Chapter 260: Mr. Seven Million

The Sales King of Kings! The God of Songs' Myth Is Over!

The Reverse-Flow Sales Myth: In 2001, Zhou Yi's total album and single sales across the year surpassed seven million copies!

Surpassing Jacky Cheung! China's Singer Breaks the Asian Sales Record Again!

……

On the morning of March 8, nearly all entertainment-focused newspapers and weeklies in mainland China immediately reported Zhou Yi's definitive historic moment.

Yet, compared to Hong Kong newspapers' more flamboyant headlines, mainland media—obviously still too shy to exaggerate wildly—clearly had more to learn.

But it was precisely those cold, utterly unarguable numbers that made the entire mainland music industry finally stand tall—

Starting today, Jacky Cheung of the Four Heavenly Kings officially fell from the Wang Zuo, losing the Mandarin-language album sales record that should have been proudly touted for another decade or two.

In 1993, "Kiss Me Goodbye" was released, the year Jacky Cheung reached his peak. In just one year, he sold over one million legitimate copies in Taiwan alone—a record that still stands today as the highest annual album sales by a Hong Kong artist in Taiwan.

In one year, total legitimate sales across Asia reached nearly three million copies, with countless pirated copies uncounted.

That same year, riding the momentum of "Kiss Me Goodbye," Jacky Cheung released an additional Cantonese album, a greatest hits compilation, and another Mandarin album.

When the sales of these four albums in one year were combined, he achieved a sales peak no one, not even himself, could ever surpass—winning the World Music Award for Asia's Highest Sales for the first time, standing on the same stage as global giants like Michael Jackson to collect the prize.

When he sang in Chinese on stage, Michael Jackson sat in the audience clapping.

This image was endlessly reported by gossip media, and the title "God of Songs" became officially justified, definitively widening the gap between him and the other three Heavenly Kings in the singing world.

Originally, as the record market declined year after year, everyone assumed Jacky Cheung's 1993 sales record would never be broken again.

Yet, this record, thought untouchable, was shattered in just seven years by the sudden emergence of Zhou Yi!

"Wait a minute—I checked, Warner certified Zhou Yi's total sales at exactly seven million copies. Isn't it absurd he didn't get Asia's Highest?"

"Yeah, even if over half came from English singles, how is this number not number one?"

……

After Zhou Yi's sales figures spread across Dajiangnanbei, aside from mainland China's near-total silence on Utada Hikaru, fans in Hong Kong and Taiwan began questioning the Japanese diva.

In 2001, Zhou Yi's second album "Jiangnan" plus the EP "Graduation" sold 3.268 million legitimate copies across Asia under various contributing factors.

His English singles sold 360,000 copies in Taiwan, 103,000 in Hong Kong; 260,000 in mainland China, 46,000 in Macau;

He topped Japan's annual chart with 1.507 million copies sold, just surpassing Utada Hikaru's runner-up single by 20,000 copies;

In all other Asian countries—including Korea—he sold over 390,000 copies.

In the United States, as of December 31, 2001, his English singles sold 750,000 copies.

The DVD of the China-Korea Music Festival, which heavily featured Zhou Yi as an Asian artist, sold over 310,000 copies—and Warner slyly counted it toward Zhou Yi's 2001 sales.

Thus, Zhou Yi's total 2001 sales reached exactly seven million copies, and Warner rounded it off for certification.

Wouldn't this number still have topped the charts in Japan's past music scene?

This is seven million! Even if the English singles had inflated numbers, they were still real sales!

What kind of artist is Utada Hikaru?!

Many Zhou Yi fans who didn't even know this singer began to protest indignantly—only to fall silent before Utada Hikaru's equally monstrous sales figures—

One album sold over 4.41 million copies, one runner-up single sold over 1.48 million, and two other singles combined sold over 1.2 million;

Plus two DVDs selling 300,000 and 180,000 copies respectively.

Her total sales reached just over 7.6 million, certified as exactly 7.6 million.

"Damn! If not for Utada Hikaru, Zhou Yi's sales would have been a sure win for Asia's Highest Sales—what a shame."

"No choice—the official World Music Award description says this Japanese female singer actually lost the Japan single chart head-to-head battle to Zhou Yi."

"But when comparing total annual sales, Zhou Yi's Mandarin album sales are at a disadvantage."

Faced with the undeniable sales gap, some Zhou Yi fans accustomed to online browsing were momentarily speechless.

"I checked—Utada Hikaru isn't normal for Japan's music scene. Her sales are on a historical-monster level, like Zhou Yi's: she created a sales myth from her debut, and last year even beat Ayumi Hamasaki in a direct showdown."

"Zhou Yi should release another English single this year, right? Coca-Cola officially announced it's their World Cup promotional track—let's see how it goes this year."

……

After confirming Utada Hikaru's sales were genuine, Zhou Yi's fans, unwilling to fight this uphill battle, all tacitly forgot Utada Hikaru and began declaring dominance domestically.

Why waste a tailwind?

Seven million—still after Warner rounded off the decimals—who in the Mandarin music industry dares challenge him?

Worse still, on March 10, under Warner's arrangement, Zhou Yi—who had just left Monaco—took time out to claim an actual Guinness World Record—

"Guinness World Record Broken! The Youngest Seven-Million Mr. in the History of Mandarin Music!"

Zhou Yi held the World Music Award trophy in one hand and the Guinness certification in the other, letting a slew of media explain the prestige of the Guinness World Record.

In March 2002, Zhou Yi's prestige was at its peak, completely outpacing Xie Tingfeng, who had been dubbed his peer since the turn of the millennium.

"Is this the Guinness World Record certificate? Doesn't look particularly special."

March 11, Singapore.

Invited to Singapore after winning awards, Zhou Yi met Sun Yanzi, who picked him up at the airport wearing sunglasses—she was clearly in an exceptionally good mood, immediately grabbing his trophy and certificate to examine them—

After playing with them for a while, she reluctantly returned them to him, stubbornly insisting she wasn't impressed.

"Really, I'm not jealous at all."

"Take off your sunglasses first—let me see if you're already crying from envy."

In the back seat, with Chen Zeshan driving and Qian Jiang in the front passenger seat, Zhou Yi smirked and reached up to pull off her sunglasses.

Sun Yanzi, who had been posing coolly, broke character the instant her sunglasses were gone, waving her hands to snatch them back—but as she rose to do so, Zhou Yi firmly pinned her head down—

Sun Yanzi, whose slender arms and legs couldn't match Zhou Yi's strength, gritted her teeth, the sound crisp and clear: "Zhou Yi, this is Singapore—watch out, I'll make sure you don't get back home."

"Say that again after I go complain to Uncle Sun first."

In the driver's seat, Chen Zeshan, long accustomed to the bickering in the back, ignored them completely as he chatted with Qian Jiang—

"Where's Xiao Yaxuan?"

"The award ceremony was already over, she stayed a couple extra days to play before Yao Qian called her back to Virgin to prepare for the new album."

One more update~

Yanzi was so cool at the New Year's Eve gala!

The group chat is going crazy, lol.

(End of chapter)