F4 may have reportedly dropped one of their members, Ken Chu, ahead of their series of reunion concerts, but the Taiwanese boy band are still forging ahead with their creative pursuits.
They released a new song, Forever Forever, on Dec 5 – a collaboration with singer Jay Chou and Mayday frontman Ashin. The release was announced by B’in Music, the record label of Taiwanese rock band Mayday, on social media.
“Answering your wish by turning the impossible into reality right now,” posted the label in Chinese and English. “The universe’s strongest stars unite in a dream line-up.”
Forever Forever was composed by Chou, 46, with lyrics by Ashin, 50. The song also features Jerry Yan, 48; Vic Chou, 44; and Van Ness Wu, 47 – the other members of F4.
“A magical line-up, a collaboration of the century. Joining hands to write a legendary new chapter never seen before,” B’in Music wrote.
The official music video was dropped later in the day. “Going back to the best of times. Eternal memories shine like stars that never fade,” read the caption in Chinese and English. All five artistes also posted it on social media.
F4 are scheduled to hold the F* Forever tour, with B’in Music saying on its website that the F represents Faith, Friends, Fans and Family. A Facebook post on Dec 6 by the record company revealed that Yan, Vic Chou and Wu would be joined onstage by Ashin in Shanghai.
The tour is scheduled to kick off at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, with four shows from Dec 19 to 22. Tickets will go on sale from Dec 10.
F4 were brought together as a boy band in 2001 after acting in Taiwanese idol drama Meteor Garden that same year, but their members went their separate ways in 2009.
The quartet reunited for a surprise performance at Mayday’s concert at the Taipei Dome in July and also at Beijing National Stadium two weeks later, stirring nostalgia among fans.
Taiwanese media outlet Mirror Daily reported that Ashin was the main driving force behind F4’s reunion, with B’in Music planning a new album and concert tour for F4.
Mirror Daily reported on Nov 9 that Chu, 46, would not participate in the tour. He had disclosed details that had not been finalised, such as the progress of the album and tour, during his live streams, affecting F4’s comeback plans.
B’in Music also revealed on its website how Forever Forever came about. It reported that Jay Chou was first approached by Ashin to write a song for him one month before Mayday’s concerts at the Taipei Dome, which were held in June and July.
Ashin messaged Jay Chou about the song again in September, after which the Mandopop star asked Ashin to write the lyrics first.
“Jay knew I would take a long time to write the lyrics, so he tried stalling for time,” Ashin said. “Little did he know that I had finished them. He composed the song in just three days after I sent him the lyrics.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.straitstimes.com ’
