Jay Chou impersonator's bar tour sparks controversy
In China, Jay Chou is an unparalleled figure in contemporary Mandarin music. He has created countless popular songs and also represents the cherished memories of people's youth. After the pandemic ended in 2023, Jay Chou embarked on Carnival tour that brought billions of yuan in revenue to various cities, showcasing his vast influence.
With the advent of short video apps and social media, many Jay Chou impersonators have gained significant online followings. Among them, a top impersonator known as "黑伦” - Heilun - has even started his own bar tour across cities.
On the left is Jay Chou's Carnival concert poster, and on the right are online impersonators. Images are from RED.
Heilun initially attracted a considerable following on Douyin by closely resembling Jay Chou in terms of vocal tone, makeup, and hairstyle. Not only is he able to roughly imitate Jay Chou's peak-period vocal style, but he can even perfectly replicate his posture and dance moves, among other aspects. Riding on the popularity of Jay Chou's offline concerts, Heilun has seen a continuous surge of online traffic as well.
Heilun once performed Jay Chou's songs on the street, bearing a strikingly similar voice with powerful vocal dynamics. Video from RED.
In mid-June, Heijun unexpectedly announced a bar tour across several cities in China including Foshan, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Taiyuan, and Xi'an. At one venue, the VIP booth prices even exceeded ¥6,000 ($827), far surpassing the ticket prices for Jay Chou's concerts. Despite strong discontent from many of Jay Chou's die-hard fans regarding his potentially IP-infringing covers, chat records shared by users on RED indicated that bars mentioned "VIP booths are almost sold out." It all looks to be a very lucrative market.
The tour posters of Heilun and the promotional videos created by bars for him. Some die-hard fans of Jay Chou expressed their dissatisfaction on RED and stated that they would seek legal action. Image and video are from RED.
Despite the significant copyright controversies surrounding these impersonation shows, the number of imitators targeting top-tier pop stars and celebrities on Douyin is steadily increasing. These imitators closely resemble the stars in appearance, style, and voice. Moreover, the commercial performance earnings of these knock-off celebrities often surpass those of many second or third-tier stars. At present, this "underground music market" is growing rapidly, showing no signs of decline.
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