[POPCRUSH] Who Is Jane Zhang, and Why Is She in the Top 10 on iTunes?

[5201314]

 

by Bradley Stern

Source: POPCRUSH.com

 

Take a quick look at the Top 10 on iTunes at the moment, and you’ll see the usual suspects: The Chainsmokers, The Weeknd, Bruno Mars. But there’s another name floating in the bunch — and it’s a bit of a shocker: Jane Zhang, whose “Dust My Shoulders Off†featuring Timbaland, is currently sitting at the No. 8 spot.

 

Before the onslaught of “Who?†comments from trolls comes rolling in, this is a preemptive explainer.

 

Jane Zhang is a Chengdu-born 32-year-old Chinese pop singer, who initially rose to fame after competing in 2005’s Super Girl, a massively popular all-girl TV singing competition. Seriously, it was gigantic: by the finale, 400 million people were tuning in.

 

She placed third overall among the staggering 120,000 people who auditioned, singing songs like Mariah Carey‘s “Hero†and Christina Aguilera‘s “Beautiful.†Although she didn’t ultimately claim victory, her impressive voice still won her a huge following once the show ended.

 

Jane is an incredibly gifted singer: for perhaps the most impressive evidence of her vocal prowess, look no further than her jaw-dropping, scale-hopping rendition of the “Diva Dance†from The Fifth Element. (She’s earned the nickname “The Dolphin Princess†for her amazing whistle register. Just watch.)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTh98FPrEt8

 

Jane’s popularity only escalated after the show, resulting in a debut album called The One in 2006, featuring tracks recorded in both Mandarin and English, co-crafted by US producers Craig Williams and Reid Hyams. A year later, she released a follow-up, Update, and helped to record songs for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

 

By 2009, Oprah Winfrey was introducing Jane to the stage of The Oprah Winfrey Show for an incredibly rare performance from a Chinese artist on American television — in front of a seemingly impressed Simon Cowell, no less.

 

 

She’s released several more studio albums, notched double-digit hit singles and won several prestigious awards ever since, including Best Female Artist at 2013’s Top Chinese Music Awards (generally considered the Chinese Grammys) and Worldwide Act at last year’s MTV EMAs.

 

And now, it seems, she’s poised for a global takeover…with the help of someone who knows something about producing a smash.

 

Two years ago, Timbaland posted a photo with Jane in the studio on Facebook.

 

“Ohhhh im about to fk the world up with this one! My New artist from China! Her name is Jane, and she is INCREDIBLE!!!!!! Dont believe me just watch!†he wrote. (This wouldn’t be the first time Timba worked with a crossover act from Asia, either: Japanese superstar Utada Hikaru also linked up with him back in 2004 for her US debut Exodus, and Indonesia’s Agnez Mo recruited Timbaland for her “Coke Bottle†in 2014.)

 

One year later, Jane wound up on the soundtrack of Terminator Genisys with Big Sean.

 

And now, as of this month, there’s this: “Dust My Shoulders Off,†the first taste of Jane’s forthcoming English-language debut.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgbVkMwv7pc

 

The fresh and breezy, feel-good ode to sh-sh-shaking off the blues, gliding across folk-y harmonies recalling Oh Land and Timba and Jim Beanz’s knocking hip-hop beats, really doesn’t sound like anything on radio right now.

 

“The world keeps spinning, life goes on and on / I won’t cry for long,†she confidently croons across the quirky and carefree production, shrugging off all of life’s little inconveniences.

 

It’s no secret that breaking into the American market in a big way is still an all-but-impossible feat for any Asian act — from any country. (Sad, but true.)

 

We’re inching there at a snail’s pace with acts like Utada and CL, and BTS just notched the highest Korean-language debut on the Billboard 200 yet this week, but to to see Jane riding high on the Top 10 out of nowhere is an absolute unexpected delight: it’s not only a massive victory for C-Pop, but for the Asian music market as a whole.

 

Here’s hoping this is only the start of Jane’s US success story.

For more of Jane for the newly initiated, check out some of her most well-known songs and performances below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Athena]

here's apparently why

 

She and her husband and team are literally buying THOUSANDS of US iTunes accounts by the minute. They did the same thing in China too, buying thousands of copies of her own album to inflate the sales figure to fool people into thinking she's relevant. Not quite working though.

