Happily Ever After (G.E.M. album) explained

Happily Ever After
Type:studio
Artist:G.E.M.
Border:yes
Released:May 3, 2019
Recorded:2018
Genre:
Length:34:46
Language:Mandarin, Cantonese
Producer:Lupo Groinig
Prev Title:Heartbeat
Prev Year:2015
Next Title:City Zoo
Next Year:2019

Happily Ever After is the fifth studio album by Chinese-Hong Kong singer-songwriter G.E.M. The album was preceded by three extended plays (EP) with three songs each: My Fairytale, Fearless, and Queen G, which were released in increments between August and December 2018.[1] The full album was released as CD-only on May 3, 2019, following the controversies surrounding the legal disputes between G.E.M. and her label Hummingbird.[2]

The title of the separate EPs are taken from one of the b-side songs in each of the respective EPs. The music video for the single "Tik Tok" reached 119 million views as of July 2022.

Background

Following the success, and to support her first full Mandarin and fourth studio album Heartbeat, G.E.M. kicked off her third solo tour, "Queen of Hearts", on April 1, 2017, in Guangzhou, China.[3] During the sold-out[4] three-day concert schedule in Taiwan held on March, it was revealed by her agency that the singer will release a new album that summer.[5] On July 8, in celebration of her 10th anniversary, G.E.M. held a fan meeting in Guangzhou and confirmed additional details about the project, announcing that she will release a total of three EPs in a row, releasing one every two months starting August and that she will also release music videos.

Release

On August 10, 2018, G.E.M. released the music video for her single "Tik Tok" which was shot in Inner Mongolia, featuring Taiwanese actor Tender Huang.[6] She performed the song on iQIYI's "Idol Hits" and shared the creative process that it only took three minutes for the song to be completed, claiming it to be "fate".[7] The first out of three EPs from the project, My Fairytale, was released digitally on Chinese streaming platforms on August 16 and officially released worldwide on the 30th, with its lead single "Tik Tok" reaching 9 million views at that time. The cover for the EP was illustrated by Giselle Ukardi, an Instagram creator from Canada portraying G.E.M. as a realistic fairytale. According to G.E.M., the EP depicts her own fairytale that she found in real world.[8]

On October 12, 2018, G.E.M. released the teaser for the second single "Woke", and announced on the 20th that the music video will be postponed and reshot.[9] She followed with the second EP, Fearless, which was released digitally on Chinese streaming platforms on October 26.[10] The EP, along with the music video, was officially released worldwide on November 9. The music video marked G.E.M.'s directorial debut, where she portrayed two characters, the white one depicts her crazy self, and the black one depicts love and self-discipline.[11]

On December 5, 2018, G.E.M. released the teaser for the third single "Love Finds a Way", and released the official music video on the 7th which was shot in Taiwan, featuring Taiwanese actor Edison Song. According to G.E.M., the song employed flowers as a metaphor to a feeling that is not appreciated by people from the outside. She drew from her personal experiences of being a public figure that is often talked about by people, and realizing that the people around her are more important than those who are critical of her.[12] The third and final EP, Queen G was released on Chinese streaming platforms on December 14.[13] The EP was released worldwide on December 28, along with the fan made video of her song "Queen G" which was uploaded on her official YouTube. The music video featured clips of her debut, live performances, and other behind-the-scenes to celebrate her 10th anniversary. It is the only song in the EP sung in Cantonese.

