Chinese Female Singer Makes a Surprise Appearance on Billboard

The news reached China that afternoon.

Sina Entertainment immediately broke the news: "Faye Wong's English album debuts at number one on the US Billboard 200 album chart! First-week sales reach 470,000 copies!"

The accompanying image is a screenshot of the Billboard 200 chart, with the number one spot clearly marked:

1. Faye Wong — Faye Wong

First Week Sales: 470,000

Sohu, NetEase, TOM and other portal websites all followed suit within half an hour.

By 6 p.m., the news had made it to the front page of all major portal websites.

It's not the entertainment section's headline, it's the homepage's headline.

Because the significance of this matter has gone beyond the realm of entertainment.

A Chinese female singer's English album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. This has never happened before in the history of Chinese music. Even if the requirement of a female singer is removed, before Faye Wong, only Zheng Hui had achieved this feat.

When Zheng Hui achieved this, he had the support of movies, the Palme d'Or, Universal Pictures, and Universal Music, creating a synergistic effect from a whole set of Hollywood resources.

Unlike Faye Wong, she hasn't made any movies in the US or given any particularly stunning performances. Her success is purely due to her music and Zheng Hui's production. This fact is undeniable.

That evening, the Southern Metropolis Daily published a commentary: "Wang Fei proved one thing with an English album: Chinese singers don't need to imitate Europe and America to conquer Europe and America."

The prerequisite is that you have to have music that's good enough. And currently, in the Chinese music scene, only one person can provide that standard of "good enough": Zheng Hui.

The headline of the Beijing Evening News reads: "Following Zheng Hui, Faye Wong becomes the second Chinese singer to debut at number one on the Billboard album chart, and the first female singer to do so."

But what truly transformed this incident from entertainment news into social news was the following day.

August 18th.

The overseas edition of the People's Daily published a brief report on page four, titled: "Chinese singer Faye Wong's English album tops the US music charts."

According to the latest data from Billboard magazine, Faye Wong's first English album, "Faye Wong," topped the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States with sales of 47 copies in its first week.

This makes her the second Chinese-language musician to top the chart after Chinese singer Zheng Hui, and the first Chinese-language female singer to achieve this result.

The album was produced and written by Zheng Hui, winner of the 2001 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Industry insiders believe that this achievement reflects the competitiveness of Chinese pop music in the international market and is a vivid example of Chinese culture going global.

The People's Daily named him.

This signifies official recognition, meaning the event has been defined as an achievement in cultural export and national honor. Immediately following, Xinhua News Agency issued a press release, and Guangming Daily devoted half a page to the story in its culture section.

CCTV's "Oriental Horizon" program even aired a five-minute special two days later: "Chinese Music Goes Global, From Zheng Hui to Faye Wong."

During the program, the host said, "If Zheng Hui was the first Chinese musician to conquer the world with English, then Faye Wong was the first Chinese woman to conquer the world with her pure voice. She proved that our voices don't need to change; the world will naturally hear them."

This assessment is very high, so high that it has drawn the attention of the general public.

On the streets, in office break rooms, in taxis, and at the entrance of the market, people are all talking about it: Faye Wong won first place in the United States.

For most ordinary people who don't pay much attention to the Western music market, the meaning of "Billboard No. 1" is simple: the world's most prestigious music chart, and we Chinese have won the championship.

This is the same emotion as winning a gold medal in sports—a sense of pride.

For those in the music industry, the significance of this achievement requires a more nuanced analysis.

What does 470,000 copies sold in the first quarter mean in the US market in 2003?

In the same year, Beyoncé's "Dangerously in Love" sold 310,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number one.

50 Cent's "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" sold 870,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number one.

Justin Timberlake's *Justified* also achieved cumulative sales in this range. Wang Fei's 470,000 copies, placed within this framework, is a very respectable achievement. It's not the highest, but considering she was a newcomer with no established reputation in the US market, this number is already a miracle.

In an analysis article, Music Weekly wrote: "Wang Fei's 470,000 copies sold in her first year proves one thing: in the US market in 2003, an Asian female singer with world-class production resources and good enough music quality is fully capable of making a name for herself."

This is not a flash in the pan. Judging from its consistently high performance on AC Radio and the collective praise from music critics, this album has everything it needs for long-term sales.

On various online forums, the impact of this news was greater than anyone expected.

When the news of Billboard's number one ranking reached China, online discussions instantly entered a new phase.

What was previously just a fan war between a few factions throwing bricks at each other has now become a topic of national discussion.

Because the People's Daily reported it, CCTV reported it, and all the serious media outlets were talking about it.

This means that even casual observers who didn't care about fan wars have started paying attention to the relationship between Zheng Hui and Faye Wong.

On the Tianya homepage, the number of clicks on posts about Faye Wong's English albums increased tenfold in one day.

The most popular post was titled: "So now the situation is that Zheng Hui has written songs/made music videos for three women, but who does he actually like?"

