JACKY’S BACK, Part I

Jacky Zhu's comeback as a PK singer on One Million Stars on 5 December 2008

December 5 marked the return to the entertainment circle of Canadian/Taiwanese singer and actor, Jacky Zhu Fan Gang. Against his agent’s advice he appeared as a PK or challenge singer on a popular television singing competition, One Million Stars. Meanwhile, in response to a comment on his blog, and presumably as part of an attempt to revamp his image as a serious artist, he has asked his English-speaking fans to call him Jake. Having followed the jagged ups and downs of his recent career path as Jacky, however, few fans so far have warmed to this new stage name.

2007 was a harrowing year for the singer’s fans who had been allured by his expressive voice and sultry looks as 183 Club’s lead singer, and by his intriguing and often hilarious performances in support roles in idol dramas such as Heaven’s Wedding Gown and the Magicians of Love (below).

The gangster Ying (Jacky Zhu), right, confronts Chen Hai Nuo (Ming Dao) far left, and his motorcycle racing team in HWG, 2004.

 

In March, in the wake of a grueling tour of mainland China, the temperamental idol was hospitalised for several days following an operation for a salivary gland cyst. Perhaps this was the beginning of the end–of this phase of his career, at least.

Jacky Zhu as the playboy hairdresser Fei Nan Du in Magicians of Love, 2006

The period May to October brought alarming rumours, all of which eventually firmed up as very bad news. In May, the Chinese language tabloid Liberty Times reported that the the Jungiery Stars’ patriarchal manager, Sun De Rong, had so tired of the singer’s wild lifestyle (‘If he is so interested in nightclubs, why try to be an artist?’ ), that he was thinking of sacking him. A week or two later, it became clear that the authorities had swooped on a number of entertainers rumoured to use illicit substances, and Jacky had tested positive–at very high levels– for marijuana use. SDR then expelled Jacky from glamour singing act 183 Club, in all likelihood forever. Fans were divided over whether the star’s Western values or recent illness in any way excused his behaviour, and some deserted the fan forums. Others, even some of those who condemned his drug use outright, however, believed he deserved a second chance.

Zhu, who is very thin with a long El Greco face and sad eyes, had long been able to evoke these kinds of protective instincts from his followers. Their anxieties were ramped up significantly in mid-October when Jacky finally had to enter compulsory rehabilitation in Taiwan’s hardboiled prison system. The singer’s loyal elder brother, songwriter James Zhu Qiang Bo, 29, confided in an interview that he had doubts about his sensitive sibling’s ability to endure the rehab centre’s tough regime. James reported that Jacky dreaded having to go through a strip search upon entry. Fastidious by nature and having grown up in Vancouver with middle class Western notions of privacy, hygiene and comfort, the playboy idol was clearly in for an ordeal.

Butter wouldn't melt: Jacky (left) and James as Vancouver schoolboys

The toll on fans’ emotions, however, did not stop there. In November in a move that some observers believe was part filial support and part self-promotion, Qiang Bo entered as a contestant in Taipei Super Idol. In one round he sang (very badly) the title track of Jacky’s failed 2002 solo album Gao Jie. While he went flat on the high notes, an endearing childhood photo of the brothers came up on a giant screen. Faltering through the last notes in tears, he was prodded by a husky-voiced female compere into sending his brother a personal message. ‘Jacky, I love you very much,’ gasped Qiang Bo, ‘and I wish you were by my side!’ As most of the audience and all but one judge wept openly, QB advanced into the next round. (He was later eliminated and not ‘revived’ by the judges).

Music producer and songwriter James Zhu sang his brother's song on Super Idol in November 2007.

On 30 November, the paparazzi caught Jacky as he quietly slipped out of the rehab centre. Clad in a t-shirt emblazoned with the word ‘Hate’ and designer jeans, the singer looked very pale, hollow-eyed and thinner than ever. Observant fans, however, thought something had shifted in his expression: he looked focussed and resolute. His pious mother, usually extremely reclusive, did not hesitate to take him to a local temple, perhaps to petition for a change of fortune. There even the most intrusive journalist could not quite breach the atmosphere of introspection and conviction surrounding their prayers.

Out of rehab into Buddhism

In December, in a handsome apology to his family, friends and fans, Jacky begged for a second chance:

“Inside the rehab centre I thought about so many things. Everyday I thought of repenting. Really, I’m sorry for letting you guys down, sorry for letting you guys worry. Being a celebrity, I should be bringing happiness and good music to everybody, but I wasted all my effort these past few years. It’s really not worth it, and left you guys feeling hurt. I really am sorry. but then again I want to say thank you to all of you who never gave up and supported me all the way. I’m really touched…”

Loyal fans, however, were in for a long and confusing wait before their idol returned to the theme of repentance by singing Jam Hsiao’s Yuan Liang Wo (Forgive Me) on One Millions Stars…

To be continued…

Image credits: 1 and 2 &3 and 3a and  4 and 5.

Translation credit: here.

Interesting and relevant Vietnamese blog. Here’s the link.