On September 9, the Chinese king of pop, Jackson Wang, released his highly-anticipated sophomore album Magic Man. To no one’s surprise, Chinese fans welcomed the release with warm enthusiasm, and a related hashtag gained more than 140 million views on Weibo in just a few hours.

Magic Man features 10 tracks, including ‘Blow’ and ‘Cruel,’ two singles released earlier this year. The third single, ‘Blue,’ dropped just a day before the album and came with its own ethereal and emotional music video.

The new release is Wang’s first physical solo studio album; the star’s debut album, Mirrors, was released only digitally in 2019.

With Magic Man, Wang takes his music in a new direction, experimenting with rock elements while retaining his previous work’s soothing and catchy qualities. Magic Man’s raw and mature sound reflects Wang’s personal and artistic growth.

“I’ve been through so much, and I’ve had such a bad time for the past year and a half, struggling in work, life, and my mental space,” revealed the artist in a recent interview with People.

After parting ways with his former South Korean record label, JYP Entertainment, in early 2021, Wang was caught in a new and uncertain phase of his career that culminated in the release of Magic Man.

2022 has been an explosive year for the artist so far. In addition to putting out his new album, the 28-year-old took to the stage at several high-profile international music festivals, such as Head in the Clouds and Coachella; he made history by being the first-ever Chinese artist to perform at the latter.

The multi-talented artist has also invested time and effort in his fashion ventures. The launch of a new collection for his brand Team Wang was accompanied by an epic release party in Singapore’s largest nightclub, Marquee.

Over the summer, Wang was asked to join the legendary Asian-American dance crew Kinjaz, an invitation he simply couldn’t refuse.

Cover image via Twitter