Dancing Diva

Dancing Diva is the eighth studio album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It was released on May 12, 2006, by EMI and Mars. Produced by Adia, Paul Lee, Peter Lee, Paula Ma, Yuri Chan, and Stanley Huang, Dancing Diva is primarily a pop and electronic record. It was well received by music critics, who praised its diversity and musical production. The album has been regarded by several media publications for establishing Tsai's reputation as a representative dance-pop artist in the Chinese music scene.

Commercially, the album sold more than 2.5 million copies in Asia. In Taiwan, it sold more than 300,000 copies, becoming the year's highest-selling album. The album earned three Golden Melody Award nominations; Dancing Diva received a nomination for Best Mandarin Album while Tsai won Best Female Mandarin Singer. In addition, Producer Adia was nominated for Best Single Producer for "Dancing Diva." In September 2006, Tsai embarked on her second concert tour Dancing Forever World Tour in support of the release, which spanned 28 concerts in Asia, Australia, and the United States.

Background and development
On December 21, 2005, it was revealed that Tsai had started collecting songs for her new album, which would be released in March or April 2006. On February 14, 2006, Tsai signed with EMI and announced that she had started recording her new album, which would be released on May 12, 2006. Tsai stated: "EMI Capitol is a brand new environment, which is quite rich in music resources. It gives me a lot of space to do what I want to do." On February 22, 2006, Ashin revealed that he would write a song for Tsai's new album. On March 15, 2006, it was revealed that the recording progress of the album was 80 percent finished and Tsai had decided on the lead single.

On March 25, 2006, it was revealed that Tsai had finished the recording of the album and she would fly to Budapest, Hungary to film a music video. On April 11, 2006, it was revealed that Tsai had written the lyrics of a song named "The Prologue," and her manager Howard Chiang said: "Jolin had written the lyrics in September last year, but it took a long time to find the right melody to fit it." On April 24, 2006, it was revealed that Tsai was in Los Angeles, California learning choreography for "Pulchritude" and "Mr. Q." On April 28, 2006, it was revealed that Stanley Huang had written "Nice Guy" for the album.

Writing and recording
"Dancing Diva" is an up-tempo dance-pop song that has a smooth rhythm and Arabic pop influences. "Pretence" is a pop ballad with lyrics that describe the helpless state of mind of a girl in the wronged feelings but still pretends to be good. "A Wonder in Madrid" is a sunshine pop song that includes the crisp sound of a xylophone. "Mr. Q" is an American style dance song, with Tsai writing the lyrics for the English rap part. "The Prologue" is a power ballad about a couple who broke up and see each other again as friends.

"Pulchritude" is a bouncy club tune with lyrics describing the independent expression of fashion and emotion of women in the 21st century, which is women should not be attached to emotion and blindly follow the trends. "Nice Guy" is a dance rock song with a heavy bass, which was performed as a duet with Stanley Huang. "Love in the Shape of a Heart" is an R&B and pop slow jam. The lyrics of the impassioned torch song "Heart Breaking Day" describe the lingering thoughts of parting and the opposite thoughts of challenging Valentine's Day. "The Finale" is a soulful ballad with heartfelt lyrics, with Tsai using a comfortable and soulful singing voice to perform the song. "Attraction of Sexy Lips" is a promotional song for Max Factor, with its strong rhythm being a perfect foil to her sexy image.

Title and artwork
The title "Dancing Diva" not only literally means a woman who can dance, but also refers to a girl who transforms her energy and dances for her life. Tsai expressed that she hoped to show her own style through the music and performance of the album. Her songs touched listeners and the dynamic dance choreography attracted international attention. Tsai described the album is kind of autobiography, which dancers live by singing and dancing is the same as hers. She said: "Dancing is a very important part of my performances, and it's also one of the aspects in which I feel very confident! This time, I'm going to bring you some new and incredible dance moves, so please wait and see." The cover art of the album's standard edition depicts Tsai wearing a sheer shirt, a white bikini, hot pants and knee-high socks, while holding a three foot gymnastics ribbon.