The main building has a detailed list:

1. Gao Yuanyuan: Zheng Hui and Gao Yuanyuan co-starred in the movie "Those Years". Afterwards, Zheng Hui made a related album "The Rest of My Life" for the movie.

His second English album was also titled "Those Years" (a translation of "那些年"). The music videos for many songs on the album directly edited in scenes from the movie featuring the two of them, filled with memories of the past.

Among them, the music video for "Just the Way You Are" is particularly special. The entire video was shot with a DV camera, giving it a very subjective and intimate feel, and it has been called the most authentic love letter.

Thanks to the success of this album and movie, Gao Yuanyuan subsequently secured endorsements from international brands, and her popularity soared.

II. Fan Binbin:

Two albums, "If Dreams" and "Chasing the Light," contain a total of twenty songs.

"Chasing the Light" is considered a confession album that directly addresses the feelings between the two.

Fan Binbin himself hinted at "I love him" at the press conference.

Sales exceeded 10 million within a month of release.

III. Faye Wong:

The Mandarin album "Wang Fei" features twelve songs and has sold over eight million CDs.

The English album "Faye Wong," with ten songs, sold 470,000 copies in its first year and reached number one on the Billboard charts. The contract stipulates that Zheng Hui will produce three more albums.

Several authoritative American media outlets have called this album a "love letter" and said that "he has found his muse."

Zheng Hui plays the male lead in the music video.

In total, Zheng Hui wrote/produced 62 songs for these three women and participated in the filming of at least three music videos (including one in which he starred as the male lead). The amount of production effort and resources he invested is immeasurable.

"So, who is the real one?"

"Or... is it all true?"

The number of replies to this post has exceeded two thousand.

All factions gathered and unleashed their full firepower.

The core argument of the Zheng-Fan faction remains: "Chasing the Light" is the only album that directly addresses emotions, with lyrics containing grievances, ambiguity, and the blatant declaration "I love him." More importantly, Fan Binbin himself has publicly hinted at this point.

In their view, this is the most direct evidence.

A song can be explained as creation, and a music video can be explained as promotion, but when a female celebrity says those things at a press conference in front of all the media, it's hard to just dismiss it as a normal collaboration.

The Zhenggao Party's rebuttal was also very strong. They argued that a so-called straightforward confession is not necessarily more significant than private images.

The music video for "Just the Way You Are" has a DV-quality feel from beginning to end. The camera shakes, the lighting is random, and the distance is so close that it's almost face to face. Many scenes don't even look like a music video shoot. They look more like someone is holding a camera and secretly recording the most natural moments when two people are together.

"Even though 'Chasing the Light' is straightforward, it's still sung for the audience. 'Just the Way You Are' is different; it's Zheng Hui looking at Gao Yuanyuan with his own eyes."

This statement immediately drew strong criticism from the Zhengzhou-Gaoyou faction.

They added that Zheng Hui gave Gao Yuanyuan more than just a song or a music video.

The movie is starring two people. The album title is the English translation of the movie title. The music video features footage of the two of them.

"Just the Way You Are" was once again filmed from that subjective, even personal perspective.

In their view, this continuity is more like a cherished old love story than any "I love him" statement.

The newly joined supporters of Jung-Fei. These people initially didn't have an official name; some called them the Hui-Fei Party (Hui-Fei Annihilation), others the Jung-Wang Party, and their arguments were even simpler and more direct:

"Look at the scale."

"Zheng Hui produced two albums for Fan Binbin, with twenty songs, which is really extravagant." "Zheng Hui and Gao Yuanyuan have 'Those Years,' 'The Rest of My Life,' and 'Those Years,' as well as those music videos full of nostalgia, which are indeed very special."

"But how many songs did he write for Faye Wong? Twenty-two."

"The Chinese album 'Faye Wong' has twelve tracks, and the English album 'Faye Wong' has ten tracks. Both albums were produced by Zheng Hui. Not to mention that the contract also includes a third album that hasn't been released yet."

"Most importantly, he also starred as the male lead in the music video for his English album."

"What does this mean? Zheng Hui isn't without his own career; he's not a behind-the-scenes producer. He himself is an international superstar."

Someone who's already at the pinnacle of global pop music, setting aside his leading role, wrote songs for Faye Wong, produced her album, directed her music videos, and even starred as her male lead in one of them. You're saying this is just work?

This narrative quickly became the core weapon of the Zheng Fei Party.

They do not deny Fan Binbin's twenty songs, nor do they deny Gao Yuanyuan's movie memories and private music videos.

But they always stuck to one point:

Wang Fei's collection is not only abundant, but also of high quality.

The Chinese album "Faye Wong" sold more than eight million copies.

Faye Wong's English album, "Faye Wong," sold 470,000 copies in its first year, immediately topping the Billboard charts. This marked the most important international turning point in Faye Wong's career and the first time a female Chinese singer had truly reached a high position in the mainstream Western music market.

Zheng Hui was the core creator and producer behind both albums.

