Singapore fan: Jay Chou paid $110 to celebrate my wife's birthday

It started as a normal birthday celebration for Ryan Lee's wife, but things changed when Mandopop king Jay Chou suddenly turned up.

Speaking to AsiaOne, 30-year-old Lee said that he was at Atlas Bar with his wife last Saturday (Jan 11) when the Taiwanese superstar appeared and picked up their bill which came up to $110.

Lee, a branch division director in the property industry, said: "My wife and I were shocked to spot him. He has been our idol for 20 years or so."

Even though they are long-time fans, it was pure coincidence that the couple was at the same place at the same time as Jay. Lee even offered to give Jay a treat instead.

"I told him it was my wife's birthday and we would like to take a photo with him. I told him I will treat him instead. I don’t know whether he heard it because after a while, a few fangirls kept screaming and wanted to take pictures," he said, adding that Jay picked up his tab in the end.

Lee said that his wife was "thrilled" and called it "the best birthday present ever". She even "went into fangirl mode".

Jay was in Singapore for his Carnival World Tour concerts at the National Stadium on Friday (Jan 10) and Saturday (Jan 11). He told fans to stalk his Instagram account and that he would treat anyone to a meal if they spot him in a restaurant in Singapore.

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[[nid:474102]]According to Lee, they were one of a few groups who managed to snap a photo with Jay, who he described as "friendly". He also said the singer paid the bills for "two or three tables" there.

As for his wife's birthday next year, Lee hopes to meet homegrown singer JJ Lin. He admitted: "If I could, I would like to do a shoutout to JJ Lin and take a photo with him. They are two of our idols."

AsiaOne reached out to Atlas Bar to enquire how much Jay paid in total, but they declined to comment.

Jay also visited Yi by Jereme Leung at Raffles Arcade on Sunday (Jan 12) and surprised fans there, including one who did not notice the celebrity until her mum pointed it out.

In her Instagram Story, Instagram user evgoestogigs posted her account of meeting Jay at the celebrity chef restaurant. She wrote: "Thanks to my mother's sharp eyes, I saw Jay Chou walking into the restaurant and we were able to take a photo together with my idol."

On his own Instagram Story yesterday, Jay also shared a video clip of him approaching a group of women at the same restaurant, and offered to pick up their tab. The women gasped in shock upon seeing him.

While most encounters with the star were unexpected, a fan who goes by the handle eileenleeck on Instagram managed to track Jay down to Raffles Arcade. Some other fans also managed to find him as well. Jay gamely posed for a photo with everyone and shared it on his Instagram Story with the caption: "I'll treat you guys next time when I'm free."

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The photo caught the envy of eileenleeck's followers, one of whom asked how she managed to track him down. She replied in the comments: "From someone who tagged him on IG earlier. That's how everyone knows!"

bryanlim@asiaone.com

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that eileenleeck brought a group of fans to find Jay at Raffles Arcade. She has clarified she does not know the other fans.