Jay is coming to L.A.   News Summary: Jay is coming to L.A. News Content: Jay Chou—Chinese R&B and Hip hop star to perform at the Galen Center Jay Chou’s only concert in America for his 2007 World Tour will take place at the Galen Center on Monday, December 24th. Virtually unknown in the United States, Jay Chou is a household name in every Chinese-speaking country. Regarded by many as the number-one singer in Asia, Jay was not into math and science as a kid, but always found sanctuary at the piano. Many of Jay’s teachers and peers believed he wouldn’t amount to much. He was not a good student and was not accepted into any colleges. At age 14, his parents divorced. He, however, definitely had a gift in music. Jay was first discovered in 1998 when one of his acquaintances entered him into a talent show. The host of the show noticed Jay’s exceptional music writing abilities and thus led him to being hired as a music composer for other singers. But it was not until the year 2000 when Jay released his first album and the world would learn of this truly talented kid who composes all his own music. This first album, entitled “Jay,” was a success and, since then, he has released one new album each year, all of which have sold several million copies. He has won numerous awards that are akin to the Grammy Awards/MTV Music Awards/Vibe Awards. Many say that his success as a singer is due to his unique style, combining both western and eastern instruments into the same track; creating cool beats and melodies that would dazzle pretty much any ear. Add a sweet natural voice to that and you’ve got Jay. Primarily an R&B/soft-rock artist, his songs do extend to a few rap and hip-hop cuts. He’s a virtuoso pianist who plays the piano while singing his songs. Jay has also acted in movies. His acting debut took place in the 2005 movie Initial D, a movie about drag racing, for which he won the prestigious award, “Best Newcomer Actor” at the Golden Horse Awards (Taiwan’s version of the Oscars). Jay also played a major role in Curse of the Golden Flower, which was released in North America and led him to a nomination for best supporting actor at the Hong Kong film awards. Since 2005, Jay has directed all his own music videos and composed and sang the theme for Jet Li’s 2006 movie Fearless. He has also endorsed many products in Asia such as Pepsi, Levi’s, and Panasonic. Jay Chou’s world tour is scheduled to kick-off this coming November in his home country, Taiwan. He will then perform in Hong Kong, Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, and will make a stop on Christmas Eve to the Galen Center for his only 2007 World Tour concert in North America. He will be the first Chinese R&B and hip hop artist to perform at the Galen Center.