"There's one more thing you shouldn't pretend you didn't see."

"American music critics don't know Fan Binbin or Gao Yuanyuan. They don't understand the gossip in the Chinese entertainment industry, nor do they know how many years these CP fans in China have been arguing."

"They make their judgments purely based on the music."

"But after listening to 'Faye Wong,' they collectively believed it was a love letter, saying that Zheng Hui had found his muse."

"Isn't this kind of third-party judgment, without preconceived notions, more credible than the subjective assumptions of domestic fans?"

This analysis certainly struck a chord with many people.

The reason why American music critics' "love letter" judgments are so damaging is precisely because they are outsiders.

They don't care which fan group in the Chinese entertainment industry has the loudest voice, nor do they care who Zheng Hui has been rumored to be dating.

They simply listened to the music and then expressed their feelings.

...The chaotic battle continued until mid-August, with neither side able to convince the other.

But a new consensus is slowly forming:

The relationship between Zheng Hui and Faye Wong may indeed be more than just a collaboration.

Not because of any solid evidence.

Rather, it's because so many details come together to form an undeniable hint.

Twenty-two songs.

Two albums produced by Zheng Hui.

One film was a huge hit in the Chinese-speaking market, while the other topped the Billboard charts in the English-speaking market.

There's also a third album included in the contract.

Zheng Hui plays the male lead in the music video.

Authoritative American media outlets have repeatedly used terms like "love letter," "muse," and "vulnerable" to describe this album.

Each point can be explained individually. But when put together, it becomes difficult to pretend that nothing happened.

……

For ordinary music fans, this news evoked a different kind of emotion.

A sense of pride.

Regardless of their previous stance—whether they were supporters of Zheng Fan or Zheng Gao, die-hard Faye Wong fans or supporters—most people's first reaction upon seeing the news that "a Chinese-language singer has become the first female to debut at number one on the Billboard 200" was:

Wow, that's amazing.

The previously heated debates on Tianya (a Chinese online forum) subsided for several hours after this news article. The pinned post became a simple news repost, and the replies below were temporarily unbiased.

"Regardless of anything else, this result is truly impressive. Both Faye Wong and Zheng Hui are remarkable."

"It's truly historic for a Chinese-language singer to achieve this level of success in the US. First, Zheng Hui's album topped the charts, and now Faye Wong has also made it onto the list."

These two from Universal Music, taken together, are practically the face of Chinese-language music.

"To be honest, when I saw this news, I momentarily forgot all the previous debates. I just felt pure pride. A Chinese female singer ranked number one on the US album charts. Could you have imagined that five years ago?"

"Zheng Hui is truly a genius. It's one thing to be number one himself, but now he's leading others to number one as well. What kind of brain does he have to write songs like this?" "It reminds me of something. The music review for 'Chasing the Light' said that Zheng Hui's songs use simple sentence structures to hit the public's emotions."

But if you look at the reviews for this English album, they talk about its literary quality, narrative arc, and structure as rigorous as a feature film. In other words, his Chinese songs and English songs are written using completely different aesthetic logics.

He writes popular, mainstream pieces for Fan Bin and deeply emotional, artistic pieces for Faye Wong. He can switch effortlessly between these two styles, and excel at both. What kind of creature is this person?

This reply has been quoted countless times.

Because it touches on a fact that everyone feels but no one has clearly stated: Zheng Hui's style is completely different when he writes songs for different women.

"Chasing the Light," written for Fan Binbin, is a straightforward and popular song. The lyrics are direct and the emotions are intense; the young girl boldly declares her love to the world.

"Faye Wong," written for Faye Wong, is a restrained and profound adult pop song. The lyrics are subtle and the emotions are restrained, depicting a mature woman facing the questions of time and eternity alone in the dead of night.

These two styles perfectly correspond to the completely different temperaments of the two women.

Fan Binbin is like the blazing sun—outspoken, passionate, and unafraid to be seen.

Faye Wong is like moonlight—cool, aloof, only letting you get close when you're willing.

Zheng Hui wrote music that best suited their souls for each of them. Whether this was the professional ability of a top producer or his different but equally profound feelings for the two, no one can say for sure.

Someone wrote a passage in a post that was repeatedly reposted: "I used to think that Zheng Hui and Fan Binbin were real because 'The Chaser of Light' was written so straightforwardly."

Later, I felt that Zheng Hui and Faye Wong might also have something going on, because American music critics noticed it on that English album.

I don't know now. Maybe he just understands women too well. Maybe he can fall in love with every woman.

Perhaps this is the privilege of genius; he has enough talent and energy to write different stories for different people, and every story seems real.

But one thing I'm sure of: whatever the truth is, the women he portrays become even more radiant because of it.

Fan Binbin became a hot topic of the year because of "Chasing the Light," while Faye Wong became the first Chinese female singer to debut at number one in the United States with "Faye Wong."

He is like the sun; whoever he shines upon becomes radiant.

The question is, does the sun only shine on one person?