Gentleman (EP)

{{Infobox album

| name = Gentleman

| type = EP

| artist = Joker Xue

| cover = Gentleman (EP).jpg

| border =

| alt =

| released = {{Start date|2015|6|5}}

| recorded = 2015

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Mandopop

| length = {{Duration|m=14|s=16}}

| label =

Ocean Butterflies
Chaoshi Music{{Cite web |title=阔景音乐官方微博 |trans-title=Grand Vista Music Group Official Weibo |url=https://weibo.com/n/%E9%98%94%E6%99%AF%E9%9F%B3%E4%B9%90 |access-date=June 16, 2024 |website=Weibo |language=zh}}

| producer = Joker Xue

| prev_title = An Unexpected Journey

| prev_year = 2013

| next_title = Half

| next_year = 2015

}}

Gentleman ({{zh|c=|s=绅士}}) is the first extended play by Chinese singer-songwriter Joker Xue. It was released on June 5, 2015, by Ocean Butterflies and later acquired by Xue's own label Chaoshi Music.{{Cite web |title=《绅士》专辑介绍 |trans-title="Gentleman" Album Details |url=https://music.163.com/#/album?id=3154175 |access-date=June 19, 2024 |website=NetEase Music |language=zh}}

Background

It took Xue nineteen months to complete The Gentleman while traveling between Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei.{{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}} He chose the EP format because he felt that, often, when a full album is released, people only listen to songs that were released as singles and ignore the rest of the album. A lot of hard work went into creating an album and he'd like each song to be heard, so the plan, Xue shared, to release three songs first, then three more, and finally the entire album.{{Cite web |date=June 12, 2015 |title=薛之谦：演戏开店赚钱是为了做音乐 |trans-title=Xue Zhiqian: I act and open businesses in order to fund making music |url=https://ent.sina.cn/music/yneidi/2015-06-12/detail-ifxczyze9442165.d.html |website=Sina Entertainment |language=zh}} He advised against buying the album as it only contained three songs and not a good value proposition. He recommended listening to it for free online first and purchasing the full album but only if you liked the songs.{{Cite web |date=December 11, 2018 |title=为什么薛之谦的歌都是免费的, 薛之谦做出了回应 |trans-title=Why are Joker Xue's songs free? Joker Xue responded |url=https://k.sina.cn/article_5254912337_13937995102700du5x.html |website=Sina |language=zh}}

Gentleman contains three singles with music videos accompanying each song, which were written, composed, and produced by Xue himself. The inspiration for "Gentleman" is the choice between being lost lovers who have no contact with each other or maintaining a careful distance, with the conclusion that a gentleman of unrequited love is the most difficult role to play. "Actor" expresses the wish of {{qi|if you no longer love me, please express it openly}} and outlines the roles one acts out as a relationship is near its end. "It's Raining" uses its melody and lyrics to create a melancholic atmosphere that portrays the {{qi|heavy downpour inside the hearts of those who have lost their loves}}.

Reception

Gentleman not only ranked in the top spot on many Chinese music charts across streaming platforms, radio, and music shows but also received praise from critics.{{Cite web |date=June 24, 2015 |title=盘薛之谦EP《绅士》多榜夺冠 "逗比段子"圈粉读者狂增 |trans-title=Xue Zhiqian's EP "Gentleman" won the first place in many charts, and his "funny jokes" attracted fans rapidly |url=http://news.yule.com.cn/html/201506/199928.html |website=China Entertainment Network |language=zh}} Xue's unique "Xue Style Love Song" sound is present throughout the EP, with his interpretation of heartbreak and longing expressed in a poetic way.{{Cite web |date=May 21, 2015 |title=薛之谦新单《绅士》首发赴台湾抢时录音 |trans-title=Xue Zhiqian releases new single "Gentleman" and goes to Taiwan to record |url=https://ent.sina.com.cn/y/yneidi/2015-05-21/doc-iavxeafs7851848.shtml |website=Sina Entertainment |language=zh}} His vocals were considered to have evolved from the lyrical R&B style in his early days, now richer and more layered.{{Cite web |date=July 12, 2021 |title=盘点：薛之谦那些年"烂大街"的三首歌 |trans-title=Taking Inventory: Three songs by Xue Zhiqian that were "popular in the streets" in those years |url=https://www.163.com/dy/article/GEN9QKUC0552ANN0.html |website=NetEase |language=zh}}

"Actor", in particular, 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 and more than 27 million collection counts on QQ Music.{{Citation |title=薛之謙【演員】官方完整版 MV |trans-title=Joker Xue "Actor" Official MV |date=June 8, 2015 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKuL5xaKZHM |archive-date=2024-12-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241211194011/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKuL5xaKZHM |url-status=dead |language=zh}}{{Cite web |title="Actor" 演员 on Spotify |url=https://open.spotify.com/track/6LunoYd3xpZ19sICOXS8Xd?si=5ade196d37254805 |access-date=June 19, 2024 |website=Spotify |language=zh}}{{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=Song collection exceeds 10 million" list: Xue Zhiqian first, Jay Chou second, Cai Xukun last |url=https://www.sohu.com/a/455347170_100224031 |website=Sohu |language=zh}} It is considered Xue's signature song.{{cite news |last=Ang |first=Benson |title=The 5 'Jewels' of Mandopop: China's Joker Xue is the newly minted gem |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/the-5-jewels-of-mandopop-china-s-joker-xue-is-the-newly-minted-gem |website=The Straits Times |date=January 3, 2024}}

On Tencent Music's annual physical album sales chart, launched in 2021, Gentleman continued to appear on the chart, ranking 64th in 2023, 70th in 2024, and 64th in 2025.{{Cite web |title=腾讯音乐实体专辑榜 |trans-title=Tencent Music Physical Album Sales Chart |url=https://yobang.tencentmusic.com/chart/physical-album/ |access-date=April 23, 2025 |website=Tencent Music |language=zh}}