The Mandopop king and “Kato” from “The Green Hornet,” Jay Chou, has released a new music video that takes Chinoiserie and combines it with R&B. Titled “Cold Hearted,” Chou collaborated with Jabbawockeez, a well-known American dance crew, to create an entirely new interpretation in this music video.
This is the first time the two have teamed up. Jabbawockeez is a dance crew known for their white gloves and masks who perform coordinated movements that necessitate precision and timing. They rose to prominence on America’s Best Dance Crew where they became champion in season one.
“Cold Hearted,” written by Chou and his long-term lyricist partner Vincent Fang. It begins with the traditional Chinese instrument Guzheng before blending in R&B. The music video is directed by Mike Ho, who has previously worked with artists like Jennifer Lopez and Bad Bunny. He says that working on this project was different since he had never before directed an artist from Asia but found himself vibing deeply in its melodies despite the difference in culture and language.
Jabbawockeez’s chief choreographer Kevin “KB” Brewer, who is a big fan of Bruce Lee, was especially thrilled to work with Chou. Brewer was impressed by Chou’s work in “The Green Hornet,” praising him in a behind-the-scenes interview, “I think he did well in just, playing the character of Kato, that sidekick who is kind of mysterious, has this amazing skill, and funny. I appreciated his performance in that movie. That’s the major catalyst that got me onboard with this collaboration.” In response, Chou jokingly said, “maybe I should have matched Jabbawockeez’s masked style, and worn the Kato mask in the music video too!”
Even though they had never attempted anything like it before, Jabbawockeez, Brewer and Ho all had a lot of fun with the project. They are also delighted to present Chou’s music to the Western world in such a unique style.