Release and promotion
On April 12, 2006, Tsai announced that the album would be released on May 12, 2006. On April 26, 2006, EMI announced that the album was available for pre-order today. On April 29, 2006, EMI announced that more than 100,000 copies had been pre-ordered within the first three days. On May 12, 2006, Tsai held a press conference for the album premiere in Taipei, Taiwan. She said: "There are many different styles on this album so that it's hard to define what the specific genre is like, but it will definitely give you a fresh feeling, because there will be a lot of dance songs that I haven't tried before. In fact, some of my dance songs in the past were more electronic dance music, this time there is a lot of different genres, such as rock, more heavy rhythm things. I hope Dancing Diva will arouse people's interest, and people will want to learn the dance moves and learn how to sing the songs." In its first week of release, the album topped the weekly album sales charts of G-Music and Five Music in Taiwan. On May 28, 2006, it was reported that the album had sold more than 1 million copies in Asia.

On June 20, 2006, she held an album celebration event in Taipei, Taiwan and announced that it had sold over 2 million copies in Asia. On July 1, 2006, she held the Pulchritude Concert in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. On July 7, 2006, she released the perfect celebration edition of the album, which additionally includes 11 music videos. On November 23, 2006, it was reported that the album had sold more than 2.5 million copies in Asia, while it had sold more than 230,000 copies in Taiwan, becoming the year's highest-selling album in the country. On January 12, 2007, the album was placed at number two on the annual album sales chart of 2006 for Five Music. On January 22, 2007, the album topped the annual album sales chart of 2006 for G-Music.

Live performances
On April 24, 2006, Tsai sang "Attraction of Sexy Lips" at the 2005 Music Radio China Top Chart Awards. She appeared at the 2006 MTV Asia Awards in Bangkok, Thailand on May 6, where she performed "Dancing Diva." Later that month, she performed "Dancing Diva," "Pretence," and "A Wonder in Madrid" at the Golden Melody Orz Concert on May 26. The following day, she performed the same songs at Le Party. Three days later on May 30, Tsai participated in the recording of the China TV television show Big Brother's Return and sang "Dancing Diva" and "Mr. Q." She performed the former song at the Qilu TV television show Fans Party on June 4. Tsai performed "Dancing Diva," "Mr. Q," and "A Wonder in Madrid" at the 2006 Volunteer Beijing Concert on July 13. She then performed "Pulchritude," "Love in the Shape of Heart," "Dancing Diva," and "Mr. Q" at the Z Pop Charity Concert on July 21. A few days later, she participated in the recording of the Dragon TV television show Heaven and Earth Heroes Campus Tour, where she sang a variety of songs including "Pulchritude," "A Wonder in Madrid," "Pretence," "Love in the Shape of Heart," "Dancing Diva," and "Mr. Q."

Towards the end of July, she performed at the Summer Music Festival on July 25, singing "Dancing Diva," "Pretence," and "Mr. Q." The next day, she held the Dancing Diva Sohu Online Concert in Beijing, China, where she sang "Pulchritude," "A Wonder in Madrid," "Pretence," "Dancing Diva," and "Mr. Q." Tsai appeared and performed at the Nine Planets Concert on August 5, where she sang "Mr. Q" and "A Wonder in Madrid." She also sang "Dancing Diva" at the 2006 Metro Radio Mandarin Hits Music Awards on August 6, and at the TVB Jade television show Jade Solid Gold on August 9. On August 14, she participated in the My FM 8th Anniversary Music Magic Tour, where she performed "Pulchritude," "A Wonder in Madrid," "Dancing Diva," and "Mr. Q." On September 1, she participated in the MTV Mandarin Awards, where she sang "Dancing Diva," "Attraction of Sexy Lips," "Mr. Q," and "Pretence."