Legal disputes with Hummingbird Music

On March 7, 2019, G.E.M. announced on her social media that she will be terminating her contract with Hummingbird Music. According to G.E.M., the company continued to violate her contractual rights even after multiple chances. Despite the contract termination, she made the decision to continue with the remaining eight stops for her ongoing concert, "Queen of Hearts", which she wrapped up in Kaohsiung on April 28.[14] [15]

On March 28, Hummingbird officially filed a lawsuit against G.E.M. regarding her contract. In the documents submitted, it was stated that G.E.M. initially signed a five-year contract in 2007 and renewing it in March 2012 for another five years. Three years before the end of the contract, Hummingbird claimed that the singer signed another renewal contract which was not dated but it was agreed upon that it will take effect in March 2017, making the contract's effective end date to be in March 2022. In the court documents, the company was also looking at claiming ownership of the singer's copyrighted works, along with her stage name.[16] [17]

On April 5, G.E.M. filed a counter lawsuit, asking the court to not allow Hummingbird to take ownership of her work and trademark, along with an unspecified compensation amount.[18] On May 3, Happily Ever After was released in Hong Kong under PCEP Company, Ltd.,[19] and on May 10 in Taiwan under Sony Music.[20] Happily Ever After marked G.E.M.'s last studio album to be released under Hummingbird.

Credits and personnel

Credits from the album's liner notes.

Musicians

Technical

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormat(s)Edition(s)Label
Hong KongMay 3, 2019CDPCEP Company Limited
TaiwanMay 10, 2019Sony Music Taiwan

