The opening of China Entertainment Group gave Jay Chou a head-on confrontation

Chapter 984 Retirement Tour?
Spike Blasts America Amid Dissatisfaction with the Chaos in the Music Industry!

"Having eaten their fill, they smashed the pot? New album sells number one worldwide, now they're attacking the American music scene!"

Why should the Grammys bear the blame for Billboard's mistakes? Was Spike too immature?

"Is the 'collective punishment' law? Is Zhou Yi, a victim of the new Billboard rules, taking his anger out on the Grammys?"

Unexpected! Spike Hacken announces his withdrawal from the 49th Grammy Awards!

No longer attending, Zhou Yi is focusing on preparing for the Spring Festival Gala?

"Is Spike forced to withdraw from the Spring Festival Gala due to political pressure?"

"Have we forgotten the well-digger while drinking the water? Has Zhou Yijun, the most Grammy Award winner of the new century, attacked the wrong target?"

"..."

Whether domestically or internationally, after entering 2007, the entertainment news was still dominated by this man who naturally attracted controversy and attention—

For the general public, although the rule change on Billboard didn't explicitly target Zhou Yi, he was undoubtedly the one most affected, so his criticism of Billboard was perfectly justified.

But why are you taking your anger out on the Grammys?
Theoretically, even though the Grammys have given you two or three fewer trophies each year, they've at least given you face, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have become the recipient of the most Golden Gramophone Awards in the new century.

Regardless of whether the Grammys initially had to yield due to political correctness, everyone understands the principle of judging by actions, not intentions.

Even if we take a step back and say that the Grammys can't control Billboard, since the latter isn't a subordinate organization of the former.

Due to time differences and the need for verification, people in Europe and America only saw a large number of related reports two days after Zhou Yi made his remarks.

"Support Spike! These music industry organizations are actually ganging up on him; they're just jealous of his high sales!"

"Ungrateful ingrate! Don't forget that the Grammys are the authoritative organization that has been willing to give Spike an award from the very beginning."

“I feel that Spike might have been out of his mind when he said those things. 25 has a very high reputation. In my opinion, in terms of reputation and importance alone, it is even greater than his legendary second album. Spike himself probably hopes that 25 can also recreate the glory of his first album with five number-one singles.”

"To put it bluntly, he feels that his hard work has been targeted, and he's unhappy about it. Spike has always been like this; he vents his frustrations directly."

"I wonder if Warner Music might have privately approached the Grammy committee, hoping they could help persuade them, but the Grammys refused?"

"That's the most likely possibility. Spike has always been the kind of person who can't stand being wronged in the slightest."

“That makes sense. Look at the nomination list. '25' isn’t even the most nominated album. I don’t think anyone expected that. I can’t think of any album that could beat '25' last year.”

"Perhaps Billboard and the Grammys overestimated their influence? Did they think Spike would come running to them even without their help?"

"It's highly likely. Spike is the kind of guy who even refused the Nobel Peace Prize. Billboard might have really messed up this time..."

In fact, Billboard really messed things up this time.

Modifying the rules is too obviously targeted, and it actually damages their own influence. But they are forced to modify them due to pressure, which puts them in a dilemma.

Fans who brought their own food to help with the debate didn't care about anything else; they just grabbed anyone and started criticizing them, accusing them of subtly boycotting Spike. Afterward, they went to support Zhou Yi and Sun Yanzi's new song to express their support.

While the Grammys also wanted to target the I Ching, the awards ceremony itself had a time lag. Seeing the huge public reaction, they immediately tightened their grip and remained silent, claiming ignorance and emphasizing the need to ensure fairness, impartiality, and transparency.

The bulletin board organizing committee was so angry they almost lost their temper.

What the hell are you pretending to be, all pure and innocent for?!

Look at your Grammy nomination list! This year's most nominated album isn't Spike's "25." Is that reasonable?!
You still have the nerve to talk about fairness?!

Marie Blige, a veteran R&B singer born in 1971, leads the pack with eight nominations, making her the most decorated nominee this year, followed by the Red Hot Chili Peppers with six nominations.

Zhou Yi received only five nominations: Best Production of the Year – "Someone You Loved", Best Single of the Year – "One Day", Best Album of the Year – "25", Best Pop Male Vocal Performance, and Best Country Song – "If I Die Young".

Although it still received nominations in all three most important general categories as always, the number of subcategories has decreased compared to the past.

The Grammys have a valid point: the musical style of *25* isn't limited to any one genre. It encompasses rock, R&B, folk, pop, reggae, rap, and even country music—a truly diverse range.

This album can be described as having the most diverse and richest musical elements since Zhou Yi's debut.

If you were on the organizing committee, which category would you categorize "25" into?
It's just that we can only participate in the most competitive and prestigious annual general awards. How many big names release albums with rich musical elements, yet they can only compete in general categories? What's wrong with us?

There's no room for argument on the bulletin board; they can only lie low and accept the ridicule, waiting for time to fix everything.

Time is cruel, but it is also fair. Given enough time, even the biggest storms will be calmed down, and then we can see if we can make our mark on history.

Compared to international public opinion, domestic opinions are noticeably more extreme and polarized.

