A toast to everlasting and unchanging friendship to EXO
Los Angeles, CA – The global pop star, LAY (Lay Zhang) has delighted his army of fans with his newest single release, “JIU”, available now on all streaming platforms. The occasion today is the 10th anniversary of Lay Zhang’s debut. The artist commemorates these years when he worked with his EXO brothers with this song. He wrote the song to celebrate this milestone as a toast to his brothers, and his fans hoping to see a better future.
Over the past few years, LAY has dropped a series of hit songs and an album in 2020, shooting the talented musician to worldwide fame as a solo artist. Known for his charismatic personality and hypnotizing voice, “JIU” falls nothing short of the high expectations that have been set by both himself and his followers. LAY’s most recent release was a global collaboration with American hip-hop artist 24kGoldn on the single “Dawn to Dusk,” which received over 2 million streams on Spotify alone.
Opening up with short yet heartfelt conversations between him and his former members from EXO, a South-Korean mega-band, “JIU” instantly sets a tone of nostalgia and reminiscence. Each sincere conversation and member’s sincere call of his name is a representation of the love and care LAY and his brothers so strongly share with each other. LAY’s pure and mesmerizing voice along with the R&B tune in the background continue the reminiscing theme with simple drumbeats and soothing flow.
With elegant, symbolic lyrics, LAY cleverly plays with the word “JIU” to draw a connection between wine and eternity. Centered around the concept of time and eternity, this story is a serenade of one’s life journey, eternal love, and perpetuity. The song is produced by LAY and is noticeable with his lyrical R&B melody. The lyrics such as “I have a glass of wine/Toast to our passion forever” is a testament to the profound impact of friendship between the EXO brothers and hits the heart of fans.
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LAY has been on a whirlwind the last two years after joining forces with Steve Aoki and will.i.am for the 2020 hit cross-cultural collaboration Love You More, reaching #1 on the QQ Music China chart. He then released a string of hits with an album, an EP, and solo singles overseas further propelling his international star power. He has been and continues to be a household name in Asia.
He is one of the most beloved stars in the region with a loyal and highly engaged 51 million followers on Weibo and over 13.9 million followers on Instagram. As a solo artist, LAY’s career has skyrocketed from tremendous success becoming the highest-ranked Mandopop star on Billboard 200 chart and the first Chinese artist to enter the iTunes Top 60 in the US with his third solo album NAMANANA. Outside of music, he is a powerhouse in the acting world of TV and film, hosted multiple top-rated reality shows in Asia, and is one of the most awarded artists in China.
In 2020, LAY released the hit album LIT and its title track of the same name. The digital album made over 30 million yuan in just 7 minutes 19 seconds after its release on QQ Music in China. In 2021, he released an EP EAST that featured his renowned “M-POP” style telling a story of LAY’s spiritual growth in his career using oriental elements and symbolic identities.