She was somewhat famous for a while in China after being on a singing competition show, but literally nobody cares about her whatsoever besides her 300 nutty stans.

 

And her Baidu Bar has some mass campign going on to use VPNs to get into US iTunes

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4816706571

 

a mess

[abra]

That's very impressive for an East Asian artist 

here's apparently why

 

 

And her Baidu Bar has some mass campign going on to use VPNs to get into US iTunes

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4816706571

 

a mess

source? 

this is hilarious if true

 

 

actually I'm pretty sure who wrote that

[Athena]

That's very impressive for an East Asian artist 

 

source? 

this is hilarious if true

 

 

actually I'm pretty sure who wrote that

got it from a couple of threads on atrl. the baidu thing especially would makes sense though. you don't just debut, leave the top 100 for hours, then randomly shoot to the top 10.

[Yankumi]

here's apparently why

 

 

And her Baidu Bar has some mass campign going on to use VPNs to get into US iTunes

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4816706571

 

a mess

 

 

where did you get that info about she and her husband buying thousands of itunes accounts from? 

 

to say that nobody cares about her except her 300 'nutty' stans is fucking absurd.

 

edit: lmao @ the source being the cesspool that is atrl

[Lol_]

I say her name on iTunes and I asked myself "who is this"

[5201314]

She was somewhat famous for a while in China after being on a singing competition show, but literally nobody cares about her whatsoever besides her 300 nutty stans.

 

Sounds like bitter BS

[OMGT]

that dust my shoulder songs sucks honestly.

 

like i doubt americans like that song that much.

 

 

terminator song is good.

[gtrm]

here's apparently why

 

 

And her Baidu Bar has some mass campign going on to use VPNs to get into US iTunes

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4816706571

 

a mess

lol which hater wrote this BS? Fans are wrong for buying her songs on iTunes now? Save the jealousy and sour grapes for somewhere else.

[memeyoongi]

that dust my shoulder songs sucks honestly.

 

like i doubt americans like that song that much.

 

 

terminator song is good.

Americans like the Chainsmokers. Nothing is below them

[Athena]

lol which hater wrote this BS? Fans are wrong for buying her songs on iTunes now? Save the jealousy and sour grapes for somewhere else.

I never said it was true lmao. idk about what's going on in China and I saw that post so I quoted it.

 

Her Chinese fans doing this violates iTunes regulations and pretty much invalidates her rank because barely any of her sales are coming from the US. Watch what happens if Billboard or iTunes or Nielsen Soundscan gets wind of it.

[gtrm]

I never said it was true lmao. idk about what's going on in China and I saw that post so I quoted it.

 

Her Chinese fans doing this violates iTunes regulations and pretty much invalidates her rank because barely any of her sales are coming from the US. Watch what happens if Billboard or iTunes or Nielsen Soundscan gets wind of it.

How does it violate iTunes regulations? Does it say anywhere you have to be physically in the US to use US iTunes.

[Athena]

How does it violate iTunes regulations? Does it say anywhere you have to be physically in the US to use US iTunes.

Um, yes it's against their terms & agreements. Also that's the whole point of country-based iTunes charts - to represent the sales in that country. You can get blocked for trying to use an iTunes store while being in another country. Now obviously a few people can bypass the system using VPNs but the majority of the time it's so irrelevant that iTunes doesn't care. However, THIS case is of mass manipulation and China doesn't even have iTunes.

[waycrispy1]

Um, yes it's against their terms & agreements. Also that's the whole point of country-based iTunes charts - to represent the sales in that country. You can get blocked for trying to use an iTunes store while being in another country. Now obviously a few people can bypass the system using VPNs but the majority of the time it's so irrelevant that iTunes doesn't care. However, THIS case is of mass manipulation and China doesn't even have iTunes.

 

Wow, Apple must be a really shitty company if it can't even prevent mass manipulation of one of the biggest music charts. 

[gtrm]

Um, yes it's against their terms & agreements. Also that's the whole point of country-based iTunes charts - to represent the sales in that country. You can get blocked for trying to use an iTunes store while being in another country. Now obviously a few people can bypass the system using VPNs but the majority of the time it's so irrelevant that iTunes doesn't care. However, THIS case is of mass manipulation and China doesn't even have iTunes.

