# Freak (Joker Xue album)

Freak (Chinese: 怪咖) is the ninth album by Chinese singer-songwriter Joker Xue. It was released digitally on December 31, 2018, by Huayu World Expo and later acquired by Xue's own label Chaoshi Music. Presale for the physical album began on March 7, 2019.

## Background

"What is a freak?" That is the question at the core of this album's concept. Through his music, Xue observes and analyzes the world from multiple angles then conveys his findings through strong visual symbols and different musical styles. Say hello to your inner freak and don't worry about the noise.

## Composition

Of the ten tracks on the album, Xue composed music for five tracks and wrote lyrics for nine tracks. The song "Skyscraper" served as the theme of Xue's Skyscraper World Tour.
Four tracks were created while on the variety show Infinite Song Season where musicians were paired with non-musicians to create songs based on a decided topic. "Wake Up (Live)" was created with Yue Yunpeng. "Freak" was written and composed by Xue while Yang Di adapted Yuki Hsu's "Monster" 怪兽 as a prelude for their performance.
Xue improvised the chorus of "Talent" while on the show; after it received a lot of attention and requests from netizens for Xue to finish it, Xue completed the song. "The Mute", composed and written by Silence Wang, was originally sung by Liu Wei; Xue rewrote and rearranged the song when he covered it on the show then later included his version on the album. Xue insisted on paying and crediting Wang for the song, even though Wang initially had refused because Xue only kept one line from the original version but Xue insisted that "even if only one line is used, it is still used."

## Reception

On Tencent Music UNI Chart, "Forsaken Youth" peaked at #3 and "Talent" ranked #1 for two consecutive weeks. "Talent" was named the Most Popular Single on NetEase Cloud Music's 2018 annual music chart.

## Track listing

| # | Track listing | Lyricist | Composer | Length |
| 1 | "Skyscraper" 摩天大楼 | Joker Xue | Tang Hanxiao | 3:53 |
| 2 | "Freak" 怪咖 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:12 |
| 3 | "Unbridled" 肆无忌惮 | Joker Xue | Zhang Zhenhao | 4:22 |
| 4 | "Fox" 狐狸 | Joker Xue | Zhou Yili | 3:57 |
| 5 | "Talent" 天份 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:10 |
| 6 | "The Best" 最好 | Xiaohan/Liao Huiming/Guo Ding | Lin Qiyu/Guo Ding | 4:17 |
| 7 | "Wake Up" (Live, with Yue Yunpeng) 醒来 (Live, 与岳云鹏) | Joker Xue/Yue Yunpeng | Joker Xue | 4:19 |
| 8 | "The Mute" 哑巴 | Joker Xue/Silence Wang | Joker Xue/Silence Wang | 4:23 |
| 9 | "Life After You Left Beijing" 那是你离开了北京的生活 | Joker Xue | Fang Yi | 4:30 |
| 10 | "Forsaken Youth" 违背的青春 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 5:38 |

## Accolades

| Award | Year | Category | Nominee | Result |
| Chinese Song Music Festival | 2018 | Top Songs of the Year | "Skyscraper" | Won |
| Chinese Song Music Festival | 2019 | Album of the Year (Mainland) | Freak | Won |
| Chinese Song Music Festival | 2019 | Top Hit of the Year | "Freak" | Won |
| Chinese Song Music Festival | 2019 | Best Lyric Composition | "Talent" | Nominated |
| CMIC Music Awards | 2019 | Album of the Year | Freak | Nominated |
| CMIC Music Awards | 2019 | Best Music Video | "Freak" | Nominated |
| G-Hits Awards | 2019 | Top 10 Mandarin Singles of the Year | "The Mute" | Won |
| Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards | 2019 | Most Popular Album of the Year | Freak | Won |
| Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards | 2019 | Top 20 Hits of the Year | "The Mute" | Won |
| Global Chinese Music Awards | 2018 | Top 20 Hits of the Year | "Skyscraper" | Won |
| Global Chinese Music Awards | 2019 | Top 20 Hits of the Year | "Talent" | Won |
| Migu Music Awards | 2018 | Top 10 Hits of the Year | "Skyscraper" | Won |
| Migu Music Awards | 2019 | Album of the Year | Freak | Won |