The Tudor “Born To Dare” campaign reflects both the history of the brand and what it stands for today. Daring luminaries like David Beckham and Lady Gaga have long chosen Tudor while achieving the extraordinary feats of human talent in all segments of human endeavour and the latest to join the pantheon of Tudor brand ambassadors is none other than “King of Asian Pop” , Jay Chou.
Baselworld 2018: Tudor Announces Jay Chou as Brand Ambassador
Growing up as a relative clueless teen in Linkou, Taipei County, Chou, the son of a music teacher (his mother, Ye Huimei) and biomedical researcher (his father, Zhou Yaozhong) was especially talented with music and despite being of little means, his mother skipped meals to afford piano lessons and a piano for the prodigy – it would seem like being born to dare is a genetic trait in the Chou household.
Jay Chou was fascinated with capturing sounds and songs with his tape recorder, which he carried everywhere with him. In the third grade, he started cello lessons and serious music theory, taking Chopin for a muse (an inspiration which guides him till this day). At Tamkang Senior High School, and against a climate of taunting and bullying, he majored in piano and minored in cello, showing talent for pop music and lyrical compositions.
The Tudor “Born To Dare” spirit was expressed as Chou, facing overwhelming odds including a debilitating hereditary spine inflammation disease was entered unknowingly into a talent show called Super New Talent King in 1998. Playing piano accompaniment for his friend, Jay Chou’s talents were soon noticed by the talent show’s host Jacky Wu – a major influence in Taiwan’s entertainment industry who noted the budding megastar’s complex and deep musical arrangements.
Legend would have it that before Jacky Wu took on mentorship of Chou, he gave the young eager musician a lyrical gauntlet – deliver 50 unique compositions in 24 hours and he would agree to mentor Chou. It was a test, best emblematic of the “Born to Dare” spirit, Jay Chou, the future Tudor brand ambassador would deliver his personally composed musical scores to Wu in 20 hours after labouring without sleep and proving to Wu that he had the necessary mettle needed for megastardom. Of the 50 compositions, Wu picked 10 for Jay Chou’s debut 2000 CD album Jay. The album established Chou’s bonafides as a musically gifted singer-songwriter delivering a sensational combination of R&B, rap, classical music, and yet distinctly Chinese. His fame spread quickly throughout Southeast Asia.
Jay Chou pushes boundaries with his “Born to Dare” Spirit
In 2007, a scant 7 years after his first album, Jay Chou founded his own record company, JVR Music, which pioneered cross-cultural fusion of electronic music with Asian pop music. This stable of talents proved repeatedly that his approach as a producer is in perfect tune with the aspiration of the youth in most parts of Asia.
Today, the multi-hyphenate singer-actor-song writer is also the director of a large number of music videos, including his own. Recognized in the directing circles, both in Asia and in the USA, as a successful ads director, he fully expresses in those short formats the vibe he feels among his fans, the deep and personal inspirations he passes on to the crowds.
Jay Chou walks down the aisle with bride Hannah Quinlivan.
The new Baselworld 2018 Tudor Brand ambassador is also a known philanthropist and advocate of good causes. He stepped up to provide critical support in the wake of disasters including major earthquakes in Wenchuan in 2008 and multiple earthquakes in Taiwan over the years. He is an ambassador, and a donor, to the Fubon Charity Foundation, which is dedicated to the cause dearest to him, the care and education of impoverished, distressed and disabled
children. In 2016, Jay also joined WildAid in a new campaign against rhino horn, shark and elephant ivory and other 4/6 products decimating wildlife around the world.
As a man of taste and culture, Jay Chou wears the new Tudor 1926, a highly refined while understated mechanical timepiece blending traditional horology aesthetics and contemporary high-performance watchmaking.
Baselworld 2018 Tudor 1926
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