Muse (Jolin Tsai album)

Muse is the twelfth studio album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It was released on September 14, 2012, by Warner and Mars. Produced by Michael Lin, Peggy Hsu, JJ Lin, and Tanya Chua, Muse is a pop record spanning both mainstream and indie music styles. Music videos were produced for nearly all the tracks on the record, including for the single "The Great Artist".

Muse received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised the album's production and arrangement. It sold more than 100,000 copies in Taiwan, becoming the year's highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's third highest-selling album overall. The album earned four Golden Melody Award nominations; it was nominated for Best Mandarin Album, while Tsai was nominated for Best Female Mandarin Singer. The track "The Great Artist" won Song of the Year, while its video was nominated in the Best Music Video category.

Background and development
On August 13, 2010, Tsai released her eleventh studio album, Myself. It sold more than 65,000 copies in Taiwan, and it became the year's highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's fourth highest-selling album overall in the country. On December 24, 2010, Tsai embarked on her third concert tour Myself World Tour.

On February 22, 2012, the president of Warner Music Greater China Sam Chen announced that Tsai's upcoming album was slated for a summer release. On June 12, Tsai disclosed that the album would be released in August 2012, with ten songs selected from fifteen recorded tracks to be included in the album. Tsai assumed creative control over much of the album's production, videos, and artwork; the singer's manager, Tom Wang, commented that Tsai was "very careful" with the album's development and dedicated a large amount of time to its recording, with some songs re-recorded multiple times. On July 10, Tsai shared that the album would be released around her birthday on September 15. Two weeks later, Tsai confirmed that she had finished recording Muse.

Writing and production
"The Great Artist" describes a womanizer from a female perspective, fostering the eventual discovery of true love. It diverges from Tsai's previous dance tracks and contains a more emotional delivery with more challenging scales in the rap section. Tsai remarked, "The song is unique, not only for its heavy beat but also for its fusion of electronic music. The melody is something I've never attempted to interpret before, and it embodies my personal attitude. Given the incisive lyrics by Matthew Yen, girls should possess their own ideas. Therefore, when recording this song, I embraced the persona of a strong woman." "Wandering Poet" depicts the happiness and sadness of a self-centered romantic poet from a contrasting viewpoint. Songwriter Peggy Hsu commented, "The music arrangement appears to be telling a story. It has a somewhat classical feel, yet it's a little complex with pitch shifts and changes in speed and rhythm. Nonetheless, Tsai's singing style and tone imbue the song with a poet's solitude that resonates with most listeners."

"Dr. Jolin" was inspired by the 2012 phenomenon and encourages individuals to view the real world through their authentic selves as well as with a sense of humor. "Mosaic" portrays a woman who, in her quest to appeal to a man's vision, loses her own identity in love. The song "Spying on You Behind the Fence" employs a metaphor of a "fence" to represent distance in love and illustrates how individuals in a relationship often question their own happiness due to their pessimistic nature. "Fantasy" was inspired by the emotional experiences of the gay community and is a song Tsai dedicated to everyone in love, expressing that "because in the world of love, everyone is equal."

Songwriter Tanya Chua talked about "I": "When I met with Tsai, she said she wanted to sing a song exclusively for herself. Although it is ballad but it is not a love song, it is about facing herself without spotlight and applause completely. I was touched by her willingness to share her vulnerability, so I asked Xiao Han to write the lyrics for her, I hope through 'I' we can walk into Tsai's inner world, and feel we are all the same." "Beast" was Tsai's first songwriting work following "Metronome" from her 2007 album Agent J, and Tsai said: "There are some happy or sad things going on around me, such as love stories and funny things, so they are always sources of inspiration." "Friday the 13th" was inspired by the jokes among party friends, and it encourages single people to have fun on Valentine's Day. Tsai said "Color Photos" reminded her of photos that fans collected for her, and she added: "Everyone's every photo is full of kinds of feelings, even if photos have begun to yellowed or faded, but memory is still as beautiful as color of the past." In "Someone", Tsai expressed her appreciation for Tizzy Bac's live performing style, and she hoped to explore more of her vocal potential with the song.

Title and artwork
In the context of ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses are recognized as nine goddesses who inspire literature, science, and the arts. In contemporary English, the term "muse" can denote a person who serves as an inspiration for an artist, musician, or writer. Tsai commented, "The meaning behind 'Muse' is inspiration. For me, art is not only profound and difficult for people to understand, but it is actually something you live around. Maybe some people use paintings to convey what they feel, so I'm singing and performing, so I want to bring art to my performance."

