Play (Jolin Tsai album)

Play is the thirteenth studio album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It was released on November 15, 2014, by Warner and Eternal. Produced by Starr Chen, Andrew Chen, Tiger Chung, JJ Lin, and Michael Lin, Play is primarily a pop and dance record with lyrics consisting of themes related to societal issues.

Play was well received by music critics, with Bloomberg Businessweek highlighting the record for helping draw attention to the "world-class quality" of Chinese dance music. It sold more than 85,000 copies in Taiwan, becoming the year's highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's fourth highest-selling album overall in the country.

The album earned ten Golden Melody Award nominations, making it one of the most nominated albums in the award ceremony's history. It won Best Mandarin Album and Best Vocal Recording Album, while Andrew Chen won Best Single Producer for "Lip Reading". Tsai embarked on her Play World Tour in May 2015, traveling throughout China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States.

Background and development
On September 14, 2012, Tsai released her twelfth studio album, Muse. It sold more than 100,000 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. It received four Golden Melody Award nominations, including Best Mandarin Album, Best Mandarin Female Singer, Best Music Video and Song of the Year for "The Great Artist", and "The Great Artist" eventually won Song of the Year. On April 13, 2013, she concluded the Myself World Tour at Kaohsiung Arena in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Since then, Tsai revealed that she would begin working on her new album. On July 25, 2013, Tsai went to take a one-month courses in music, dance, and other performing arts in London, England. On October 19, 2013, Tsai released the live video album Myself World Tour, and it documented the live performances at the Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan during December 22–23, 2012. On November 22, 2013, Tsai said: "The album was still in the stage of listening demos, it moves forward slowly."

On January 29, 2014, it was disclosed that the budget of the album would be more than NT$50 million. On April 4, Tsai anticipated that the album would be released during the summer, and would possibly contain self-composed tracks. On May 19, Tsai released an English song titled "Now Is the Time" in support of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which was included on the compilation album, Pepsi Beats of the Beautiful Game. Tsai confirmed that three songs had already been recorded for the album on June 10, but eventually decided to re-record the tracks to make further improvements. On June 13, Tsai recorded the theme song titled "Kaleidoscope" for the 2014 Chinese film, Tiny Times 3. On September 5, Tsai revealed the album was "almost finished", and it would be released by the end of 2014.

Writing and production
"Play" describes a witty conception how modern people enjoy the absurd and realistic life and how pop culture influences on society. It is full a rap song containing trap beats and a dubstep breakdown. With its gentle rhythm and guitar-based melody, "The Third Person and I" depicts how modern people adopt the escapist attitude when facing the dilemma of life or love. "Medusa" contains pop sounds and trap influence, and it was the track on the album that took the longest time to produce. "We're All Different, Yet the Same" is a soulful R&B song inspired by a true story and speaks strongly for same-sex marriage. Albert Leung said: "Love is not just an abstract belief. It is a right that requires no forgiveness or consideration. None of those who oppose same-sex marriage ever imagined that some people would love their spouses longer than they could legally, they have no right to save their loved ones' lives in the name of their family." "Gentlewomen" was inspired by Simone de Beauvoir's book The Second Sex, which talks about the existentialism and feminism. It merged the genres of noise rock and alternative dance, and it combined with distorted guitar riffs as it progresses.

"Lip Reading" was inspired by Marilyn Monroe, it is a sultry ballad with trip hop influence and pounding percussion that adds to a sort of dramatic and sensual atmosphere. "I'm Not Yours" is a duet with Namie Amuro. It merged the genres of EDM and dubstep. "I Love, I Embrace" is a soft rock song that advocates a fearless attitude and courage of accepting yourself. "Phony Queen" depicts in an ironic way that modern people's exaggerated dependence on smart phones. Wyman Wong said: "What closest to modern people are not necessarily lovers but smart phones. They rely on smart phones to ask way, do job, and pick restaurant." It is an upbeat dance-pop song with house influence. "Miss Trouble" is a rap song with a trap influenced verses and a slightly operatic chorus.