Singles and music videos
On April 26, 2006, Tsai released the single, "Dancing Diva." On April 27, 2006, she released the music video for "Dancing Diva," which was jointly directed by Marlboro Lai and Bill Chia. The choreography in the music video is the "light wave dance"—a fusion of Middle Eastern dance and reggae hip hop dance, utilizing the power of the hips and chest, and still having a fixed point of explosive power in the soft and smooth movements. In order to pursue different dance visual effects, she also integrated rhythmic gymnastics while using a gymnastics ribbon in the music video. Tsai said: "I was watching television when I was out for promotion, I think the ribbon in gymnastics looks very nice, so I told my manager I want to learn and integrate into the dance in the future. And when the album was done, we thought we can put the ribbon in "Dancing Diva." She added: "Gymnastics is very hard, in fact, very scary, you have to force yourself to do different body training, Like pulling a leg 180 degrees. After every exercise, I was too tired to breathe."

On May 9, 2006, she released the music video for "Pretence," which was directed by Leste Chen. Tsai first tried the drama style music video, and its plot is very close to the real life, the beauty of the picture exudes a strong Shunji Iwai style. It tells the story of a girl who accidentally runs into her ex-boyfriend and his current girlfriend on the bus, and the ex-boyfriend's every move reminds the girl of the time when they were madly in love. On May 15, 2006, she released the music video for "A Wonder in Madrid," which was directed by Terry and friends, and it was filmed at Szentendre, Hungary. On June 30, 2006, she released the music video for "Mr. Q," which was directed by Kuang Sheng and features Hong Kong actor Edison Chen. On June 12, 2006, she released the music video for "The Prologue," which was directed by May Wen and features Taiwanese actor Waser Chou. On June 20, 2006, she released the music video for "Pulchritude," which was directed by Marlboro Lai. The background is mainly red, and the lighting effect creates a shining atmosphere throughout the video clip. The music video for "Nice Guy" was directed by Chen Hung-i, the music video for "Love in the Shape of Heart" and "Heart Breaking Day" were both directed by May Wen, the music video for "The Finale" was directed by JP Huang, and the music video for "Attraction of Sexy Lips" was directed by Marlboro Lai. In January 2007, the tracks "Pretence," "A Wonder In Madrid" and "Dancing Diva" were listed at number 3, number 14, and number 33 respectively on the 2006 Hit FM Top 100 Singles of the Year chart.

Touring


On May 31, 2006, Tsai's manager Howard Chiang revealed that she would start her new concert tour in the second half of the year. On July 17, 2006, she announced that she would embark on the Dancing Forever World Tour at Hong Kong Coliseum on September 15, 2006. On June 8, 2007, she released the live video album and documentary If You Think You Can, You Can! for the tour. It chronicled the Taipei dates of the tour from November 17 to 19, 2006, a documentary film, and four music videos from Dancing Forever (2006). On February 8, 2009, the tour ended at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, United States. The tour lasted two and a half years and held 28 shows in 20 cities in Asia, North America, and Oceania, having more than 500,000 spectators and earning more than NT$1 billion.

Critical reception
The album received positive reviews from music critics. An editor form Apple Music Taiwan complimented the album's musical production and lyrical content, particularly in the tracks "Dancing Diva," "A Wonder in Madrid," and "Pretence." Chen Yuhao of Qianjiang Evening News expressed that Dancing Diva held significance for Tsai, as it marked the point where she established her image as a representative dance artist in the C-pop industry. Likewise, Tencent Music's Yo! Bang commented that the record's unique music styles and Tsai's performance helped solidify her status as a dance-pop artist in the Chinese music scene. Shuwa from Tencent Entertainment pointed out that one of the most striking features of Dancing Diva was its momentum, which was reflected not only in the visual aspects but also in the music arrangement. The writer also felt that producer Adia gave the record a "strong sense of direction." Liu Ya-wen, president of the jury of the 18th Golden Melody Awards, lauded Tsai's self-penned track "The Prologue" as "well-written" and felt that Dancing Diva marked the singer's transition from a mere entertainer to a genuine singer. He attributed her Best Female Mandarin Singer win to her versatility and adaptability to the changing music platforms amidst the rise of online downloads.