On July 23, 2012, Tsai released a series of promotional photos for the album, and they were photographed by Guillaume Millet and features Tsai wearing costume designed by Chen Shao-yen. Chen Shao-yen commented that "[The costumes were] inspired by French show girls of the 1930s, at that moment divas often performed in a neutral yet sexy outfits, exuding a charming glamour, much like Tsai herself and this album." With a total of NT$8 million budget, this series of promotional photos were photographed in Paris, France. The second series of promotional photos were photographed at Musée des Arts Forains in Paris, France, and they features Tsai wearing costumes designed again by Chen Shao-yen. Chen Shao-yen said: "After listened to her 'The Great Artist', her graceful dance moves emerged in my mind, but the lyrics used the great artist to describe love player, I think this song encourages girls to have both sexy and brave attitude to deal with love, so I had an inspiration to design the outfit that hugged her curves cleverly."

The promotional photos photographed in France were included on the pre-order version "Muse of Dream", and the cover art and artwork of another pre-order version "Muse of Love" features Tsai wearing outfits designed by Tomas Chan. The cover art of the single "The Great Artist" features Tsai wearing silver headdress of Miao people in Yunnan, China, and the collector said the headdress was acquired by his ancestor when he traveled to China in the 18th or 19th century. The cover art and artwork of the album's standard edition were photographed by Tong Meng, and the album's package was designed by Aaron Nieh. The cover art and artwork of the album's deluxe edition were photographed by Liang Su, and the package was designed again by Aaron Nieh.

Release and promotion
On August 22, 2012, Warner announced the album was available for pre-order since today and would be released on September 14, 2012, and they announced that the album has two pre-order versions—"Muse of Dream" and "Muse of Love". On September 13, 2012, Tsai held a press conference for the album release at Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, China. On September 26, 2012, Tsai held a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan and announced that it topped the weekly album sales charts of Chia Chia, Eslite, Five Music, G-Music, Kuang Nan, and Pok'elai in its first week of release.

On October 6, 2012, Tsai held the Muse Concert in Tainan, Taiwan. On October 26, 2012, Tsai released the special limited edition of the album, and it additionally includes five music videos and 11 live tracks from her Muse Concert. In 2012, the album reached number two, number two, and number eight on the yearly album sales charts of Five Music, G-Music, and Pok'elai, respectively. As of the end of 2012, the album had sold more than 95,000 copies in Taiwan, and it became the year's highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's third highest-selling album overall in the country. In 2013, the album reached number eight on the yearly album sales chart of G-Music.

Live performances
On September 30, 2012, Tsai performed "The Great Artist" at the 2012 CCTV Mid-Autumn Festival Gala. On October 13, 2012, Tsai recorded the Chinese television show Happy Camp and performed "The Great Artist" and "Mosaic"; The show was broadcast on November 3, 2012. On November 5, 2012, Tsai recorded the Chinese television show Your Face Sounds Familiar and performed "Fantasy" and "Dr. Jolin"; The show was broadcast on November 18, 2012. On December 31, 2012, Tsai performed "Beast" and "The Great Artist" at the Hunan TV 2013 New Year's Eve Concert. On January 19, 2013, Tsai attended the 8th KKBox Music Awards and performed "The Great Artist", "Fantasy", and "Dr. Jolin".

On January 30, 2012, Tsai performed "The Great Artist", "Beast", "Fantasy", and "Dr. Jolin" at the Taiwan Music Night in Paris, France. On April 18, 2012, Tsai attended the 17th China Music Awards in Macau, China and performed "The Great Artist" and "Dr. Jolin". On May 17, 2012, Tsai performed "The Great Artist" and "Dr. Jolin" at the 3rd Global Chinese Golden Chart North America Concert in Vancouver, Canada. On June 2, 2013, Tsai attended the 2012 Hito Music Awards and performed "The Great Artist" and "Dr. Jolin". On June 6, 2013, Tsai attended the 24th Golden Melody Awards and performed "The Great Artist". Since then, Tsai has attended a series of events and performed songs from the album.

Singles
On August 15, 2012, Tsai released the single, "The Great Artist", and its music video was released on August 22, 2012. The music video was directed by Muh Chen, and it was set in a "futuristic salon", Muh Chen said: "In the 17th and 18th centuries, salon was the social occasion and cultural center where French bourgeoisie and aristocrats talked about literature and art. The hosts of salon were all women aristocrats with intelligence, grace, and knowledge. The feminism background coincided with the lyrics of 'The Great Artist'." With a total of NT $8 million budget, the music video took 38 hours in both Kaohsiung and Taipei to film, and five costumes in the music video were designed by three designers. On August 23, 2012, Tsai held a promotional event for the music video at Taipei Circle in Taipei, Taiwan. The music video reached number nine on the Taiwan's YouTube yearly most-watched videos chart of 2012. It also made Tsai become the first female artist to receive full score on YinYueTai. On January 2, 2013, "The Great Artist", "Wandering Poet", and "Dr. Jolin" reached number two, number 10, and number 24 on the 2012 Hit FM Top 100 Singles of the Year chart, respectively.

