Actor (song)
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Actor
| cover = Promotional Poster for Actor by Joker Xue.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Joker Xue
| album = {{hlist|Gentleman|Beginner}}
| released = {{Start date|2015|06|05}}
| recorded = 2015
| language = {{hlist|Mandarin}}
| studio =
| border = yes
| length = {{Duration|m=4|s=21}}
| label = {{hlist|Ocean Butterflies|Chaoshi}}
| writer = Joker Xue
| producer = Zhao Yingjun
| prev_title = How Are You
| prev_year = 2007
| next_title = Beginner
| next_year = 2016
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|XaN3kUz4KSw|"Actor"}}}}
}}
"Actor" (Chinese: 演员; pinyin: Yǎnyuán) is a song by Chinese singer-songwriter Joker Xue.{{Cite web |title=演员 – 由薛之谦演唱 |trans-title=Actor – Performed by Joker Xue |url=https://music.apple.com/cn/album/%E6%BC%94%E5%91%98/1787929823?i=1787929825 |access-date=April 21, 2025 |website=Apple Music}} It was released on June 5, 2015, as part of his first extended play (EP) Gentleman (2015) then later included on his seventh studio album Beginner (2016) under Ocean Butterflies; both of which have been acquired by Xue's own label Chaoshi Music.{{Cite web |title=《绅士》专辑介绍 |url=https://music.163.com/#/album?id=3154175 |access-date=June 19, 2024 |publisher=NetEase Music |language=zh}}{{Cite web |title=《初学者》专辑介绍 |trans-title="Beginner" Album |url=https://music.163.com/#/album?id=34780271 |access-date=April 21, 2025 |website=NetEase Music |language=zh}} The song was written and composed by Xue.
"Actor" is Xue's best-known song both domestically and internationally, with more than 200 million views on YouTube, more than 100 million streams on Spotify{{Cite web |title="Actor" 演员 on Spotify |url=https://open.spotify.com/track/6LunoYd3xpZ19sICOXS8Xd?si=5ade196d37254805 |access-date=April 21, 2025 |website=Spotify}} and more than 27 million collection counts on QQ Music.{{Cite web |date=March 12, 2021 |title=歌曲收藏量破千万"榜单：薛之谦第一，周杰伦第二，蔡徐坤垫底 |trans-title=The song collection volume exceeds 10 million "list: Xue Zhiqian first, Jay Chou second, Cai Xukun third |url=https://www.sohu.com/a/455347170_100224031 |website=Sohu |language=zh}} It is a staple in the setlist for Xue's three concert tours: I Think I've Seen You Somewhere Tour (2017), Skyscraper World Tour (2018-2019), and Extraterrestrial World Tour (2021-2025).
In 2015, "Actor" ranked first on KuGou Music's Top 500 list from Week 22 to Week 45{{Cite web |title=薛之谦最经典的十首歌排行榜 |url=https://www.paihang.com.cn/rank/1712.html |access-date=January 25, 2025 |website=paihang.com |language=zh}} and on Global Chinese Music chart in June.{{Cite web |date=June 22, 2015 |title=《全球中文音乐榜上榜》 20150622 嗨! 榜上榜 |trans-title=Global Chinese Music Chart 202150622 Hi! On the chart |url=https://tv.cctv.com/2015/06/22/VIDE1434957243255690.shtml |website=CCTV |language=zh}} In 2018, "Actor" ranked 9th on UFM100.3's U1000 Music Countdown of the top 1,000 Mandarin songs.{{Cite web |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/concert-review-joker-xue-shows-vocal-chops-and-funny-side-in-first-singapore |date=November 18, 2018 |last=Chan |first=Boon |title=Concert review: Joker Xue shows vocal chops and funny side in first Singapore concert |website=The Straits Times}}
Background
The Gentleman, on which "Actor" is the second track, took 19 months to complete.{{Cite web |date=June 8, 2015 |title=薛之谦全创作EP《绅士》网易云音乐首播 |trans-title=Xue Zhiqian's all-original EP "Gentleman" premieres on NetEase Cloud Music |url=https://www.163.com/ent/article/ARIVKTSA00031H0O.html |website=NetEase |language=zh}} Xue said the inspiration for the song was the wish that {{qi|in front of love, I am not an 'actor' but I hope to be a 'gentleman.'}}{{Cite web |date=June 2, 2015 |title=薛之谦《演员》预告片公布 续写深情伤感 |trans-title=Xue Zhiqian's trailer for "Actor" released, continuing the sentimental story |url=https://ent.sina.cn/music/yneidi/2015-06-02/detail-icpkqeaz6460239.d.html |website=Sina |language=zh}}
Music video
The music video for "Actor" was directed by Shockley Huang and starred Xue and Bae Seul-ki as the male and female leads. It tells the story of a couple who were once in love but now she is only pretending her feelings for him, like an actor on stage. Aware of this, he pretends to be cruel so she can leave without regret. As he watches her leave, a tear dripped down his cheek that becomes a raindrop.