Notes and References

  1. Web site: July 9, 2018 . 重臨傷心地開騷 G.E.M. 給fans親撰感謝信 . July 14, 2022 . 明周娛樂 . en-US . January 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210117160902/https://www.mpweekly.com/entertainment/focus/20180709-122271 . live .
  2. Web site: April 9, 2019 . Hong Kong pop princess G.E.M. fires lawsuit back at record label . July 14, 2022 . AsiaOne . en . November 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201123134351/https://www.asiaone.com/entertainment/hong-kong-pop-princess-gem-fires-lawsuit-back-record-label . live .
  3. Web site: ETtoday新聞雲 . 直擊／鄧紫棋皮褲消失！ 轉個身短裙飄起..屁股蛋藏不住 ETtoday星光雲 ETtoday新聞雲 . July 14, 2022 . star.ettoday.net . zh-Hant . August 17, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170817030214/http://star.ettoday.net/news/896647 . live .
  4. Web site: ETtoday新聞雲 . 鄧紫棋加場又賣完了啦！ 12點守電腦「就是買不到」 ETtoday星光雲 ETtoday新聞雲 . July 14, 2022 . star.ettoday.net . zh-Hant.
  5. Web site: March 23, 2018 . G.E.M.鄧紫棋《Queen of Hearts》台北站開唱，「這是分享與尋找愛的歷程」 . July 14, 2022 . Vogue Taiwan . zh-Hant-TW . May 12, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210512150141/https://www.vogue.com.tw/culture/content-39471 . live .
  6. Web site: August 10, 2018 . 鄧紫棋內蒙拍〈倒數〉MV，男主角黃騰浩超暖心 . July 14, 2022 . Vogue Taiwan . zh-Hant-TW . May 5, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210505215711/https://www.vogue.com.tw/culture/content-42092 . live .
  7. Web site: November 25, 2018 . 超威！鄧紫棋《倒數》只花「3分鐘」創作突破千萬點閱 娛樂 POP！微博 . July 14, 2022 . ipop.sina.com.tw . zh-Hant . June 5, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210605091128/https://ipop.sina.com.tw/posts/360872 . live .
  8. August 30, 2018 . Chinese Pop Star G.E.M. Releases Highly Anticipated EP, 'My Fairytale' . July 14, 2022 . Billboard . en-US . July 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220714234738/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/china-gem-new-release-ep-my-fairytale-trilogy-8473036/ . live .
  9. Web site: 陳栢宇 . October 20, 2018 . 鄧紫棋宣布《那一夜》MV押後推出 為提高質素由頭拍過 . July 14, 2022 . 香港01 . zh-HK . August 8, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190808111429/https://www.hk01.com/%E7%9C%BE%E6%A8%82%E8%BF%B7/249053/%E9%84%A7%E7%B4%AB%E6%A3%8B%E5%AE%A3%E5%B8%83-%E9%82%A3%E4%B8%80%E5%A4%9C-mv%E6%8A%BC%E5%BE%8C%E6%8E%A8%E5%87%BA-%E7%82%BA%E6%8F%90%E9%AB%98%E8%B3%AA%E7%B4%A0%E7%94%B1%E9%A0%AD%E6%8B%8D%E9%81%8E . live .
  10. Web site: July 14, 2022 . 邓紫棋《毒苹果》上线酷狗 开启暗黑童话新世界_滚动新闻_娱乐频道 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220714203509/https://ent.rednet.cn/c/2018/10/26/4760119.htm . July 14, 2022 . July 14, 2022 .
  11. Web site: ETtoday新聞雲 . 鄧紫棋：不滿意MV成品 堅持「親自整支重拍」延後上線 ETtoday星光雲 ETtoday新聞雲 . July 14, 2022 . star.ettoday.net . zh-Hant . July 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220714234743/https://star.ettoday.net/news/1302966 . live .
  12. Web site: December 7, 2018 . G.E.M.鄧紫棋新歌《岩石裡的花》，在輿論壓力下找到最珍愛的人 . July 14, 2022 . Vogue Taiwan . zh-Hant-TW . April 20, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210420204548/https://www.vogue.com.tw/culture/content-44521 . live .
  13. Web site: 睡皇后 - QQ音乐-千万正版音乐海量无损曲库新歌热歌天天畅听的高品质音乐平台！ . July 14, 2022 . y.qq.com . July 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220714234746/https://y.qq.com/n/ryqq/albumDetail/003w92u63Kz75u . live .
  14. Web site: GEM Tang calls it quits on Hummingbird Music . July 14, 2022 . sg.style.yahoo.com . en-SG . July 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220714234743/https://sg.style.yahoo.com/gem-tang-calls-quits-hummingbird-040600037.html . live .
  15. Web site: ETtoday新聞雲 . 快訊／鄧紫棋跟公司鬧翻！ 宣布終止合作：我真的絕望了 ETtoday星光雲 ETtoday新聞雲 . July 14, 2022 . star.ettoday.net . zh-Hant . July 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220714234746/https://star.ettoday.net/news/1394148 . live .
  16. Web site: G.E.M. Faces HK$120 Million Lawsuit with Hummingbird Music – JayneStars.com . July 14, 2022 . en-US . June 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220625055728/https://www.jaynestars.com/news/g-e-m-faces-hk120-million-lawsuit-with-hummingbird-music/ . live .
  17. Web site: ETtoday新聞雲 . 鄧紫棋棄11年帳號切割！ 經紀公司發聲：絕不接受 ETtoday星光雲 ETtoday新聞雲 . July 14, 2022 . star.ettoday.net . zh-Hant . August 12, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200812014154/https://star.ettoday.net/news/1410307 . live .
  18. Web site: HK pop star G.E.M., aka China's Taylor Swift, files 'coercion' lawsuit at record label as bitter US$15 million contract dispute intensifies . July 14, 2022 . Young Post . October 3, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211003153521/https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/news/hong-kong/article/3061909/hk-pop-star-gem-aka-chinas-taylor-swift-files-coercion . live .
  19. Web site: YESASIA: Happily Ever After... CD - G.E.M. Tang, PCEP Company Limited - Mandarin Music - Free Shipping . July 14, 2022 . www.yesasia.com . November 7, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191107124948/https://www.yesasia.com/global/happily-ever-after/1073137308-0-0-0-en/info.html . live .
  20. Web site: 鄧紫棋 / 童話的休止符 . July 14, 2022 . 博客來 . August 8, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190808111422/https://www.books.com.tw/products/0020211678 . live .
  21. Web site: This week's sales list of the Hong Kong Record Merchants Association . zh . Facebook . 2019-05-24 . 2024-07-01.

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