Controversial Chinese singer Jane Zhang may have the opportunity to rise outside China. The music video of her new song, “Dust Off My Shoulder,” ahead of its official release in April, has more than 6.4 million views on YouTube a month after its release.
Known for her wide vocal range and ability to hit very high notes, earning her the nickname “Dolphin Princess,” Jane Zhang was at the center of a controversy in October when her mother, Zhang Guiying, published an open letter to her daughter. The letter expressed her anger at knowing about Jane’s wedding to fiancé Michael Feng, CEO of Show City Times and her manager. The family later settled the problem.
In 2005, Jane was the second runner-up in “Super Girl,” a TV singing contest in China. Since then, she has launched albums and performed overseas, including a guesting stint on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
Timbaland produced the music video of “Dust My Shoulder Off,” BBC reported. However, it was her company that spent $4 million to produce the album, according to China.org.
Besides its impressive YouTube debut, the song made it to the top five in iTunes chart which is a first for a Chinese artist. The popularity of the song could perhaps be because it targets English-speaking audience, although the video – with its surreal images combined with rural sceneries – could be understood by people from different cultures.
The video was shot for 48 hours straight with Jane being painted all over during its production. Because the makeup was painful to remove, she suffered swollen face at the end of the second painting. The music video stood out because it distinguished Jane from other Chinese artists who always look sexy or beautiful and with very clean dance moves.
In November, Jane released “Battle Field,” a new English song and its promotional video for “The Great Wall” movie which opened on Tuesday.