2019. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019.
- ^ "《无限歌谣季》薛之谦酷狗歌曲投票首首破百万成爆款" ["Infinite Song Season" Xue Zhiqian's Kugou song voting exceeded one million and became a hit]. Sohu (in Chinese). June 27, 2018.
- ^ "薛之谦强势加盟《无限歌谣季》 精妙改编《哑巴》让人直呼"开口跪"" [Xue Zhiqian strongly joins "Infinite Song Season" and his exquisite adaptation of "The Mute" is deeply impressive]. Sohu (in Chinese). April 20, 2018.
- ^ "点赞! 薛之谦支付汪苏泷版权费" [Like! Joker Xue pays Wang Sulong copyright fees]. Sohu (in Chinese). August 10, 2018.
- ^ Tencent Music UNI Chart:
- "Forsaken Youth" [违背的青春]. Tencent Music (in Chinese). 2018.
- "Talent" [天份]. Tencent Music (in Chinese). 2018.
- ^ "网易云音乐2018年度音乐榜单, 朱正廷成人气超新星" [NetEase Cloud Music 2018 Music Chart, Zhu Zhengting Becomes a Popular Superstar]. Music China (in Chinese). January 2, 2019.
- ^ "腾讯音乐实体专辑榜" [Tencent Music Physical Album Sales Chart]. Tencent Music (in Chinese). Retrieved April 23, 2025.
- ^ "2018华人歌曲音乐盛典颁奖 张杰华晨宇众星云集" [2018 Global Chinese Pop Chart Zhang Jie Hua Chenyu and many other stars gathered]. People.com.cn (in Chinese). August 30, 2018.
- ^ "薛之谦邓紫棋夺最佳男女歌手 张惠妹获最佳专辑" [Joker Xue and G.E.M. Deng won the Best Male and Female Vocalist Award, while A-Mei Chang won the Best Album Award]. Sina Entertainment (in Chinese). December 10, 2018.
- ^ "至Hit推崇 樂迷起動 2018至Hit得獎名單公佈" [G-Hit promotes music, fans leading, 2018 G-Hit award winners announced]. AM1470 (in Chinese). January 17, 2019.
- ^ "CMA 2019". CMIC Official Website (in Chinese). July 31, 2019.
- ^ "流行音乐全金榜年度盛典正式启动! 周深, 陆虎, 王心凌到场助阵" [The annual Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards officially started! Zhou Shen, Lu Hu, and Cyndi Wang came to support]. Sina (in Chinese). March 27, 2019.
- ^ ""京都念慈菴流行音乐年度盛典"圆满落幕" [Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards concludes successfully]. China Music (in Chinese). May 9, 2019.
- ^ ""2019 全球華語歌曲排行榜"得獎名單" [2019 Global Chinese Music Awards winners list] (PDF). Radio Hong Kong (in Chinese). Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ "2019华人歌曲音乐盛典荣誉名单" [2019 Global Chinese Pop Chart Winners List]. Sohu (in Chinese). August 31, 2019.
- ^ "薛之谦神武4咪咕汇斩获三项大奖, 最佳专辑 十大金曲收入囊中" [Xue Zhiqian's won three awards, including the Best Album and the Top Ten Golden Songs, at Migu Awards]. Sohu (in Chinese). December 22, 2019.
- ^ "2024薛之谦重庆演唱会演出详情" [Joker Xue Chongqing Concert Details]. Huang He Ticketing (in Chinese). January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Q China 2018年度音乐盛典颁奖 (含薛老师VCR)" [Q China 2018 Annual Music Ceremony (includes Joker Xue VCR)]. Bilibili (in Chinese). Retrieved January 25, 2025.