Artwork and packaging
The word "play" has multiple meanings including "script", "acting", and "performance", and Tsai described the album's title reflected her understanding of life in recent years, adding that: "Life is like a stage, you may not be able to choose your natural role, but you can make efforts, and then rewrite your own story script."

The cover art of the album's pre-order "Actress" version and a series of related promotional artworks were photographed by Marko Krunic, and the cover art features Tsai with blond curly hair in a blood-stained raincoat designed by The Blonds. The cover art of the pre-order "Medusa" version and a series of related promotional artworks feature the singer wearing the Medusa-inspired costume exclusively designed by Versace, and it was the first time that the brand designed costume for Asian artist. The artworks were photographed by CK Chan and Wing Shya.

The cover art of the album's standard edition and a series of related promotional artworks were photographed by Chen Man and directed by Wyman Wong. The cover art features Tsai wearing Lanvin's black drape faux leather bustier dress. Other artworks feature the singer wearing Comme des Garçons's grey oversized blazer with cardigan and Valentino's embroidered tulle gown. The album's package was designed by Aaron Nieh, Nieh used his skilled simple style with stylized fonts and pure black background, and the package was made up of six double-sided color printed posters in the size of 56 x 42 cm. The cover art of the album's replay deluxe international edition was photographed by Chen Man and directed by Wyman Wong.

Release and promotion
On October 17, 2014, Tsai announced the album would be available for pre-order on October 29, 2014, and would be released on November 15, 2014. On October 28, Tsai held a pre-order promotional event in Taipei, Taiwan, and announced that she would release a reality show titled Play Project. On November 20, she held a press conference for the album release in Beijing, China. On November 27, the reality show Play Project was made available, which concluded on January 21, 2015, with a total of five episodes. On December 7, 2014, Tsai held the Play Concert in Taipei, Taiwan. On February 6, 2015, Tsai released the replay deluxe international edition of the album, and it additionally includes nine music videos.

The album reached number one on the album sales charts of Taiwan's record stores and online marketplaces, including Chia Chia, Eslite, Five Music, G-Music, Kuang Nan, and Pok'elai, and reached number one on the album sales chart of Singapore's record store, HMV. As of December 31, 2014, it has sold more than 63,837 copies in Taiwan, and it became the year's highest-selling album by a female artist and the year's fourth highest-selling album in the country. In 2014, it reached number three, number five, number three, and number three on the album sales chart of Pok'elai, Kuang Nan, G-Music, and Five Music, respectively. In 2015, it reached number 10 and number 15 on the album sales chart of Kuang Nan and Five Music, respectively.

Live performances
On November 22, 2014, Tsai appeared on the CCTV's Global Chinese Music to perform "Medusa" and "The Third Person and I". Tsai attended the fourth season of TVB's The Voice to perform "Play" in Hong Kong, China on December 20, as well as the China TV's New Year's Eve Concert in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on December 31 to perform "Medusa", "The Third Person and I", "We're All Different, Yet the Same", and "Play". On February 8, 2015, Tsai performed "I'm Not Yours", "Medusa", and "Play" at the 10th KKBox Music Awards in Taipei, Taiwan. Tsai appeared on CCTV's Chinese New Year special 2015 CCTV Web Gala on February 12 to perform "Phony Queen" and "I'm Not Yours".

On March 25, 2015, Tsai performed "The Third Person and I", "We're All Different, Yet the Same", "I'm Not Yours", and "Play" at the 2015 QQ Music Awards in Shenzhen, China. At the 2015 Hito Music Awards in Taipei, Tsai performed "I'm Not Yours", "Phony Queen", and "Play". On November 6, Tsai attended the Simple Life Festival in Shanghai, China to perform "Gentlewomen", "The Third Person and I", "Lip Reading", "We're All Different, Yet the Same", and "Play". On November 10, Tsai performed "Medusa" and "I'm Not Yours" at the 2015 Tmall Double 11 Carnival Night in Beijing, China. On December 12, Tsai performed "Play" at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong, China. Tsai attended the Jiangsu TV's 2016 New Year's Eve Concert on December 31 and performed "I'm Not Yours" and "Play". Since then, Tsai has attended a series of events and performed songs from the album.

