Play () is the thirteenth studio album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai, released on November 15, 2014, by Warner. The album features a rich variety of musical styles and covers diverse themes, with production by Starr Chen, Andrew Chen, Tiger Chung, JJ Lin, and Michael Lin.
In Taiwan, the album sold over 85,000 copies, making it the fourth best-selling album of 2014 and the top-selling album by a female artist that year. Play received ten nominations at the Golden Melody Awards, becoming one of the most-nominated albums in the award's history. It ultimately won Best Mandarin Album and Best Vocal Recording Album, while Andrew Chen earned the Best Single Producer Award for his work on the track "Lip Reading".
Following the album's release, Tsai launched her fifth concert tour, the Play World Tour, which began on May 22, 2015, in Taipei, Taiwan, and concluded on July 16, 2016, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Background and development On April 13, 2013, Tsai revealed that she had begun preparations for a new album. On July 25, 2013, she traveled to London for a month-long training program focused on music, dance, and performance. On November 22, 2013, she shared that the album was still in the song selection phase. On January 29, 2014, media reports indicated that Tsai would take full creative control of the album's production, with potential for international collaborations. The production budget was reported to exceed NT$50 million.
On April 4, 2014, it was reported that the album was expected to be released in the summer and might include tracks co-written by Tsai herself. By June 10, 2014, she had already recorded three songs for the album, but decided to re-record them in search of better interpretation. On September 5, 2014, Tsai announced that the album was nearing completion and scheduled for release by the end of the year.
Writing and production
The lead single, "Play", features lyrics that humorously reflect the absurd yet all-too-real aspects of modern life, encouraging listeners to find joy amid the chaos. The second single, "The Third Person and I", explores how people often cope with hardship by emotionally distancing themselves, pretending it has nothing to do with them. "Medusa" was the most time-consuming production on the album. It took two years of licensing negotiations and rearrangements to complete, blending dance-pop with trap music. "We're All Different, Yet the Same" is rooted in R&B and addresses themes of diverse families and marriage equality. Inspired by a true story, lyricist Albert Leung noted that love should be a right, not merely an abstract belief. "Gentlewomen" fuses noise rock with alternative dance music. Inspired by Simone de Beauvoir's book The Second Sex, the lyrics use "one" and "zero" to symbolize the power of femininity.
"Lip Reading" was inspired by Marilyn Monroe and incorporates trip-hop beats with theatrical elements, conveying the nuanced emotional world of women. "I'm Not Yours" is a collaboration between Tsai and Namie Amuro, blending electronic dance with elements of dubstep. "I Love, I Embrace" is a soft rock track that encourages self-acceptance and fearlessness in the face of judgment. "Phony Queen" served as the theme for the online game We Dancing Online DX and combines house music with satirical lyrics that comment on society's growing obsession with mobile phones. "Miss Trouble" fuses opera with trap music, featuring Tsai performing coloratura soprano vocals in a humorous portrayal of modern internet culture.
Title and artwork
The album title Play carries multiple meanings such as script, performance, and role-playing. Tsai explained that the title reflects her recent insights about life—she sees life as a grand stage where, although we can't choose the roles we're born into, we can rewrite our stories through effort and resilience.
The "Actress Edition", one of the album's pre-order versions, features Tsai on the cover wearing a sheer red ombré trench coat by The Blonds, paired with voluminous golden curls. The accompanying photo booklet also showcases pieces from the same designer, and the visuals were shot by Marko Krunic, emphasizing a dramatic, theatrical aesthetic. In the "Medusa Edition", Tsai dons a custom-made Medusa-inspired outfit by Versace—marking the first time Versace has tailored a design for an Asian artist. The cover and booklet images were shot by Wing Shya and CK Chan, respectively.
The standard edition's cover and photo booklet were photographed by renowned visual artist Chen Man, with fashion direction by stylist Wyman Wong. The photo themes include "Sexy Playful Child", "Angry Good Girl", and "Vintage Lady Spy". Outfits featured include an oversized suit by Comme des Garçons, a deep green embroidered tulle gown by Valentino, and a black leather maxi skirt by Lanvin. The packaging, designed by Aaron Nieh, embraces a minimalist style with a bold all-black background and stylized typography. The album's booklet consists of six double-sided full-color posters. Additionally, the deluxe edition of the album features a new set of visuals, also shot by Chen Man with styling by Wyman Wong.
Release and promotion On October 17, 2014, Warner announced that Tsai's new album would be available for pre-order starting October 29, with an official release date set for November 15. On October 28, 2014, Tsai held a pre-order press conference in Taipei, where she revealed that the album would be released in two versions: the "Actress Edition" and the "Medusa Edition". She also announced the launch of an accompanying online reality series titled The Play Project. On November 10, 2014, she hosted an exclusive preview session for the new album in Taipei. On November 20, 2014, a press conference for the album was held in Beijing. Tsai then staged the Play Concert in Taipei on December 7, 2014. Later that month, on December 27, 2014, the five-episode reality series The Play Project premiered on YouTube. On February 6, 2015, Tsai released the deluxe edition of the album, which included nine additional music videos.
