| Beginner | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Joker Xue |
| Border: | yes |
| Recorded: | 2016 |
| Genre: | Mandopop |
| Language: | Mandarin |
| Label: | |
| Producer: | Joker Xue |
| Prev Title: | Half |
| Prev Year: | 2013 |
| Next Title: | The Crossing |
| Next Year: | 2017 |
Beginner is the seventh album by Chinese singer-songwriter Joker Xue. It was released on July 18, 2016, by Ocean Butterflies and later acquired by Xue's own label Chaoshi Music.[2]
The album was released in CD and LP formats. Of the ten tracks on the album, Xue composed music for seven and wrote lyrics for eight tracks. He also served as one of the album producers. The album includes the six songs from the Gentleman and Half, both were well-received. "Beginner" symbolizes Xue's determination to return to music after detouring to hotpot restaurant, streetwear store, and variety show star in order to fund his music.[3] Written and composed by Xue, It incorporates strong rock and high drama elements that work well with lyrical imagery to steadily build the song up. Xue also wrote and composed "Just Right" with a catchy chorus and heartrending lyrics: "This is the just right spot to end our journey, before we could reach the ends of the earth together."
"Actor" was number one on Global Chinese Music chart dated June 23, 2015; it charted at number one on KuGou Music's Top 500 chart from Week 22 to Week 45 in 2015; it is the 4th most viewed Chinese music videos on YouTube with more than 200 million views. Beginner won numerous awards with the songs "Beginner" and "Actor" as the standouts. Xue received 4 CMIC Music Awards nominations for the album, winning Best Pop Performance. This album is the focus of Xue's I Think I've Seen You Somewhere Tour. In 2017, Beginner returned to the sales chart, ranking third on Yin Yue Tai's best-selling albums in mainland China chart; Xue had two albums in the Top 5, with The Crossing at number 1.[4]
| Track listing | Lyricist | Composer | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Beginner" 初学者 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:40 |
| 2 | "Just Right" 刚刚好 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:10 |
| 3 | "I Think I've Seen You Somewhere" 我好像在哪见过你 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:39 |
| 4 | "Actor" 演员 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:21 |
| 5 | "Gentleman" 绅士 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:50 |
| 6 | "Half" 一半 | Joker Xue | Li Ronghao | 4:46 |
| 7 | "Child" 小孩 | Guo Ding | Guo Ding | 5:21 |
| 8 | "Stay Here" | Joker Xue | Peter Krafft | 5:01 |
| 9 | "The Flower and the Youth" 花儿和少年 | Wen Ya | Joker Xue/Gaoyang | 4:22 |
| 10 | "It's Raining" 下雨了 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 5:05 |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Chinese Top Ten Music Awards | Top 10 Hits of the Year | "Half" | [5] | |
| Global Chinese Music Awards | Top 20 Hits of the Year | "Beginner" | [6] | ||
| Migu Music Awards | Top 10 Hits of the Year | "Actor" | [7] | ||
| Music Radio China Top Chart Awards | Top Hit of the Year | [8] [9] | |||
| Most Popular Album of the Year | Beginner | ||||
| Music Pioneer Awards | Best Original Song of the Year | "Beginner" | [10] | ||
| City Super Chart | Top 20 Songs of the Year | "Gentleman" | |||
| Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards | Top 20 Songs of 2016 | "Beginner" | |||
| 2017 | CMIC Music Awards | Best Pop Performance | [11] | ||
| Album of the Year | Beginner | ||||
| Pop Album of the Year | |||||
| Song of the Year | "Actor" | ||||
| Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards | Top 20 Hits of the Year | "Beginner" | [12] | ||
| Most Popular Album of the Year | Beginner | ||||
| Weibo Music Awards | Album of the Year | [13] | |||
| Music Radio Annual Global Music Festival | Most Popular Album of the Year | [14] | |||
| Top 20 Hits of the Year | "Beginner" | ||||
| MTV Global Chinese Music Festival | Top 10 Hits of the Year | "Actor" | [15] | ||
| Top 10 Hits of the Year | "Half" | ||||
| V Chart Awards | Best Album of the Year | Beginner |