The Crossing () is the eighth album by Chinese singer-songwriter Joker Xue. It was released on November 28, 2017, by Huayu World Expo and later acquired by Xue's own label Chaoshi Music.
Background The concept behind The Crossing is a reflection of life and living as one crosses from childhood to adulthood, from one role to the next, and from yesterday to today. This album marks a shift in Xue's music from emotional ballads about heartbreak to examinations and critique of the darker side of human nature.
Composition Of the ten tracks on the album, Xue composed music for five tracks and wrote lyrics for nine tracks. The only song he did not participate in creating was "Camel" which was written by Gan Shijia and composed by Guo Ding, both had collaborated with Xue on Several Of..., An Unexpected Journey, and Beginner.
Xue has stated that "Noble", a song exploring the twistedness of values and emotions under societal pressures, is one of the song he's satisfied with. Despite many people thinking he was writing about himself, he clarified that it is about "a group of people who are in pain."
"The Crossing" is a cover version of "Here She Comes Again" by the Norwegian electronic music duo Röyksopp. Xue penned the Chinese lyrics, sharing "insights into his life experiences and his analysis of himself" to the audience through his words.
There are three original soundtrack songs on this album: "Like the Wind" for the historical drama series I Will Never Let You Go, "The Martian Has Come" for season two of the variety show "Mars Intelligence Agency", and "I'm Afraid" for the drama series "Boy Hood".
Reception The Crossing was the top-selling album on YinYueTai in mainland China in 2017. "Ambiguous" ranked tenth on KuGou Music's Top 500 list in August 2017.
On TME Physical Album Annual Sales Chart, launched in 2021, The Crossing continued to appear top 50 despite being released years ago, ranking 38th in 2023, 43th in 2024, and ranked 44th in 2025.
This album signified a breakthrough in Xue's musical style, shifting away from the "Xue Style Love Songs" he was known and sometimes critiqued for. The Crossing, with songs of different styles such as "Animal World", "Camel", "Noble", "I'm Afraid", and "The Martian Has Come", told a "a grand urban fable."
Track listing
Accolades + Awards and nominations Award Year Category Nominee Result Enchanting Dragon and Tiger Chart醉心龙虎榜 2017 Top Hit of the Year年度顶尖金曲 "Animal World" Freshasia Music Awards亚洲新歌榜年度盛典 2017 Music Video of the Year年度MV "Animal World" Global Chinese Music Awards全球华语歌曲排行榜颁奖典礼 2017 Top 20 Hits of the Year年度二十大金曲奖 "I'm Afraid" Migu Music Awards音乐盛典咪咕汇2017 Album of the Year年度最佳专辑 The Crossing Top 10 Hits of the Year年度十大金曲 "Noble" China Music Awards全球华语音乐榜中榜颁奖典礼 2018 Best Album (Mainland)最佳专辑(内地) The Crossing Chinese Top Ten Music Awards东方风云榜颁奖典礼 2018 Top 10 Hits of the Year年度十大金曲 "Ambiguous" Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards全球流行音乐金榜颁奖典礼2018 Canadian Chinese Radio Top Artist加拿大中文电台点播冠军"Animal World" Top 20 Hits of the Year年度二十大金曲 Q China Annual Music Ceremony Q China 年度音乐盛典 2019 Best Album of the Year 年度最佳专辑 The Crossing
References