To capture the atmosphere of the song, the music video incorporated elements that portray the male protagonist's inner emotions, such as "raining indoor" and the "rewinding" the relationship.{{Cite web |date=June 8, 2015 |title=薛之谦全创作EP发布 主打歌《演员》曝MV |trans-title=Xue Zhiqian's EP released, title song "Actor" MV is available |url=https://ent.sina.cn/music/yneidi/2015-06-08/detail-icrvvpzq2112335.d.html?from=wap |website=Sina |language=zh}}
Accolades
"Actor" won Hottest Song of the Year at KuGou Music Awards{{Cite web |date=January 17, 2017 |title=酷狗年度大奖出炉, 薛之谦化身"双料王" |url=https://ent.cnr.cn/gd/20170117/t20170117_523496921.shtml |website=China National Radio |language=zh}} and Top Hit of the Year at Music Radio China Top Chart Awards.{{Cite web |date=June 22, 2017 |title=华语流行乐坛至高荣耀 中央人民广播电台"2016年度MusicRadio携程旅行 中国TOP排行榜颁奖盛典"隆重举行 |url=https://www.sohu.com/a/151108044_577770 |website=Sohu |language=zh}} It was also named among the Top 10 Songs of the Year at Migu Music Awards{{Cite web |title=Moto第十届音乐盛典咪咕汇圆满落幕 最强华语乐坛阵容闪耀魔都不眠夜 |url=http://news.mshishang.com/a/20161204/163676.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20191228182355/https://news.mshishang.com/a/20161204/163676.html |archive-date=December 28, 2019 |access-date=December 23, 2016 |website=China Style |language=zh}} and MTV Global Chinese Music Festival.{{Cite web |title=MTV Taiwan 新聞 MTV全球華語音樂盛典 公告延期舉行 |url=http://www.mtv.com.tw/news_detail.php?d=6682 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217043657/http://www.mtv.com.tw/news_detail.php?d=6682 |archive-date=February 17, 2019 |access-date=June 22, 2017 |website=MTV Taiwan |language=zh}} "Actor" was also a Song of the Year nominee at the 2017 CMIC Music Awards.{{Cite web |date=July 20, 2017 |title=CMA 2017 |url=http://www.cmicawards.org.cn/#/cma/old/2017 |website=CMIC Official Website |language=zh}}
Cover versions
In 2016, "Actor" was covered by Li Jiage on season 1 of the Chinese version of Mask Singer{{Cite web |date=October 16, 2016 |title=蒙面唱將猜猜猜第一季 第5期 (Live) |trans-title=Guess the Masked Singer Season 1 Episode 5 (Live) |url=https://music.apple.com/hk/song/%E6%BC%94%E5%93%A1-live/1653356973 |website=Apple Music}} and Hebe Tien on season 1 of Sound of My Dream.{{Cite web |date=December 23, 2016 |title=田馥甄改编《演员》 羽泉沉寂两周终开嗓 |trans-title=Hebe Tien remakes "Actors" and Yu Quan finally sings after two weeks of silence |url=https://ent.sina.cn/zy/2016-12-23/detail-ifxyxusa4915971.d.html |website=Sina |language=zh}} In 2017, a duet version of "Actor" was released by Kenny Khoo and Rose Liu{{Cite web |date=March 21, 2017 |title=薛之謙《演員》男女對唱爆好聽! |trans-title=The duet version of Xue Zhiqian's "Actor" is so good! |url=https://star.ettoday.net/news/889241 |website=ET Today |language=zh}} and Sammi Cheng covered "Actor" during her Nude Live concerts in Taipei and Beijing.{{Cite web |date=May 28, 2017 |title=郑秀文"裸"音乐会在京举行 大秀港式儿化音 |trans-title=Sammi Cheng's "Naked" concert held in Beijing, showing off Hong Kong-style music |url=https://ent.sina.cn/music/ygangtai/2017-05-28/detail-ifyfqvmh9357960.d.html?from=wap |website=Sina |language=zh}}
Credits and personnel
- Joker Xue – vocals, lyrics, composition
- Zhao Yingjun – production, background vocals
- Zheng Wei, Zhang Baoyu – arrangement
- Shockley Huang – director
Release history
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Release dates and formats ! scope="col" |Region ! scope="col" |Date ! scope="col" |Format ! scope="col" |Label |
| scope="row" |Various
| June 5, 2015 |{{hlist|Digital download|streaming |
|---|
|Ocean Butterflies
|}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Joker Xue}}