Singles
On October 27, 2014, the lead single "Play" was released. The following day, Tsai released the lyrics video of "Play". On November 2, 2014, The official music video of "Play" was released, and Tsai held a promotional event for the music video at National Taiwan Museum in Taipei, Taiwan. It was directed by Muh Chen, with the budget of NT$8 million, it received acclaims from international medias including Time, GQ Spain, and Pro Motion. It reached number one the weekly most-watched charts of YinYueTai and QQ Music. It reached number one on the yearly most-watched music videos chart of YouTube Taiwan of 2014. On December 8, 2014, Tsai released the dance video of "Play".

On December 10, 2014, the single "The Third Person and I" was released. Its music video was released on December 13, and was directed by Fu Tien-yu and features Carina Lau, It reached number one on the weekly most-watched chart of YinYueTai. On January 6, 2015, "Play" and "The Third Person and I" reached number one and number eight on the 2014 Hit FM Top 100 Singles of the Year chart respectively, and it made Tsai become one of the two artists who earned the most number-one singles on the chart.

Music videos
On September 29, 2014, Tsai released the music video of "Phony Queen", which was directed by Jeff Chang, with a budget of more than NT$6 million. On November 30, 2014, Tsai released the music video of "Medusa", which was directed by Jennifer Wu. On December 16, Tsai released the music video of "We're All Different, Yet the Same", it was produced by Leste Chen and directed by Hou Chi-jan, and it features Taiwanese actress Grace Guei, actress Ruby Lin, and actor Bryan Chang. It was adapted from a true story, and it speaks for same-sex marriage. It received reports from a series of international presses, including El País, Gay Star News, and AfterEllen.com. On December 30, 2014, Tsai released the music video of "Gentlewomen", and it was directed by Scott Beardslee and Kitt Lin.

On January 20, 2015, Tsai released the music video of "Lip Reading", and it was directed by Thomas Wyatt and Edwin Eversole. On February 3, Tsai released the music video of "I'm Not Yours", which was directed by Muh Chen. It was inspired by the ancient Chinese folk tale Banqiao San Niangzi, it features Namie Amuro and Tsai herself wearing customized Hanfu, and it was filmed at Wufeng Lin Family Mansion and Garden in Taichung, Taiwan. It reached number six on the yearly most-watched music videos chart of YouTube Taiwan of 2015. On February 6, 2015, Tsai released the music video of "I Love, I Embrace", which was directed by Thomas Wyatt and Edwin Eversole. The music video of "Miss Trouble" was directed by Michael Sun, but because the singer was not satisfied with the result and then dropped the idea of releasing the music video.

Touring
On October 29, 2014, Tsai confirmed that she would embark on a new concert tour. On February 15, 2015, Tsai announced that the Play World Tour would begin on May 22, 2015, at Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan and would be available for ticket sale on April 12, 2015. On March 29, 2015, Tsai went to Los Angeles to attend a two-week dance rehearsal, and then the entire personnel gathered in the city to begin the preparatory work. Since then, Tsai and all the dancers began a two-week rehearsal in Taipei, Taiwan. On March 31, 2015, the promotional poster of the tour was released, and it was directed by Wyman Wong and photographed by Chen Man. The concert tour collaborated with Live Nation Entertainment, and it was directed by Travis Payne and Stacy Walker.

