Extraterrestrial (Joker Xue song)
| "Extraterrestrial" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Single by Joker Xue | ||||
| from the album Extraterrestrial | ||||
| Language |
| |||
| Released | July 17, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2020 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:17 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Joker Xue singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Extraterrestrial" on YouTube | ||||
"Extraterrestrial" (Chinese: 天外来物; pinyin: Tiān wài lái wù) is a song by Chinese singer-songwriter Joker Xue.[1] It was released on Xue's 37th birthday on July 17, 2020 as a single and then included on his eleventh album Extraterrestrial by Huayu World Expo; both have since been acquired by Xue's own label Chaoshi Music.[2]
It peaked at number four on Tencent Music's UNI Chart.[3]
"Extraterrestrial" serves as the inspiration for and bookends the set list of Xue's record-breaking Extraterrestrial World Tour.[4][5][6][7]
Background
Prior to the release of the song, Xue hinted at the possibility of a new song via Weibo. He posted "When I appear in the late night continuously, it means..." (当我连续出现在黑夜的时候, 就代表....) on July 10, then "If there is no birthday, what new song to listen to..." (没有生辰, 听什么新歌....) on July 14.[8] The latter especially generated interest as Xue had previously released "Half a Beat Slower" on his birthday last year and this could be the beginning of a new birthday tradition between Xue and his fans.[9]
"Extraterrestrial", the lead single and titular track of Xue's eleventh album, has a pop rock style and utilizes a string arrangement with drum beats.[10] Xue said the meaning of the song, to him, is that there is someone in this world who is unique to you (非你不可).[11]
Music video
The music video for "Extraterrestrial" was directed by Niu Chao and starred Xue and Stephy Qi. It was released on November 11, 2020. The music video cleverly integrates the sense of time through different settings with gradually warming and darkening color palates, creating an emotional foundation that has a time limit and is about to be lost.[12]
A barcode was shown on the back of Qi's neck that is valid until November 22, 2020, which was shown at the beginning of the music video as today's date and marked the day as the last day Xue and Qi had together. At the end of the music video, Qi faded away but the last scene revealed that Xue also had a barcode on the back of his neck, corresponding to the last line of the song "trade my tomorrow for a chance of you approach (用明天换你 靠近我)".[13]
Accolades
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Tencent Music Entertainment Awards 腾讯音乐娱乐盛典 |
Top 10 Hits of the Year 年度十大金曲 |
"Extraterrestrial" | Won | [14] |
| 2021 | Asian Pop Music Awards 亚洲流行音乐大奖 |
Top 20 Songs of the Year 年度TOP20金曲 |
"Extraterrestrial" | Won | [15][16] |
| People's Choice Award (Chinese) 大众选择奖(华语) |
"Extraterrestrial" | 2nd place | |||
| Chinese Top Ten Music Awards 东方风云榜颁奖典礼 |
Top 10 Hits of the Year 年度十大金曲 |
"Extraterrestrial" | Won | [17] | |
| CMIC Music Awards 唱工委音乐奖 |
Song of the Year 年度歌曲 |
"Extraterrestrial" | Nominated | [18] | |
| Best Music Video 最佳音乐录影带 |
"Extraterrestrial" | Nominated |
Credits and personnel
- Joker Xue – lyrics, vocals
- Luo Xiaohei - composition
- Zhou Yili – arrangement, production
- Niu Chao – director
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | July 17, 2020 | Huayu World Expo |
References
- ^ "天外来物 - Song by Joker Xue - Apple Music" [Extraterrestrial – Song by Joker Xue - Apple Music]. Apple Music (in Chinese). Retrieved July 20, 2025.
- ^ "天外来物专辑介绍" [Extraterrestrial Album Details]. NetEase Music (in Chinese). Retrieved July 20, 2025.
- ^ "TME UNI Chart – Joker Xue Chart History". Tencent Music (in Chinese). Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ "数据洞察 146亿元! 跨城观演之风"燃爆"2023年大型演唱会市场" [Data Analysis 14.6 billion yuan! The trend of cross-city performances "explodes" the large-scale concert market in 2023]. Tencent News (in Chinese). March 22, 2024.
- ^ "2023演唱会年度报告发布，浙江这座城市竟然排全国第一" [The 2023 concert annual report was released, and this city in Zhejiang ranked first in the country]. The World Zhejiang Entrepreneurs (in Chinese). March 22, 2024.
- ^ Benson, Ang (January 3, 2024). "The 5 'Jewels' of Mandopop: China's Joker Xue is the newly minted gem". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "U2 Leads February Boxscore Report With Final Sphere Shows". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ "薛之谦7月份发了13条动态 只有3条是关于新歌的 剩下的也是精华" [Xue Zhiqian posted 13 updates in July, only 3 of which were about new songs, and the rest were also the highlights.]. Sohu (in Chinese). August 3, 2020.
- ^ "薛之谦连续七年生日发歌 用旋律续写音乐情怀" [Xue Zhiqian released a song on his birthday for seven consecutive years, continuing to write about musical feelings with melody]. Sina Finance (in Chinese). July 16, 2025.
- ^ "薛之谦新专首波主打曲《天外来物》上线" [Xue Zhiqian's new album's first title song "Extraterrestrial" is online]. NetEase (in Chinese). July 17, 2020.
- ^ "薛之谦新单曲《天外来物》生日惊喜上线酷狗 满心眷恋只为一人" [Xue Zhiqian's new single "Extraterrestrial" was released on Kugou as a surprise birthday song, full of love for one person]. IFeng (in Chinese). July 20, 2020.
- ^ "《天外来物》MV上线 薛之谦携手戚薇演绎跨次元爱情故事" [The MV of "Extraterrestrial" is online. Xue Zhiqian and Qi Wei perform a cross-dimensional love story]. Asia Entertainment Network (in Chinese). November 12, 2020.
- ^ "薛之谦《天外来物》MV发布 戚薇友情出演 几个细节你必须知道" [Xue Zhiqian's "Extraterrestrial" MV released, Qi Wei made a guest appearance, here are some details you need to know]. Sohu (in Chinese). November 12, 2020.
- ^ "TMEA盛典落幕, 为何它是乐坛不可或缺之重?" [TMEA Awards concludes why is it essential to music industry?]. Sohu (in Chinese). January 27, 2021.
- ^ "APMA 2021亚洲流行音乐大奖2021年度入围正式公布" [APMA 2021 Asian Pop Music Awards 2021 Nominees Announced]. IFeng Music (in Chinese). November 30, 2021.
- ^ "亚洲流行音乐大奖2021年度获奖名单揭晓" [Asian Pop Music Awards 2021 Winners List]. IFeng Music (in Chinese). December 28, 2021.
- ^ "张艺兴张靓颖获最佳男女歌手, 蔡徐坤"情人"获年度金曲 东方风云榜揭晓" [Zhang Yixing and Jane Zhang won the Best Male and Female Singer, Cai Xukun's "Lover" won the Song of the Year, the Chinese Top Ten Music Awards announced]. Sina Finance (in Chinese). November 18, 2021.
- ^ "CMA 2021". CMIC Official Website (in Chinese). January 26, 2022.