Music videos
On September 11, 2012, Tsai released the music video of "Wandering Poet", which was directed by JP Huang features Taiwanese actress Ariel Lin and actor Austin Lin. The music video depicts the actress falling in love with an eccentric romantic poet, and the actress found what she had was actually a duplicated love. Tsai said: "In preparing to record the song, I also thought of the leading actress in Black Swan (2010), maybe every girl has two sides when dealing with love, the one is external, and the other is internal, many girls are not good at expressing their joy and sorrow, they hide all the feelings, the singer me is like the 'Black Swan', and the actress Ariel Lin is like the 'White Swan'."

On September 24, 2012, Tsai released the music video of "Dr. Jolin", which was directed by Marlboro Lai. In the music video, Tsai played a doctor in the "future world", and there would be an interchange of gender attribute between men and women; It revealed Tsai's support for the gender equality. On October 3, 2012, Tsai released the music video of "Mosaic", which was directed by Chen Hung-i. It made full use of black and white colors in order to highlight the vibe of the ballad. On October 15, 2012, Tsai released the music video of "Spying on You Behind the Fence", which was directed by Jude Chen. It opens with a black cat, which is a metaphor for women's caution in love. The color tone and scene are full of European style, and the shooting angle shows the actual sense of spying.

On October 25, 2012, Tsai released the music video of "Fantasy", and it was directed by Bill Chia. It was set in the "Garden of Eden" and filmed at the Future Pavilion of Taipei Expo Park in Taipei, Taiwan. It depicts people of different races, colors, and genders are all worthy of love. Tsai said: "In fact, there are many such love happened in our life now, no matter male or female, there are such lovers around me. I think love is equal, the music video brought the story of "Garden of Eden" to the present, which is in line with the lyrics of 'Fantasy'." On December 10, 2012, Tsai released the music video of "I", and it was directed by Fu Tien-yu. It set the scene for Tsai to look back at her pure self without makeup after removed her complicated makeup on the stage. On February 22, 2013, Tsai released the music videos of "Color Photos" and "Friday the 13th", which were directed by Jade Chen, and the former features Taiwanese actor Johnny Yang and actress Phoebe Lin. On March 13, 2013, Tsai released the music video of "Beast" directed by Bill Chia, and it depicts the struggle between the consciousness and unconsciousness.

Critical reception
The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. PlayMusic's critic Hui Lan awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, praising the album's musical arrangement and mixing effects of the dance songs, and highlighted Tsai's "sweet, clear, and powerful voice. She added that while ballads can test a singer's vocal skills, singing dance songs is also an advantage. Freshmusic rated the album 7.5 out of 10 stars, observing that the album gradually departed from excessive "gaudiness", and felt that the album overall marked a new phase.

Tencent Entertainment rated the album 7 out of 10 stars, writing that "While 'Muse' continues to be rooted in pop, its overall vibe diverges from Tsai's recent albums." British journalist Michael McCarthy remarked that the album is "pure pop goodness, bathed in rich kaleidoscopic color, the sort of pop that has the depth to reward repeated listens." Jamie Lee, a writer for Cool-Style, lauded Muse as "definitely one of the best albums of the year" in terms of "comprehensive production and innovation".

Accolades
On September 17, 2012, the nominees for the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards were announced, and Tsai earned an nomination for Best Asian Act. On January 19, 2013, Tsai won a KKBox Music Award for Top 10 Singers. On April 9, 2013, the album won a Global Chinese Golden Chart Award for Best Album, "The Great Artist" won Top 20 Songs, and Tsai won Best Female Singer. On April 13, 2013, Tsai earned a V Chart Award for Best Female Singer (Hong Kong/Taiwan). On April 19, 2013, Tsai won a China Music Award for Favorite Asia Influential Singer, and the album won Best Album (Hong Kong/Taiwan). On April 26, 2013, Tsai won a Music Radio China Top Chart Award for Favorite Female Singer (Hong Kong/Taiwan), and "The Great Artist" won Top Songs (Hong Kong/Taiwan). On May 10, 2013, Tsai won a Global Chinese Music Award for Top 5 Favorite Female Singers, and "The Great Artist" won Top 20 Songs.

On May 22, 2013, the nominees for the 24th Golden Melody Awards were announced, Tsai was nominated for Best Mandarin Female Singer, the album was nominated for Best Mandarin Album, "The Great Artist" was nominated for Song of the Year, and the music video of "The Great Artist" was nominated for Best Music Video. On June 2, 2013, Tsai received three Hito Music Awards for Best Female Singer, Global Media Recommend Artist, and Global Mandarin Outstanding Artist, and "The Great Artist" won Top 10 Songs. On July 6, 2013, "The Great Artist" won a Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year. On November 22, 2013, Tsai won a Singapore Hit Award for Favorite Female Singer, and "Mosaic" won Top 10 Songs.