# Beginner (album)

Beginner (Chinese: 初学者) is the seventh album by Chinese singer-songwriter Joker Xue. It was released on July 18, 2016, by Ocean Butterflies and later acquired by Xue's own label Chaoshi Music.

## Background and release

The album was released in CD and LP formats and included the six songs from the Gentleman and Half.

## Composition

Of the ten tracks on the album, Xue composed music for seven and wrote lyrics for eight tracks. The title track, written and composed by Xue, incorporates strong rock and high drama elements that work well with lyrical imagery to steadily build the song up. Xue also wrote and composed "Just Right" with a catchy chorus and heartrending lyrics: "This is the just right spot to end our journey, before we could reach the ends of the earth together."
Beginner is the focus of Xue's I Think I've Seen You Somewhere Tour, named after the third track on the album, and symbolizes Xue's determination to return to music after detouring to hotpot restaurant, streetwear store, and variety show star in order to fund his music.

## Reception

"Actor" and "Gentleman" both charted on KuGou Music's Top 500 list, with "Actor" ranking first from Weeks 22 to Week 45 in 2015 and "Gentleman" ranking tenth in September 2016; "Actor" also placed first on Global Chinese Music chart dated June 23, 2015. The music video for "Actor" is the 4th most viewed Chinese music videos on YouTube with more than 200 million views.
A year after its release, Beginner returned to the sales chart and ranked third on YinYueTai's best-selling albums in mainland China chart along with Xue's 2017 album The Crossing which ranked first.

## Track listing

| # | Track listing | Lyricist | Composer | Length |
| 1 | "Beginner" 初学者 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:40 |
| 2 | "Just Right" 刚刚好 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:10 |
| 3 | "I Think I've Seen You Somewhere" 我好像在哪见过你 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:39 |
| 4 | "Actor" 演员 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:21 |
| 5 | "Gentleman" 绅士 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 4:50 |
| 6 | "Half" 一半 | Joker Xue | Li Ronghao | 4:46 |
| 7 | "Child" 小孩 | Guo Ding | Guo Ding | 5:21 |
| 8 | "Stay Here" | Joker Xue | Peter Krafft | 5:01 |
| 9 | "The Flower and the Youth" 花儿和少年 | Wen Ya | Joker Xue/Gaoyang | 4:22 |
| 10 | "It's Raining" 下雨了 | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 5:05 |

## Accolades

Awards and nominations :
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee | Result |
| Chinese Top Ten Music Awards | 2016 | Top 10 Hits of the Year | "Half" | Won |
| City Super Chart | 2016 | Top 20 Songs of the Year | "Gentleman" | Won |
| CMIC Music Awards | 2017 | Best Pop Performance | "Beginner" | Won |
| CMIC Music Awards | 2017 | Album of the Year | Beginner | Nominated |
| CMIC Music Awards | 2017 | Pop Album of the Year | Beginner | Nominated |
| CMIC Music Awards | 2017 | Song of the Year | "Actor" | Nominated |
| Freshasia Music Awards | 2017 | Album of the Year | Beginner | Won |
| Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards | 2016 | Top 20 Songs of 2016 | "Beginner" | Won |
| Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards | 2017 | Top 20 Hits of the Year | "Beginner" | Won |
| Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards | 2017 | Most Popular Album of the Year | Beginner | Won |
| Global Chinese Music Awards | 2016 | Top 20 Hits of 2016 (First Half) | "Beginner" | Won |
| Global Chinese Music Awards | 2016 | Top 20 Hits of the Year | "Beginner" | Won |
| Migu Music Awards | 2016 | Top 10 Hits of the Year | "Actor" | Won |
| Music Pioneer Awards | 2016 | Best Original Song of the Year | "Beginner" | Won |
| Music Radio China Top Chart Awards | 2016 | Top Hit of the Year | "Actor" | Won |
| Music Radio China Top Chart Awards | 2016 | Most Popular Album of the Year | Beginner | Nominated |
| Music Radio China Top Chart Awards | 2017 | Most Popular Album of the Year | Beginner | Won |
| Music Radio China Top Chart Awards | 2017 | Top 20 Hits of the Year | "Beginner" | Won |
| MTV Global Chinese Music Festival | 2017 | Top 10 Hits of the Year | "Actor" | Won |
| MTV Global Chinese Music Festival | 2017 | Top 10 Hits of the Year | "Half" | Nominated |
| V Chart Awards | 2017 | Best Album of the Year | Beginner | Won |