It was reported that the budget of the tour exceeded NT$100 million, and Tsai invited Jet Tone Production to film five video interludes for the tour. Live Nation Entertainment invited 14 choreographers and held three dance auditions in Los Angeles, United States to select 12 dancers for the tour. On June 1, 2015, Tsai held a press conference for the tour in Beijing, China, and she announced that the scheduled show dates in China. Comprising 34 shows, the tour visited 23 cities in Asia and North America and concluded on July 16, 2016, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at the Stadium Merdeka. On January 30, 2018, Tsai released the live video album Play World Tour, which documented the performances at Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan during May 22–25, 2015.

Critical reception
Play received general acclaim from music critics. The album won Golden Melody Awards for Best Mandarin Album and Best Vocal Recording Album, with the jury praising the album's production, composition and visual elements. They further commended the songwriting for highlighting minority groups in society as well as the singer's personal experiences, and felt that the record marked a new milestone in Tsai’s career. Bloomberg Businessweek referred to Tsai as a "Great Dance-Pop Artist", remarking that the album "thrust[ed]" her into the international spotlight and showcased the "world-level quality" of Chinese dance-pop music to a global audience. Hou Cheng-nan, associate professor from I-Shou University, felt that the album "elevated" the standard of Chinese dance-pop and set a high benchmark. Taiwanese songwriter Eazie Huang praised the album and felt that the album had "reached another higher plateau", whereas DJ Mykal believed that Tsai's integration of new dance music elements could potentially influence the general audience. Another Taiwanese songwriter, Adam Hsu, noted that Tsai began to use overtones, construct consciousness, and explore the realm of her new musical world.

Freshmusic rated the album 9 out of 10 stars, referring to it as the "benchmark work of C-pop music in 2014" and potentially Tsai's magnum opus. PlayMusic's Danial Chang rated the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating that it "shattered the conventional pop music framework, bridged the gap between mainstream and alternative, and added new depth and breadth to C-pop." Chia Hsu, also from PlayMusic, gave the album 5 out of 5 stars and wrote that it "set a new high standard". Today rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, describing it as a "a finely crafted electropop record." Yen Fu-min from United Daily News complimented the record's production and offered praise to Tsai's dedication and "conceptual integrity". Cool-Style's Jamie Lee characterized the album as a "fantastic and symbolic work of the time," and opined that Tsai had "once again set a high standard for the C-pop music industry." Tencent Entertainment lauded the album as "exceptional", and felt that its production quality was comparable to albums of same genre in the Western market.

Accolades
On February 8, 2015, Tsai won a KKBox Music Award for Top 10 Singers. On March 25, 2015, it earned a QQ Music Award for Best Album (Hong Kong/Taiwan), and Tsai won Best Female Singer (Taiwan) and Favorite Female Singer (Hong Kong/Taiwan). On April 11, 2015, the album won a V Chart Award for Album of the Year (Hong Kong/Taiwan), and Tsai won Best Female Singer (Hong Kong/Taiwan). On May 15, 2015, the album won a Global Chinese Golden Chart Award for Album of the Year, "The Third Person and I" won Top 20 Songs, and "Play" won Hit FM Top 100 Number One Song.

On May 18, 2015, the nominees of the 26th Golden Melody Awards were announced, the album received a total nine nominations—Best Mandarin Album, Best Vocal Recording Album, Song of the Year for "Play", Best Music Video for "Play" and "We're All Different, Yet the Same", Best Music Arrangement for "Play", Best Single Producer for "Play" and "Lip Reading", and Best Album Design, and it became the album received the most nominations in the year. On May 31, 2015, Tsai won a Hito Music Award for Best Female Singer, the album won Most Weeks at Number One Album, and "Play" won Top 10 Songs and Hit FM Top 100 Number One Song.

On June 27, 2015, the album was honored with three Golden Melody Awards for Best Mandarin Album, Best Vocal Recording Album, and Best Single Producer for "Lip Reading", and it became the album received the most awards in the year. On August 23, 2015, Tsai won a Music Radio China Top Chart Award for Favorite Female Singer (Hong Kong/Taiwan) and "The Third Person and I" won Top Songs (Hong Kong/Taiwan). On September 15, 2015, Tsai was nominated an MTV Europe Music Award for Best Taiwanese Act. On November 6, 2015, Tsai won a Global Chinese Music Award for Favorite Female Singer and "Phony Queen" won Top 20 Songs.