On the one hand, Zhou Yi's strong stance of ignoring US suppression has garnered widespread praise within his own online community;
On the one hand, public opinion, led by many print media outlets and a large number of public intellectuals, is criticizing Zhou Yi for "tyrannical", "imperial", and "collective punishment" in the field of music.

Intermediate state?
Yes, but both sides will ignore them.

Frankly speaking, these days, it's a miracle that someone like Zhou Yi can consistently export his ideas to the US, have such a large-scale voice in support, and even launch a counter-offensive in public opinion and gain the upper hand. He earned it purely through his achievements; after all, he genuinely offended some people's ideal of a better world.

In particular, the tactic of "suppression" is impossible in their descriptions, especially after the I Ching still held the banner of political correctness.

"Does this trouble you, Zhouyi?"

An interview with Blogcn on January 6.

As one of the largest traffic hubs and forums for public opinion fermentation in the era of portal websites, and now renamed from "BlogChina" to "Blog.net", they can be said to be an indispensable and powerful force of public opinion in the Chinese Internet.

At the beginning of last year, Blogcn.com already had over ten million registered users. According to the "China Web 2.0 Status Quo and Trends Survey Report" released by the Internet Society of China, Blogcn.com ranked first among frequently visited blog websites, accounting for 51.4% of users. This was followed by Sina Blog with 26.3% of users and Sohu Blog with 18%.

It's no exaggeration to say that Blogcn is now leading the pack by a precipitous margin.

For this exclusive interview, Wang Junxiu, editor-in-chief of Blogcn.com, personally took charge, and even brought along Duan Ping, deputy editor-in-chief.

Zhou Yi, on camera, appeared exceptionally gentle and refined: "No, I've never taken it to heart. For me, completing the work for the Olympics and the Spring Festival Gala is what matters most."

"If this causes you to miss out on a Grammy, will you regret it?"

"I'm too lazy to even attend award ceremonies, so why would I care about these things?"

"Will you still attend award ceremonies in the future? Whether they are domestic or international?"

Wang Junxiu pressed further, "What I mean is, we all know that you've withdrawn from all award ceremonies in China."

"Generally speaking, no."

Zhou Yi shook his head and gave a definite answer: "I don't plan to attend any more award ceremonies this time, including those in the United States."

There are rumors that the new song you plan to sing at the Spring Festival Gala will be included in your new album to be released after the New Year. Is that true, Zhou Yi?

"Yes, although I don't know who leaked the information, he's right..."

Zhou Yi was very frank, a frankness that surprised Wang Junxiu.

If it were anyone else, they would have to be more subtle and evasive, but the Book of Changes just lays it all out so bluntly.

"Is this the first time you've included a previously unreleased song that you performed on the Spring Festival Gala in an album?"

"Yes, I didn't include the previous song 'Gong Xi Fa Cai' in the album."

"Why? Is it because of the rumors circulating online that Zhou Yu has run out of talent?"

Wang Junxiu unconsciously twirled his finger in a circle, hinting at something: "Or do you really have plans to leave the music scene, as some netizens on the blog are speculating?"

"I do have the idea of ​​taking a break."

Zhou Yi nodded calmly, granting Blogcn this huge boost in traffic: "However, you know, it won't be now."

Can you tell us the exact time?

"I haven't decided yet, but I can assure you that if I want to take a break, I will definitely let all my fans know in advance."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "I won't hide it from them. I will definitely inform everyone of my decision in advance."

"So what will be your work focus this year? Will you maintain the consistent pace of releasing albums in both Chinese and English?"

"I'm not sure. Aside from the Olympics, my focus this year might be more on my world tour? It depends on the schedule..."

There are many intelligent people among the netizens.

For a world number one whose reputation and popularity are at their peak, it's definitely unusual for him to withdraw from all domestic and international award ceremonies within two years. But those are just speculations, after all, Zhou Yi is still releasing albums as usual, it's just that the schedule was disrupted by the Olympics.

Now, in an interview with domestic media, Zhou Yi himself admitted that he did indeed have the idea of ​​taking a break.

Although a patch was installed, this explanation still instantly sparked an uproar in the global internet community.

"Holy crap! What is Zhou Yi doing? Is he really retiring from the music scene? I'm just kidding, bro, are you serious?"

"Wait a minute, is this Zhou Yi's marketing ploy to sell albums?"

"Who uses retiring from the music industry for marketing, especially a big name like Zhou Yi?"

"Could he really be emotionally exhausted?"

"No, Your Holiness, who else can I criticize after you're gone? I criticize you because I love you..."

"You've gotten so into hating on me, haven't you?"

"What does it mean that the focus this year is on the concert? Is the world tour turning into a farewell world tour???"

"Holy crap! That means every concert we see is one less we can see, guys! When is the Dharma King's next concert?"

"The domestic tour is already over? They've probably performed at several venues, so it's probably just the international tour coming up..."

It was precisely after this interview was circulated abroad that European and American audiences, already in a state of confusion, were collectively stunned. Soon after, the already hard-to-get, seemingly unattainable concert tickets for Zhou Yi skyrocketed in price—

"Oh no! Spike!"

"I want to see Spike!"

"I'll quit my job to go see it!"

"If we don't watch now, we'll really miss our chance?! Spike is quitting?!"

"Damn it! Billboard is Satan! They're the devil! They've destroyed Spike's love of music!"

(End of this chapter)