Everyone has something that they run to when they need to be comforted. For Eric Chou, that special something is ballad music. 

The Taiwanese singer-songwriter formed an attachment to this style of music after finding solace in it and his passion for it has grown exponentially ever since. 

"They (ballads) comfort me when I go to a country that I have never been to before or a hotel room that I'm scared of. I just throw on ballad music and I feel right at home," shared Chou.

In his career, the 27-year-old has shared the gift of ballad music with the world through creations of his own, including beloved hits such as '以後別做朋友 (Let's Not Be Friends Anymore)', '怎麼了 (What's Wrong)', and '你好不好 (How Have You Been?)'. 

With his mellifluous vocals and heartfelt and relatable lyrics, Chou has found his way into the hearts of many and earned the title "King of the Lovelorn". 

"That's (helping others find comfort) what I want to do and I'm happy that I'm doing it for my fans," he said.

This year, as part of his ongoing 'Odyssey Journey' world tour, the Mandopop star will reunite with his fans in Singapore during a two-night concert (10 and 11 September) at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. 

In an interview with Bandwagon ahead of his long-awaited return to the Little Red Dot, Chou explained how his new single ‘Graduation (最後一堂課)’ came together, revealed his go-to KTV songs, and talked about being a bilingual artist.

Hi, Eric! Tell us about some of the latest additions to your playlist.

I've been listening to a lot of Schubert piano, like a lot of classical recently because I listen to a lot of pop music and a lot of trendy music. And sometimes going to jazz or classical kind of washes the ear palette, so it's very healthy.

Let’s talk about your latest single ‘Graduation (最後一堂課)’. Where did you draw your inspiration from and how does this song reflect the themes of the series 媽，別鬧了! (Mom, Don't Do That!)?

This song was written around last year when I did my first quarantine in Shanghai, and it was my first 14 days in a hotel room. It was really boring. it was really bad, mentally and physically, but I'm glad I brought my piano and my guitar and my recording stuff so I could write music and feel free. I wrote around six songs during quarantine and ‘Graduation’ is one of them.

The melody strikes me as something that you play at your middle school graduation or high school or college that you circle around your friends [with] and celebrate that you guys [have] finally graduated and are moving on to the next chapter. That was my idea for the song, and then comes the show, 媽，別鬧了(Mom, Don’t Do That), which goes perfectly [with the song], especially the lyrics because their (the show’s characters) graduation is moving on from someone that passed away, someone they loved that passed away, and they’re trying to move on to the next chapter in life. So it clicks perfectly.

What is your go-to song when you’re at a KTV? Sing us your favourite line from it. 

I like Jay Chou's '擱淺 (Stranded)'.

How about one from your own discography?

I don't sing my own songs at KTVs but if I were going to, [it'd be] '怎麼了(What's Wrong)'.

Complete the following sentence: If I weren’t the “king of lovelorn music”, I would be the king of ________.

Golf. Because I love golf right now.

As a bilingual artist, how do you decide which ideas work better as Mandarin songs and which ones work better as English songs? 

I think writing music in English and [writing in] Chinese are completely different worlds. English can be just something very straightforward because the language is so straightforward and open. The song title can just be "I miss you" and it can be very visual and short and it will have a certain feeling and emotions to it. But with Mandarin, it's more of like a poem you're writing — like when you're drinking coffee [and it] reminds me of you or something that's more poetic. If you do it [in a manner that is] too straightforward in Chinese, it's… too straightforward. With two different languages, there are two different ways to portray feelings.

What have you learnt about yourself in the years that you’ve spent making music? 

In the years of writing music, I have learnt that I love ballad music and it really comforts me. It comforts a lot of people through, not necessarily breakups, but mostly breakups. People listen to it [while] going to work or [when] taking a shower. I just love that because that's how I fell in love with music. That's how I fell in love with ballads — how they comfort me when I go to a country that I have never been to before or a hotel room that I'm scared of. I just throw on ballad music and I feel right at home. That's what I want to do and I'm happy that I'm doing it for my fans.

What can fans expect from your upcoming shows in Singapore? 

We're finally doing my brand new Odyssey concert on 10 and 11 September. It's going to be an open-arena show. And it's really exciting because everything is new, from the stage design [to] the music [I have made] since COVID [hit] — we have launched so many new singles, and I even rapped in one of the songs and [I have] never performed [it]. So it'll be the first time [that] my fans will be listening to these new songs and I'll be dancing. If you have watched my recent music video [for] '說太多 (Say Too Much)', there's actually more to the story and you can only see it at my concert. And it's much more serious. It's much more like an action film so look forward to that if you're going to my concert.

Lastly, do you have any words for your fans in Singapore?

To my fans, 小興星們 (Stars), and Singapore I really missed you guys. I'm very mad at COVID still [because it] made [me] hit a pause button and I haven't been here for way too long. I'm really happy to be here and I can't wait to see you guys at my concert.

This interview has been edited for clarity.