Joker Xue facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joker Xue
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| 薛之谦 | |||||||
Xue in December 2019
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| Born | July 17, 1983 Shanghai, China
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| Nationality | Chinese | ||||||
| Alma mater | Glion Institute of Higher Education | ||||||
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 2005–present | ||||||
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Notable work
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"Serious Snow", "Ugly", "Actor", "Just Right", "Extraterrestrial" | ||||||
| Spouse(s) |
Leixin Gao
(m. 2012–2015)
(m. 2017) |
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| Children | 1 | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 薛 之 谦 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 薛 之 謙 | ||||||
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| Musical career | |||||||
| Genres | Mandopop | ||||||
| Instruments | Guitar, Piano | ||||||
| Labels | Chaoshi Music | ||||||
Joker Xue (Chinese: 薛之谦; pinyin: Xuē Zhīqiān, born on July 17, 1983) is a famous Chinese singer, songwriter, and music producer. He used to be known as Jacky Xue. He is one of the most popular Mandopop artists, which is a type of Chinese pop music.
Joker Xue's music often mixes piano and strings with acoustic guitar and R&B beats. Lately, he has also added more rock sounds to his songs. He is especially known for his emotional ballads, which are often called "Xue Style Love Songs." People also love him for his funny personality and great sense of humor.
His Extraterrestrial World Tour was incredibly popular, with over 4.9 million people attending. This makes it one of the biggest concert tours ever! He is also the only Chinese artist to have more than 100 stadium shows in a single tour.
Contents
Early life and education
Joker Xue grew up in Shanghai, China. When he was four years old, his mother passed away from a heart condition. As a young boy, he studied painting. Later, he went to the Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland to study Hotel Management. However, he decided to leave school to follow his dream of becoming a musician.
Music career journey
2005–2010: Starting out in music
In 2004, Xue tried out for a singing competition called My Style, My Show. He got in but decided to leave because he didn't feel ready. The next year, in 2005, he returned to the show and finished in fourth place. After the show, he signed with Shang Teng Entertainment.
In 2006, he released his first album, Jacky, under the name Jacky Xue. This album was a big hit, selling over 200,000 copies very quickly. It included popular songs like "Serious Snow." He even won an award for Most Popular New Artist. His second album, How Are You?, released in 2007, also sold over 150,000 copies.
In 2008, Xue was chosen to be a torchbearer for the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay. A song from his second album was even changed to honor Olympic athletes. His third album, Deeply Loved You, was very successful. He also held his first concert in Shanghai in December 2008. In 2009, he released a collection of his best songs called Unfinished Songs.
2011–2015: Making music his own way
By 2011, Xue faced challenges with his music company. To keep making music, he opened his own hotpot restaurant. The restaurant was very successful and helped him pay for his music projects. In 2012, he finished his contract with his first music company. He then released his fifth album, Several Of....
In 2013, he signed with Ocean Butterflies and released his sixth album, An Unexpected Journey. This album quickly reached the top of the music charts. Around this time, he also started appearing on many Chinese variety shows. He explained that he did these shows to earn money and stay visible to fans. He said this money helped him continue making music.
In 2015, Xue started his own clothing brand. He also became very popular on Weibo (a Chinese social media platform) by sharing funny jokes. In June, he released an EP (a shorter album) called Gentleman. This EP included the super popular song "Actor," which has been viewed over 200 million times on YouTube. Joker Xue actually told his fans not to buy the EP because it only had three songs. Instead, he encouraged them to listen to his music online for free. He believes that music should be free for his fans to enjoy. Later that year, he released another EP called Half, which got over 100 million streams in less than a month.
2016–2018: Big success
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In 2016, he changed his English name from "Jacky" to "Joker." He felt "Joker" better showed his sense of humor. He worked very hard, appearing on more than 40 variety shows to connect his name with his music. This busy schedule even led to him being hospitalized for a short time. In July, he released his seventh album, Beginner, which won many awards.
In 2017, Xue said he would focus more on music and less on variety shows. In April, he started his first concert tour, I Think I've Seen You Somewhere Tour. He also acted in a movie and a TV series. In December, he released his eighth album, The Crossing. By the end of 2017, his songs had been streamed over 12.7 billion times across Chinese music platforms!
In 2018, he had some voice problems but fully recovered. In July, he started his Skyscraper World Tour. On December 31, he released his ninth album, Freak. Again, his songs were streamed the most among solo artists on QQ Music.
2019–2023: The Extraterrestrial World Tour
Xue continued his Skyscraper World Tour into 2019, performing in places like London and Sydney. The tour ended in Hong Kong, setting a record for the highest concert earnings by a male singer from mainland China.
In December, he released his tenth album, Dust, and was named Male Singer of the Year at the CMIC Music Awards. In 2020, he released his eleventh album, Extraterrestrial. The main song, "Extraterrestrial," was named one of the Best Songs of the Year.
In 2021, he started his Extraterrestrial World Tour. He performed two shows in Suzhou and two in Guangzhou, which were very successful. He was also listed among the Top Artists and Songwriters of the Year by Tencent Music. In 2022, he released his twelfth album, Countless. He won Best Male Singer at the Migu Music Awards. In December, he continued his Extraterrestrial World Tour, which had been paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2023, Xue performed 75 shows, including three big concerts at the Beijing National Stadium. Each show attracted about 60,000 people! He released five new songs that year. Two of them, "Worship" and "Conviction," were among the Top 10 Songs of the Year on Tencent Music. He also briefly served as a judge on the show Sing! China. By December 2023, Joker Xue had the most fans across all music streaming platforms in China, with over 83 million followers.