On December 2, 2015, Tsai won an Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Asian Artist. On May 13, 2016, the album received another Golden Melody Award nomination for Best Music Video for "I'm Not Yours". Hence, the album received a total of ten Golden Melody Award nominations, and it became one of the albums that received the most nominations in the awards' history.

Personnel
Song #1
 * Gibson Chou – assistant producer
 * Thomas Tsai – additional program dubbing
 * Peggy Hsu – backing vocals arrangement
 * Tiger Chung – guitar, recording engineer
 * Kenny Fan – mixing engineer

Song #2
 * Starr Chen – backing vocals arrangement
 * Jolin Tsai – backing vocals
 * AJ Chen – recording engineer
 * Jaycen Joshua – mixing engineer
 * Ryan Kaul – mixing assistant engineer
 * Maddox Chimm – mixing assistant engineer

Song #3
 * Ooi Teng Fong – assistant producer
 * Andrew Chen – backing vocals arrangement
 * Jolin Tsai – backing vocals
 * Yeh Yu-hsuan – recording engineer
 * Jaycen Joshua – mixing engineer
 * Ryan Kaul – mixing assistant engineer
 * Maddox Chimm – mixing assistant engineer

Song #4
 * Ooi Teng Fong – assistant producer, recording engineer
 * Lin Yu-hsien – piano
 * Andrew Chen – rhythm arrangement, electric guitar
 * Li Qi – strings director supervisor, strings arrangement
 * Hu Jingcheng – strings arrangement
 * Li Qi String Orchestra – strings
 * Zhang Hao – concertmaster
 * Yeh Yu-hsuan – recording engineer
 * Zhao Huitao – recording engineer
 * Dan Grech-Marguerat – mixing engineer

Song #5
 * Jolin Tsai – backing vocals
 * Namie Amuro – backing vocals
 * Hayley Aitken – backing vocals
 * AJ Chen – recording engineer
 * Jaycen Joshua – mixing engineer
 * Ryan Kaul – mixing assistant engineer
 * Maddox Chimm – mixing assistant engineer

Song #6
 * Gibson Chou – assistant producer, recording engineer
 * Peggy Hsu – backing vocals arrangement
 * JerryC – guitar
 * Lin I-wen – bass guitar
 * Tiger Chung – recording engineer
 * Kenny Fan – mixing engineer

Song #7
 * Chen Hsin-ying – opera vocals
 * Christine Liu – backing vocals arrangement, backing vocals
 * Stanley Huang – backing vocals arrangement
 * Jolin Tsai – backing vocals
 * Hayley Aitken – backing vocals
 * AJ Chen – recording engineer
 * Jaycen Joshua – mixing engineer
 * Ryan Kaul – mixing assistant engineer
 * Maddox Chimm – mixing assistant engineer

Song #8
 * Ooi Teng Fong – assistant producer, recording engineer
 * Andrew Chen – backing vocals arrangement, backing vocals
 * Jolin Tsai – backing vocals
 * Jaycen Joshua – mixing engineer
 * Ryan Kaul – mixing assistant engineer
 * Maddox Chimm – mixing assistant engineer

Song #9
 * JJ Lin – vocal producer
 * Shin Chou – production coordinator, recording engineer
 * Christine Chien – backing vocals arrangement, backing vocals
 * Kenn C – guitar, keyboard
 * Joshua Lee – recording engineer
 * Jerry Lin – mixing engineer

Song #10
 * Michael Lin – vocal producer, recording engineer
 * Jolin Tsai – backing vocals
 * AJ Chen – recording engineer
 * Jaycen Joshua – mixing engineer
 * Ryan Kaul – mixing assistant engineer
 * Maddox Chimm – mixing assistant engineer

Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer