He is shy and taciturn. He has an overbite, aquiline nose and receding chin. He wears a peaked cap to hide his eyes and dreams of having a pretty girlfriend like any other young man of his age.

Yet Jay Chou is not like other boys. The Asian pop king - who makes his mainland debut in Beijing on Friday night - has become a teen sensation since first bursting onto the scene in his native Taiwan two years ago.

The 24-year-old's winning way with an eclectic musical style which mixes pop, R&B and rap has scooped thirty entertainment industry awards and been dubbed "the Michael Jackson of the East." An army of teenagers regard him as a spokesman for those born in the 1980s.

Reporters hoping for colorful copy instead found a shy guy who prefers to let the "magic" of his music do the talking.

Under the dazzling camera lights, he uneasily offered straight, monosyllabic responses to questions. His evasive eyes darted behind long hair during the hour-long meeting. There were few smiles. More often than not his head was lowered to avoid the stares of reporters.

Despite the feverish acclaim heaped upon him, it seems he still isn't comfortable in the limelight - unless he's doing what he does best.

So where is that charisma? How has he managed to wow millions of fans?

When Jay starts to speak about his music, you get a glimpse into what makes him tick. The shy guy's confidence visibly rises, even if he still doesn't talk that much: "My songs are different. My concert will be inimitable and surprising."

His fans have never doubted his ability to be different. A non-traditional and innovative sound on eight albums to date have seen Chou prepared to set, not follow, musical trends.

"Music is my magic, " he explained. Music should have variety. It should be ephemeral, changing, evolving: "I try to make each of my songs carry a unique touch."

For his swelling fan base, that's exactly what he's done. His soft, smooth voice and unparalleled Chinese rapping skills have delighted fans looking for something different.

Not everyone is impressed though. Critics accuse Chou of mumbling his lyrics, making songs incomprehensible.

Chou likes to try new musical styles, mixing Western and Chinese instruments, bringing traditional instruments like the di (Chinese flute) and three-stringed sanxian into the mix. He's also adopted Chinese five-tone melodies as opposed to Western ones.

The secret of Chou's success lies not only in his voice and style but also his lyrical concerns, which go further than much of the machine-produced lovey, dovey pop pap produced by many of his contemporaries.

The themes of his songs take in everything from romantic love to old legends and family violence. For example, Dad, I have come back describes a drunken father beating his wife and child. Three-On-Three Basketball is an upbeat hip-hop song that redefines the "too-cool-for-life" attitude of the e-generation.

Young people dream about having his talent. His first two albums were virtually solo creations: he took care of song writing and production as well as adding his own vocal harmonies. In his concerts, it is not unusual to see him play the accompaniment to his own songs.

His unconventional family background both informs his songs and makes him stand out from the crowd, adding real depth and feeling to some of his ballads.

Growing up in a single-parent family, Chou lived a solitary childhood. Without many friends, he had a tendency of daydreaming and withdrawing into his world of music.

Chou was never academically gifted and often skipped classes. Failing to get into a college, many people predicted he wouldn't amount to much.

But music saved his life. Since the age of sixteen, he has been writing songs for many of the most popular singers. For four years, he worked at a small studio belonging to Alfar Disc Company, racking his mind to compose songs to earn a living.

It was only in 2000 that he released his own debut album Jay, which proved to be an immediate hit.

The singer admits his success was an unexpected delight, given the fiercely competitive circle in which he has chosen to make a living.

"That is diao'", he says: "It's my personal philosophy which has helped me to succeed."

Diao is a Chinese slang usually translated as "cool".

He added: "Diao is my life philosophy. But it has nothing to do with religion. It means whatever you do, don't try to follow others. Go your own way. It's like, the ability to shock. The way I think of shocking people is to do things that people don't expect in my music, in my performance."

His first solo concert in Beijing will be held on September 12 in the Workers' Stadium.

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