Singles
On October 27, 2014, Tsai released the single "Play". The following day, she unveiled the lyric video for the song. On November 2, 2014, she premiered the official music video, accompanied by a promotional event held at the National Taiwan Museum in Taipei. Directed by Muh Chen, the video had a production budget exceeding NT$8 million. It topped the weekly charts on YinYueTai's V Chart and QQ Music's Mandarin music video chart and was ranked the most viewed music video on YouTube Taiwan for 2014. The video also received high praise from Time magazine in the U.S. and GQ magazine in Spain. On November 8, 2014, Tsai released a dance version of the music video.
On November 10, she released the single "The Third Person and I". Its music video, directed by Fu Tien-yu and featuring actress Carina Lau, premiered on November 13. This video also reached number one on YinYueTai's V Chart weekly rankings. Additionally, both "Play" and "The Third Person and I" ranked number one and number eight, respectively, on Taiwan's Hit FM Top 100 Singles of 2014, making Tsai one of the artists with the most number one hits on the chart.
Music videos
On September 29, 2014, Tsai released the music video for the song "Phony Queen", directed by Jeff Chang, with a production budget exceeding NT$6 million. On October 30, 2014, she premiered the music video for "Medusa", directed by Jennifer Wu. On December 16, 2014, Tsai unveiled the music video for "We're All Different, Yet the Same", produced by Leste Chen and directed by Hou Chi-jan, featuring actors Grace Guei, Ruby Lin, and Bryan Chang. The video, inspired by a true story, explores themes of diverse families and marriage equality, receiving international media coverage from El País (Spain), Gay Star News (UK), and AfterEllen (USA). On December 30, 2014, the music video for "Gentlewomen", co-directed by Scott Beardslee and Kitt Lin, was released.
On January 20, 2015, Tsai released the music video for "Lip Reading", co-directed by Thomas Wyatt and Edwin Eversole. On February 3, 2015, she released the music video for "I'm Not Yours", directed by Muh Chen and starring Namie Amuro. The storyline was adapted from the Tang dynasty literary work Third Lady of Plank Bridge Inn by Xue Yusi, and the video was filmed at the Wufeng Lin Family Mansion and Garden in Taichung. This video ranked sixth on Taiwan's 2015 YouTube most-viewed music video chart. On February 6, 2015, Tsai released the music video for "I Love, I Embrace", also directed by Thomas Wyatt and Edwin Eversole. The music video for "Miss Trouble", directed by Michael Sun, was reportedly shelved due to the singer's dissatisfaction with the final outcome.
Live performances
On November 22, 2014, Tsai participated in the recording of the CCTV variety show Global Chinese Music and performed the songs "Medusa" and "The Third Person and I". On December 20, 2014, she appeared on the TVB variety show The Voice 4, where she performed the song "Play". On December 31, 2014, Tsai participated in the New Year's Eve Concert organized by CTS, where she performed "Medusa", "The Third Person and I", "We're All Different, Yet the Same", and "Play". On February 8, 2015, Tsai attended the 10th KKBox Music Awards, where she performed "I'm Not Yours", "Medusa", and "Play". On February 12, 2015, she took part in the CCTV Web New Year's Gala, where she performed "Phone Queen" and "I'm Not Yours".
On March 25, 2015, Tsai performed at the 2015 QQ Music Awards, singing "The Third Person and I", "We're All Different, Yet the Same", "I'm Not Yours", and "Play". On May 31, 2015, she appeared at the 2015 Hito Music Awards, where she performed "I'm Not Yours", "Phone Queen", and "Play". On November 10, 2015, she participated in the Tmall Double 11 Carnival Night, where she performed "Medusa" and "I'm Not Yours". On December 2, 2015, Tsai performed at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards, where she sang "Play". On December 31, 2015, she took part in the New Year's Eve Concert hosted by Jiangsu TV, where she performed "I'm Not Yours" and "Play".
Touring
On October 29, 2014, Tsai revealed plans to begin preparing a new concert tour following the release of her album, emphasizing that the upcoming tour would place greater focus on the musical experience. On February 15, 2015, she officially announced that the Play World Tour would kick off on May 22, 2015 at the Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan. The tour was produced in collaboration with Live Nation and co-directed by Travis Payne and Stacy Walker. The tour concluded on July 16, 2016, at the Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Spanning one year and two months, the Play World Tour visited 23 cities worldwide, staging 34 shows and drawing an audience of over 600,000, with total ticket sales surpassing NT$1.5 billion.
Commercial performance The album achieved the number one position on the weekly sales charts of major Taiwanese retailers, including Books.com.tw, Eslite Bookstore, Kuang Nan, Chia Chyun Records, G-Music, and Five Music. It also topped the sales charts on YesAsia and Singapore's HMV. By December 31, 2014, the album had sold over 63,837 copies in Taiwan, ranking fourth overall on Taiwan's annual album sales chart and first among female artists. In the same year, it placed third, fifth, third, and third respectively on the annual sales charts of Books.com.tw, Kuang Nan, G-Music, and Five Music. In 2015, the album continued to perform strongly, ranking tenth and fifteenth on the annual sales charts of Kuang Nan and Five Music, respectively.
Critical reception