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

Happily Ever After
Studio album by
G.E.M.
ReleasedMay 3, 2019
Recorded2018
Genre
Length34:46
LanguageMandarin, Cantonese
Label
ProducerLupo Groinig
G.E.M. chronology
Heartbeat
(2015) 		Happily Ever After
(2019) 		City Zoo
(2019)
Singles from Happily Ever After
  1. "Tik Tok"
    Released: August 10, 2018
  2. "Woke"
    Released: November 9, 2018
  3. "Love Finds a Way"
    Released: December 7, 2018

Happily Ever After (Chinese: 童話的休止符; pinyin: Tónghuà de xiūzhǐfú) 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][3]

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.[4]

Background

[edit]

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.[5] During the sold-out[6] 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.[7] 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.[1]

Release

[edit]

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.[8] 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".[9] 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.[10]

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.[11][12] She followed with the second EP, Fearless, which was released digitally on Chinese streaming platforms on October 26.[13] The EP, along with the music video, was officially released worldwide on November 9.[14] 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.[15]

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.[16] The third and final EP, Queen G was released on Chinese streaming platforms on December 14.[17] 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.[18] It is the only song in the EP sung in Cantonese.

[edit]

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.[19][20]

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.[21][22]

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.[23] On May 3, Happily Ever After was released in Hong Kong under PCEP Company, Ltd.,[24] and on May 10 in Taiwan under Sony Music.[25] Happily Ever After marked G.E.M.'s last studio album to be released under Hummingbird.

Track listing

[edit]
Happily Ever After track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Tik Tok" (倒數)3:49
2."Rightfully Wrong" (錯過不錯)3:58
3."My Fairytale" (另一個童話)3:03
4."Woke" (那一夜)3:54
5."Fearless" (毒蘋果)4:11
6."Unexpectedly" (突然之間)3:20
7."Love Finds a Way" (岩石裏的花)4:54
8."Why"3:41
9."Queen G" (睡皇后)3:56
Total length:34:46

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits from the album's liner notes.

Musicians

  • G.E.M. – vocals, background vocals (all tracks)
  • Gigi Worth – background vocals (track 8)
  • Sam Vahdat – keys/synths & programming (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9)
  • Lupo Groinig – keys/synths & programming (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9), guitar (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6)
  • Doug Petty – keys & programming (track 9), piano & B3 (tracks 6, 8), piano & Moog (track 7), string arrangement (track 6, 7, 8)
  • Aaron Sterling – drums (tracks 6, 7, 8)
  • Derek Frank– bass (tracks 6, 8)
  • Dan Petty – guitars (track 6)

Technical

  • Tan Chang – executive producer, A&R, art direction
  • Lupo Groinig – executive producer, A&R
  • Giselle Ukardi – graphic designer
  • Kei Meguro – graphic designer
  • Ilya Kuvshinov – graphic designer
  • Damon Tedesco – engineering (tracks 6, 7, 8)
  • Richard Furch – mixing
  • Reuben Cohen – mastering

Charts

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Chart performance for Happily Ever After
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Hong Kong Albums (HKRMA)[26] 1

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for Happily Ever After
Region Date Format(s) Edition(s) Label
Hong Kong May 3, 2019 CD
  • Standard
  • pre-order limited
 PCEP Company Limited
Taiwan May 10, 2019 Sony Music Taiwan

References

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  1. ^ a b "重臨傷心地開騷 G.E.M. 給fans親撰感謝信". 明周娛樂. July 9, 2018. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  2. ^ G.E.M. - 童話的休止符, archived from the original on July 14, 2022, retrieved July 14, 2022
  3. ^ "Hong Kong pop princess G.E.M. fires lawsuit back at record label". AsiaOne. April 9, 2019. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  4. ^ G.E.M.【倒數 TIK TOK】Official MV [HD] 鄧紫棋, archived from the original on January 7, 2019, retrieved July 14, 2022
  5. ^ 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". star.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  6. ^ 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". star.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  7. ^ "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」". Vogue Taiwan (in Chinese). March 23, 2018. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  8. ^ "鄧紫棋內蒙拍〈倒數〉MV，男主角黃騰浩超暖心". Vogue Taiwan (in Chinese). August 10, 2018. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  9. ^ "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". ipop.sina.com.tw (in Traditional Chinese). November 25, 2018. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  10. ^ "Chinese Pop Star G.E.M. Releases Highly Anticipated EP, 'My Fairytale'". Billboard. August 30, 2018. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  11. ^ G.E.M. 全新單曲【那一夜 WOKE】MV TEASER [HD] 鄧紫棋, archived from the original on December 7, 2019, retrieved July 14, 2022
  12. ^ 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". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  13. ^ "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". July 14, 2022. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  14. ^ 毒蘋果 (in Chinese), November 9, 2018, archived from the original on July 14, 2022, retrieved July 14, 2022
  15. ^ 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". star.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  16. ^ "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". Vogue Taiwan (in Chinese). December 7, 2018. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  17. ^ "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！". y.qq.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  18. ^ G.E.M.【睡皇后 QUEEN G】FAN MADE MV [HD] 鄧紫棋, archived from the original on June 1, 2022, retrieved July 14, 2022
  19. ^ "GEM Tang calls it quits on Hummingbird Music". sg.style.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  20. ^ 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". star.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  21. ^ "G.E.M. Faces HK$120 Million Lawsuit with Hummingbird Music – JayneStars.com". Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  22. ^ 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". star.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  23. ^ "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". Young Post. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  24. ^ "YESASIA: Happily Ever After... CD - G.E.M. Tang, PCEP Company Limited - Mandarin Music - Free Shipping". www.yesasia.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  25. ^ "鄧紫棋 / 童話的休止符". 博客來. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  26. ^ "This week's sales list of the Hong Kong Record Merchants Association" (in Chinese). May 24, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2024 – via Facebook.
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