2024: Current activities
In June 2024, Joker Xue became a brand ambassador for a game called QQ Speed. He even wrote a theme song for the game, "Relieve Boredom," which was released in August. On August 18, he finished his amazing Extraterrestrial Tour in Suzhou. This record-breaking tour had a total of 140 shows and was attended by about 5 million people! At the end of the tour, he announced his next tour, called "King of Beasts." His hashtag on Douyin (a popular video app) also reached over 100 billion views.
From August to December 2024, Xue performed at 18 music festivals, using his "Joker" stage name. In September, he performed a song called "Rent or Purchase" on a TV show, which was very popular. In October, he performed another song, "That Day On the Road of No Return." On October 15, he announced that his Extraterrestrial Tour would be extended with seven international stadium shows. This means fans overseas can experience the full show just like those in China. On November 21, he announced his 13th album, The Guardian, which was released digitally the next day.
Positive impact
Helping others
Joker Xue has been involved in many charity activities. In 2007, he went to Russia for a cultural festival. In 2008, he helped with a charity event and donated money from his new book to help areas affected by a snow disaster. He was also a torchbearer for the 2008 Olympics. In 2018, he helped promote a charity project to raise awareness for health. In 2024, another singer, Han Hong, shared that Joker Xue has been quietly donating to charity for many years without telling anyone.
Protecting fans
Joker Xue is very against ticket scalping, which is when people buy tickets and sell them for a much higher price. To help his fans get tickets fairly, he often adds extra shows at each tour stop. He also tells his fans to only attend one show per tour.
In September 2023, he had to cancel a concert in Chengdu because he had a high fever. He personally announced the news and the refund policy to his fans. He even stayed to chat with the audience for an hour. Not only did fans get their money back for tickets, but those who traveled from out of town could also get their travel and hotel costs reimbursed! This was a very kind and unusual thing for an artist to do, and it was praised by consumer protection groups. Other artists have started to offer similar refunds since then.
Business ventures
Joker Xue has said that he wants to use the money he earns from business to make music. He feels that having other ways to earn money makes making music less stressful.
In 2011, he opened a hotpot restaurant called Shang Shang Qian. At one point, it had many locations across China. As of 2023, there are still two locations in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
In 2015, he started a clothing brand called Dangerous People. He wanted the brand to be popular not just with his fans, but with everyone. He is no longer a shareholder but still helps manage the brand.
In 2020, a music company called Chaoshi Music was started. Joker Xue's father owns part of it. This company now owns all of Joker Xue's albums and produces his Extraterrestrial World Tour.
Awards and recognition
Many other famous musicians and producers have praised Joker Xue's talent. They have said he has very deep thoughts in his lyrics and is one of the best songwriters in the music industry. Some even believe he is becoming a national singer, known for his popular songs.
Throughout his career, he has won many awards from important music events like the Chinese Top Ten Music Awards, Global Chinese Music Awards, and Tencent Music Entertainment Awards. These awards recognize his amazing music and his popularity.
Discography
Studio albums
- Jacky (2006)
- How Are You? (2007)
- Deeply Loved You (2008)
- Unfinished Songs (2009)
- Several Of... (2012)
- An Unexpected Journey (2013)
- Beginner (2016)
- The Crossing (2017)
- Freak (2018)
- Dust (2019)
- Extraterrestrial (2020)
- Countless (2022)
- The Guardian (2024)
Variety shows and acting
While Joker Xue has acted in movies like The University Days of a Dog and TV shows like Boy Hood, he is most known for his appearances on variety shows. Since 2017, he has focused more on music and concerts. He now chooses to appear on variety shows that are long-running or related to music.
One of the longest shows he has been on is Mars Intelligence Agency, where he has been a main cast member since 2016. He has also been on singing competition shows like The Coming One and Sing! China. In these shows, he has spoken out about fairness issues.
Earlier in his career, he often hosted or was a judge on music shows. More recently, he has been a collaborator or mentor on shows like The Next Banger. In 2024, he joined new variety shows like Melody Journey.
Concerts and tours
Joker Xue held his first concert in Shanghai in 2008. Since 2017, he has had three major tours with a total of 173 shows! His first tour, I Think I've Seen You Somewhere, was mainly in China. His next two tours, Skyscraper World Tour and Extraterrestrial World Tour, included stops in other Asian countries, North America, Europe, and Australia.
He holds several amazing tour records, all achieved during his Extraterrestrial Tour in 2024. In April, he became one of only five Chinese artists to have held over 100 concerts in a single tour. In June, he became the only Chinese artist to have held over 100 stadium concerts in one tour. Stadiums are much bigger than arenas and require a lot more effort and ticket sales. In October, he became the first artist from mainland China to hold an international stadium tour.
He also holds many records for being the first artist to perform at various stadiums in China and overseas. This is partly because he is willing to visit smaller cities and because he has a huge fanbase everywhere. In July 2023, he performed three concerts in a row at the Beijing National Stadium. He had wished to perform there eighteen years ago, and he returned for six more shows in July 2024.
His world tours have received great reviews. Critics have praised his voice, saying it is powerful and emotional. They also noted his playful and funny style during performances. He often includes local details in his shows to connect with the audience in different cities.
Tours
- I Think I've Seen You Somewhere Tour (2017)
- Skyscraper World Tour (2018–2019)
- Extraterrestrial World Tour (2021–2025)
Concerts
- Live Concert in Shanghai (2008)
- Douyin Online Concert: Ke (2023)
Images for kids
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Joker Xue in December 2019
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Joker Xue in 2017
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Beijing National Stadium before Joker Xue's concert on July 10, 2024
See also
In Spanish: Joker Xue para niños
