Eric Chou Made Friends With A Cashier At 7-11 Because He Was So Lonely After Returning To Taipei From The US

Scroll through any Mandopop playlist, and there will definitely be an Eric Chou song on it.

Since his showbiz debut in 2014, the 28-year-old singer-songwriter has created hit after hit, with songs such as ‘The Distance of Love’ ('以后别做朋友') and ‘How Have You Been’ ('你好不好') the anthems for heartbroken people.

Eric is the guest on the latest episode of Hear U Out, where he speaks to host Quan Yifeng about his relatively smooth-sailing journey to success and the early days of his career.

Eric left Taiwan to study in the United States at 11. Growing up in an environment which placed less pressure on kids to do well academically, he was able to freely pursue his interests in arts and music.

At age 18, after graduating high school, Eric made the decision to take a gap year and return to Taipei to embark on his singing career.

“During my second or third year of high school, when I returned to Taipei during summer breaks, there were a few people from the industry who showed interest in me,” he recalls.

He was talent spotted while performing at events and weddings in Taiwan, and the offers he received gave him confidence to pursue his dream.

“I love my parents, they are very supportive. My dad would later share that he agreed to let me come back [under the impression that] I was just going to ‘explore music’. He didn’t know I could write songs, and he didn’t know I could do anything related to music at all. He thought I would return to America for university after I failed,” reveals Eric.

Upon his return, he signed a contract with his current boss. Eric, who wished to be a singer-songwriter from the get-go, was tasked by his boss to write 30 songs in four months.

“I didn’t think I could do it. At that time, I had only ever written two songs. Prior to writing a full three-minute song, with verses and chorus, I only knew how to [compose] melodies. I didn’t know the formula for writing pop songs,” he says.

“How did you get the inspiration for those 30 songs then?” asks Yifeng.

He reveals: “I wandered around Taipei. I was really lonely. During that period, my parents were in Shanghai and my brothers were still studying in America, so I was the only one in Taiwan. I had no friends, so I simply roamed around. I remember looking for the cashier at 7-11 to [have someone] to chat with. I asked them about things I could do for fun.”

Writing 30 songs also helped Eric grow as a creative.

“Not every song is going to be good, you just have to keep writing. It helped me learn to not get attached to every song, and made me push myself.”

19-year-old Eric’s dream was simple, he wanted his songs to do well, and to eventually hold concerts.

Little did he know, the song from his debut album, ‘The Distance of Love’, would become an huge hit, propelling him to instant fame in the Chinese music scene.

“The results and popularity of the song was something I never expected. Looking back at it now, I think I was very lucky to have a successful song at the right moment and with the right people,” he says.

Catch part 2 of the episode below, or watch both episodes of Hear U Out on meWATCH.