So what could the Chinese do if they wanted to use iTunes? Show me the exact line where it says it's against their terms & agreements. Everyone knows how difficult it is for Asian stars to get promo in the US, no radio play and popular shows are also out of the question, so what if some fans want to buy from iTunes instead of a Chinese site? Not only are they supporting their fav but by charting in the top 10 itself is a kind of promotion & advertisement for the artist.  

[Athena]

So what could the Chinese do if they wanted to use iTunes? Show me the exact line where it says it's against their terms & agreements. Everyone knows how difficult it is for Asian stars to get promo in the US, no radio play and popular shows are also out of the question, so what if some fans want to buy from iTunes instead of a Chinese site? Not only are they supporting their fav but by charting in the top 10 itself is a kind of promotion & advertisement for the artist.  

They can't, simple. I'm not gonna dig through iTunes 19372763 word terms & conditions agreement just to get you a specific line that shows it's a violation. Look it up. The gist is that you are not allowed to access an iTunes store other then the one in your home country (place of residence). You agree to this contract and going against this is a violation.

 

 

What does Asian pop stars not getting enough promo in the US have to do with anything?  Doesn't mean her fans are in the right to do this. What her foreign Chinese fans are doing is a scam that devalues the charting system and doesn't show her true popularity in the US. Imagine if non-US kpop fans put in the effort to scam US iTunes like this. Plenty of kpop songs would be in the Top 100, and possibly some would get onto Billboard, but it would be illegitimate.

[gtrm]

They can't, simple. I'm not gonna dig through iTunes 19372763 word terms & conditions agreement just to get you a specific line that shows it's a violation. Look it up. The gist is that you are not allowed to access an iTunes store other then the one in your home country (place of residence). You agree to this contract and going against this is a violation.

 

 

What does Asian pop stars not getting enough promo in the US have to do with anything?  Doesn't mean her fans are in the right to do this. What her foreign Chinese fans are doing is a scam that devalues the charting system and doesn't show her true popularity in the US. Imagine if non-US kpop fans put in the effort to scam US iTunes like this. Plenty of kpop songs would be in the Top 100.

You're not going to because there isn't one. Her fans aren't in the right to do this but then again they aren't wrong either. By your definition CL placing ads on YouTube in the US and having the views earned from that count towards BB streams is also "scamming", since people didn't search for her video and willingly watch it, 30s plays gained from ads don't reflect her true popularity in the US. 

[Athena]

You're not going to because there isn't one. Her fans aren't in the right to do this but then again they aren't wrong either. By your definition CL placing ads on YouTube in the US and having the views earned from that count towards BB streams is also "scamming", since people didn't search for her video and willingly watch it and 30s plays gained from ads don't reflect her true popularity in the US. 

lmao whatever helps you sleep at night.

 

No, it isn't. CL's Youtube ad is a cheap tactic but it isn't scamming in the way that this is. The streams she got on her video are legitimate because of Youtube's view rules and therefore count on Hot 100 because guess what? They're US based. 

[gtrm]

lmao whatever helps you sleep at night.

 

No, it isn't. CL's Youtube ad is a cheap tactic but it isn't scamming in the way that this is. The streams she got on her video are legitimate because of Youtube's view rules and therefore count on Hot 100 because guess what? They're US based. 

But do they reflect her true popularity in the US? No, so it's still scamming and nowhere does it say you have to be physically in the US to use US iTunes.

[Athena]

But do they reflect her true popularity in the US? No, so it's still scamming and nowhere does it say you have to be physically in the US to use US iTunes.

That doesn't matter. "Not reflecting her true popularity" is what ultimately happens as a consequence of what fans do, it isn't a prerequisite for being considered legitimate. To be considered legitimate you need to abide by the rules.

 

Jane Zhang's sales: illegitimate/violation according to iTunes TOS and US charts

CL's Youtube views/streams: legitimate according to Youtube, Nielsen Soundscan, and US charts

 

Purchasing through US iTunes when you do not reside in the US has been a TOS violation since the conception of iTunes. The Apple help forum confirms this. The fact that you refuse to acknowledge this and the illegitimacy of it all just to defend your fave lol. 

[gtrm]

That doesn't matter. "Not reflecting her true popularity" is what ultimately happens as a consequence of what fans do, it isn't a prerequisite for being considered legitimate. To be considered legitimate you need to abide by the rules.