Stephan Lee from Sina Music compared the album to Tsai's previous studio album, J-Game, noting improvements in terms of song quality, performance, as well as musical diversity. 3C Music complimented the record's production quality and also believed that it offered an improvement from her previous album. Voice of Taipei described Dancing Diva as a "well-crafted" and "sophisticated" Mandarin record, whereas Shangc.net highlighted its blend of R&B, dance and electronic elements. Yeh Chun-pu from the Music Copyright Society of Chinese Taipei praised the album's musical styles and lyrical content, and felt the title track showed a new side of Tsai's musicality. Marie Claire Taiwan remarked that Dancing Diva exhibited an evolution in Tsai's music and performance, praising her increasingly improving vocal performance and her incorporation of gymnastics into her dance routines. The publication wrote that despite her past criticisms, Tsai's Golden Melody Award for Best Female Mandarin Singer win and the judges' subsequent praise showcased her strength and resilience.

Accolades
On August 6, 2006, Tsai won Metro Radio Mandarin Hits Music Awards for Best Asian Singer and Best Stage Performance, "Dancing Diva" won Song of the Year and Top Songs, and "Pretence" won Top Songs. On August 31, 2006, she won an MTV Mandarin Award for Top 20 Singers. On October 28, 2006, she won Global Chinese Music Awards for Top 5 Favorite Female Singers and Top Singer (Taiwan), and "Dancing Diva" won Top 20 Songs. On November 10, 2006, she won China Fashion Awards for Best Female Singer (Hong Kong/Taiwan) and Best Asia Breakthrough Singer. On December 15, 2006, she won a Music Pioneer Award for Favorite Female Singer (Taiwan), and "Dancing Diva" won Top 10 Songs (Mandarin). On January 18, 2007, she won a Canadian Chinese Pop Music Chart Award for Top Female Singer (Mandarin), and "Pretence" won Top 10 Songs (Mandarin). On December 25, 2006, "Dancing Diva" won a China Music Award for Top Songs (Hong Kong/Taiwan). On February 2, 2007, she won a KKBox Music Award for Top Female Singer, the album won Top 10 Albums, "Dancing Diva" and "Pretence" won Top 20 Songs, and "A Wonder in Madrid" won Top 20 Songs and Most Consecutive Weeks at Number One Song.

On February 3, 2007, she won \Hito Music Awards for Best Female Singer, Favorite Female Singer, and Favorite Debut, the album won Most Weeks on Chart Album, and "Dancing Diva" won Top 10 Songs. On February 24, 2007, she won Family Music Awards for Favorite Singer (Taiwan) and Top 10 Singers, the album won Top 10 Album, "Pretence" won Top 10 Song, and "A Wonder in Madrid" won Favorite Karaoke Song. On March 22, 2007, the album won an IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award for Top 10 Selling Albums (Mandarin). On March 25, 2007, she won a Chinese Top Ten Music Award for Top Singer (Taiwan). On May 4, 2007, the nomination list of the 18th Golden Melody Awards was announced. Tsai was nominated for Best Female Mandarin Singer, the album was nominated for Best Mandarin Album, and Adia was nominated for Best Single Producer for "Dancing Diva." On May 20, 2007, she won Music King Awards for Favorite Female Singer (Taiwan) and Best Stage Performance, and "Dancing Diva" won Top Songs (Mandarin). On June 16, 2007, she won two Golden Melody Awards for Best Female Mandarin Singer and Favorite Female Singer/Group. On June 29, 2007, she won a Music Radio China Top Chart Award for Top Selling Female Singer, the album won Best Album (Hong Kong/Taiwan), and "Dancing Diva" won Top Songs.