Electronic Dreams

Taking time out from his 22PLUS Asia Tour, singer Eric Chou shares with Men’s Folio his journey of musical self-expression.

- Wilson Lim

Eric Chou earned his reputation as the new-gen prince of Mandopop with his first two albums, but he soon made a stylistic swerve into EDM territory with The Chaos After You. “I wanted to tell my fans what the future ‘Eric Chou’ is going to be,” says the crooner of his third album. While it may be too early to tell if the electronic infusion will come to redefine his signature ballads, it is refreshing to see Chou cast off his saccharine charm for some surefire swag; for the young artist, “being able to dance and vibe to my own music is fun and enjoyable, rather than always standing still and singing!”

It has been about a year since we last had you on our cover. What have you been up to?

I guess life has been moving at a very fast pace. I just turned 23, and besides touring my new concert 22PLUS, I am about to finish filming a reality TV performance show in China. It is my first time [doing such a show], and it was challenging because we had to come up with a new song every couple of weeks. That meant writing lyrics and melodies and doing arrangements while I was touring, so there was a lot of pressure.

Let’s talk about your latest album. How would you describe it?

I wanted to tell my fans what the future “Eric Chou” is going to be. The third album for every artist is important because it represents your brand, your style, and where your passion in music lies. For me, it is not going to have traditional ballads like in my first two albums; you are going to hear a lot of EDM.

Which is something we’ve picked up.