 

Jane Zhang's sales: illegitimate/violation according to iTunes TOS and US charts

CL's Youtube views/streams: legitimate according to Youtube, Nielsen Soundscan, and US charts

 

Purchasing through US iTunes when you do not reside in the US has been a TOS violation since the conception of iTunes. The Apple help forum confirms this. The fact that you refuse to acknowledge this and the illegitimacy of it all just to defend your fave lol. 

The fact you keep saying it's against the rules with nothing to back it up lol no idea why some kfans are being sour. If reflecting one's true popularity doesn't matter and CL charting on BB through YouTube ads isn't devaluing Hot 100 explain how this is.

[Athena]

The fact you keep saying it's against the rules with nothing to back it up lol no idea why some kfans are being sour. If reflecting one's true popularity doesn't matter and CL charting on BB through YouTube ads isn't devaluing Hot 100 explain how this is.

Since you're so pressed:

 

 

The iTunes Service is available to you only in the ___________ , its territories, and possessions. You agree not to use or attempt to use the iTunes Service from outside these locations. Apple may use technologies to verify your compliance.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3958601?tstart=0

 

This is found in the user agreement for every nation that has an iTunes store. Plenty of people have had their accounts terminated over this.

 

As for the rest, I'm not explaining all over that again. It's like talking to a brick wall with you.

 

And I'm not sour, never heard of this girl until three days ago. This whole situation is just funny.

[gtrm]

Since you're so pressed:

 

 

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3958601?tstart=0

 

This is found in the user agreement for every nation that has an iTunes store. Plenty of people have had their accounts terminated over this.

 

As for the rest, I'm not explaining all over that again. It's like talking to a brick wall with you.

 

And I'm not sour, never heard of this girl until three days ago. This whole situation is just funny.

Except the quotes aren't what the actual terms state

 

"Our Services are available for your use in your country of residence (“Home Countryâ€). To use our Services, you need compatible hardware, software (latest version recommended and sometimes required) and Internet access (fees may apply). Our Services’ performance may be affected by these factors."

 

Again I don't see anywhere it states you need to be physically in the US to use US iTunes.

Funny how? Is CL charting on BB funny to you as well? 

[Athena]

Except the quotes aren't what the actual terms state

 

"Our Services are available for your use in your country of residence (“Home Countryâ€). To use our Services, you need compatible hardware, software (latest version recommended and sometimes required) and Internet access (fees may apply). Our Services’ performance may be affected by these factors."

 

Again I don't see anywhere it states you need to be physically in the US to use US iTunes.

Funny how? Is CL charting on BB funny to you as well? 

Because this one was updated to summarize everything. iTunes used to have an in-depth 56 page TOS.

 

But yes, the the link I gave you is the US TOS and it literally says in the quote that the services are only available to you in your home country (the US).

 

Also:

 

"Terms found in this Agreement that relate to Services, Content types, features or functionality not available in your Home Country are not applicable to you unless and until they become available to you. To see the Content types available to you in your Home Country, go to the Services"

 

"This Agreement governs your use of Apple’s services (“Servicesâ€), through which you can buy, get, license, rent or subscribe to media, apps (“Appsâ€), and other in-app services (“Contentâ€). "

 

iTunes doesn't allow their content in China and it doesn't in South Korea either. You cannot use their service.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204411

 

If you were allowed to use the US iTunes store or any other iTunes store outside of that country you wouldn't need a VPN just to access it  and claim you are from the US now would you? You need to provide a proper billing address and phone number and if it's not in the US or any other country, you won't be allowed to use it.

[gtrm]

Because this one was updated to summarize everything. iTunes used to have an in-depth 56 page TOS.

 

But yes, the the link I gave you is the US TOS and it literally says in the quote that the services are only available to you in your home country (the US).

 

Also:

 

"Terms found in this Agreement that relate to Services, Content types, features or functionality not available in your Home Country are not applicable to you unless and until they become available to you. To see the Content types available to you in your Home Country, go to the Services"

 

iTunes doesn't even exist in China and it doesn't in South Korea either. You cannot use their service.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204411

It does not say "only available" to you in your home country, read the original posted terms again, nor does the paragraph you quoted have anything to do with the topic. The last paragraph is on content availability in your home country's version of iTunes however it does not say you cannot use US iTunes in another country.