Ugly Beauty

This article is about the album by Jolin Tsai. For the composition by Thelonious Monk, see List of compositions by Thelonious Monk.

Ugly Beauty
Studio album by
Jolin Tsai
ReleasedDecember 26, 2018 (2018-12-26)
Recorded2017–2018
GenrePop
Length39:05
Label
Producer
  • Starr Chen
  • Razor Chiang
  • Howe Chen
  • Jolin Tsai
  • Øzi
Jolin Tsai chronology
Play World Tour
(2018) 		Ugly Beauty
(2018)
Singles from Ugly Beauty
  1. "Ugly Beauty"
    Released: December 21, 2018 (2018-12-21)

Ugly Beauty is the fourteenth studio album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai, released on December 26, 2018, by Sony and Eternal.[1] The album was produced by Starr Chen, Razor Chiang, Howe Chen, Øzi, and Tsai herself. Tsai also organized a music creation camp with other songwriters, participating in the collective creation of several tracks on the album.[2] The album showcases a bold and eclectic musical style, blending pop music with elements of reggae, electronic, hip-hop, and more.[3] Its themes revolve around breaking conventional beauty standards and exploring the extremes of human emotions.[4] Tsai stated that the album's concept aimed to "reveal the ugliness hidden beneath the surface of perfection and explore the emotions buried with great effort."[3]

The album received widespread critical acclaim, with critics praising its unified concept, Tsai's relaxed and expressive vocal delivery,[5] and its refined production, which was considered to lead the Mandarin pop music scene.[6] The album was released physically in Taiwan, where it topped the year-end album sales chart in 2019.[7] In Mainland China, the album was released digitally and, as of August 13, 2023, had sold over 850,000 digital copies, making it the best-selling digital album by a Hong Kong or Taiwanese female artist in the region's history.[8] Tsai also became the highest-selling Hong Kong/Taiwanese female artist in terms of digital album sales in Mainland China.[9]

The album garnered eight nominations at the Golden Melody Awards, including nominations for Album of the Year, Best Mandarin Album, and Best Vocal Recording Album. The song "Womxnly" was nominated for Song of the Year, while the music videos for "Ugly Beauty" and "Lady in Red" were nominated for Best Music Video. Tsai herself received a nomination for Best Female Mandarin Singer, and Starr Chen and Tsai were nominated for Best Single Producer for "Ugly Beauty".[10][11] Ultimately, the album won the Golden Melody Award for Album of the Year, and "Womxnly" won Song of the Year.[12]

Following the release of the album, Tsai launched her fifth concert tour, the Ugly Beauty World Tour, which began on December 30, 2019, in Taipei, Taiwan,[13] and concluded on August 18, 2024, in Xiamen, China.[14]

  1. ^ NOWnews今日新聞 (December 26, 2018). "蔡依林細數出道20年罪狀 淚崩談黑暗期：很值得，很不捨 | 娛樂". NOWnews今日新聞 (in Chinese). Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  2. ^ Ku, Daniel (November 27, 2018). "Jolin蔡依林新專輯《UGLY BEAUTY》，擁抱自己的陰暗醜陋面得到的反饋是美好的！". Vogue Taiwan (in Chinese). Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  3. ^ a b 蔡依林在 Apple Music 上的《Ugly Beauty》 (in Chinese), December 26, 2018, retrieved November 21, 2024
  4. ^ NOWnews今日新聞 (November 27, 2018). "蔡依林挖掘自我醜陋面 曝黑暗思考「我是不值一提的人」 | 娛樂". NOWnews今日新聞 (in Chinese). Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  5. ^ "2018十大專輯 蔡依林雙料入選！". Yahoo News (in Chinese). May 12, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "音乐头条". y.qq.com. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  7. ^ Watson, Rana Wehbe. "Forbes Asia's 100 Digital Stars". Forbes. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  8. ^ "数字专辑销售数据". y.saoju.net. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  9. ^ "歌手列表". y.saoju.net. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  10. ^ "公司橫掃13項入圍 蔡依林攬7獎怪猛的". Yahoo News (in Chinese). May 16, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  11. ^ "金曲獎入圍完整名單＼王若琳、鄧紫棋搶歌后 蔡依林拚最佳音樂錄影帶". Yahoo News (in Chinese). July 15, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  12. ^ 中央通訊社 (June 30, 2019). "包辦年度歌曲與專輯 蔡依林：更了解熱情樂趣所在 | 娛樂". 中央社 CNA (in Chinese). Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  13. ^ Ku, Daniel (September 20, 2019). "Jolin蔡依林演唱會跨年登場，紀念出道20週年「打破一切規則」". Vogue Taiwan (in Chinese). Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  14. ^ 壹蘋新聞網 (August 21, 2024). "蔡依林打破11年慣例「是我造成的，沒錯」 幕後尷尬臉曝光｜壹蘋新聞網". Nextapple (in Chinese). Retrieved November 9, 2024.