27/06/2025

FRIDAY | JUNE 27, 2025

24

LYFE

PRAISED for its unscripted format, absence of fixed personas and rule-free structure, outdoor reality-variety show J-Style Trip has been popular across all three seasons. The latest season three topped ratings for 12 consecutive episodes, ranking number one among variety shows in its time slot across 71 major cities, according to CSM data. The season was led by Jay Chou, who was joined by a vibrant group of travel companions, including Will Liu, Ken Lin, Funky Tu, Will Tsai, Chien-Te Fang, Kuan-Ting Chen and Guanlin Chen. Together, they visited breathtaking destinations and uncovered touching personal stories – building an emotional connection unique to the “J-style” travel experience and contributing countless standout moments throughout the show. The addition of Liu brought fresh energy to the series. His seamless chemistry with Chou created numerous memorable highlights – from leading foreign tourists in a “Chinese Herbal Manual” fitness dance on the streets of Greece, to exploring traditional Chinese culture through Wing Chun and lion dancing in Guangdong. Season three centres around the theme of “looking for outstanding Chinese individuals around the world”, highlighting overseas Chinese who have made remarkable contributions across various fields – including professionals, artistes and cultural inheritors. This season’s journey spans countries such as Italy, Greece and Saudi Arabia, where the cast meets figures such as tennis star Zhang Zhizhen, rising opera talent Wang Kang and world latte art champion Hu Zhonghua, among many who are B RAD PITT is itching to return to the racing tracks after making F1 , a movie that takes audiences into the action of real Formula One races, and mixes in romance and humour. Directed and co-written by Top Gun: Maverick filmmaker Joseph Kosinski, F1 was partly filmed during Formula One Grand Prix weekends, with scenes shot on the circuits during breaks and real drivers also appearing on screen. Pitt plays an unruly racer-for-hire, who returns to Formula One to help his friend’s struggling team and mentor its rookie driver, played by Damson Idris. Pitt and Idris did their own driving in the movie, combining top speeds with acting. The aim for authenticity made the project physically testing for the two. “It is real. You got to put in the neck exercises. And we are not even pulling the Gs that the real guys are doing. “I was in the gym a lot. It was cold plunges afterwards just for recovery,” Pitt, 61, said at the film’s European premiere in London on Monday. “It is insane. You are driving up to 180 miles per hour sometimes. I have to say the lines at this specific place and I have to emote in a way that is

F1 film puts viewers in driver’s seat for tale of second chances

o Brad Pitt plays unruly racer-for-hire

in motor sports whatsoever, this is just a great story about second chances, teamwork and friendship,” he said. Monday’s premiere came just days after Pitt got to drive a Formula One car for real after testing a McLaren at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas. The cars used in the film were Formula Two cars, modified to look like real grand prix racers. “Ask me how fast I went. Three mph short of 200 mph. I want to go back. I want to hit 200,” Pitt said of the experience. F1 began its global cinematic roll-out on Wednesday. – Reuters

going to translate through the eyes at those speeds. When you watch the film, you feel you are driving as a viewer and that was our intention,” said Idris in an interview. Getting the balance right for viewers with varying levels of familiarity with the sport was also key, said Kosinski. “If you are a diehard Formula One fan, you are going to find some Easter eggs, you are going to recognise some historical stuff that I think will be interesting. “But we also designed the movie so that if you know nothing about Formula One, if you have no interest

Chris LaRocca drops new single ARTISTE, producer and Pitt poses on the red carpet upon arrival for the European premiere of F1 at Cineworld Leicester Square, central London. – AFPPIC

J-Style Trip ’s third season tops ratings for 12 consecutive episodes

multi-instrumentalist Chris LaRocca has released his third single of the year Slow Dance in the Diner from his forthcoming EP Dog Years , via Red Bull Records/Wonderchild. Slow Dance in the Diner is sombre, smitten, bold and honest all at once. Listeners witness LaRocca reflect on spending time with his partner, and his gratitude for the smallest moments. Sonically, he is as detail-oriented as ever – with raw vocals, unfiltered lyrics and a crisp, emotional guitar line. This track showcases yet another facet of his artistic depth and marks a significant shift towards the musical storytelling he has long admired but never sought to create – until now. Drawing inspiration from Americana and folk greats, he grounds this single around the traditional stylings and simplicities of each genre. “ Slow Dance in the Diner reminisces on a trip I took with my partner to Halifax on the east coast of Canada. After visiting Peggy’s Cove, we ended up at the only restaurant open at that hour of night called The Finer Diner. They were playing old country music, and it was completely empty aside from the two of us and the guy behind the counter. While we were waiting for what felt like forever for him to come cash us out, we started slow dancing to pass the time. “When I think back to that moment, it feels like it was a scene out of a movie, and was one of the few times in this life I have felt the warmth of true love. It was a realisation that I rarely have the time to just slow down and live in the present moment, and a reminder to enjoy those moments thoroughly when they present themselves,” LaRocca shared on the inspiration behind the song. LaRocca started off the year with singles Ladybug and Laundry Day , giving listeners a taste of the EP’s versatility and themes around falling (and staying) in love. Each song is a new page out of LaRocca’s journal, and while their sonic makeup is different, they are tied together by

J-Style Trip season 3 is led by Chou (third from right).

remained on the charts for over 10 hours each, contributing to a long-tail effect with the season’s hot search duration exceeding 1,220 hours. On Youku, the show consistently ranked number one on multiple charts, including the Free Variety Show Popularity List and the Travel Variety Show List. The season broke new records across all three seasons in terms of social media buzz and audience engagement. On Weibo alone, topic views for this season exceeded the combined total of the first two, highlighting the show’s storytelling power and growing cultural impact. Last week, season three, co-produced by Star Plus Legend and Zhejiang Satellite TV, concluded. In the season finale, the J-Style Trip group took part in a cultural exchange with young Chinese dancer Liang Daiqing and the Shaoli Ensemble, a traditional folk music group from the Zhuang ethnic minority in Guangxi. This folk song and pop crossover showcased the unique cultural charm of the minority group.

preserving

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cultural heritage. Through inspiring personal stories, the show vividly conveys the spirit of “passion knows no borders” and sheds light on the diversity and strength of Chinese identity in a globalised world. No longer just a casual trip among celebrity friends, this season has transformed into a warm, meaningful and resonant exploration of culture. This season further elevated its signature relaxed travel aesthetic, while staying true to its unscripted, unfiltered and freeform filming style. With a faster storytelling rhythm and more dynamic transitions, the show guided viewers through local markets, street food scenes and everyday urban life – offering in-depth cultural exploration and practical travel tips. Across the entire season, the show garnered 375 trending topics on major platforms and generated over 4.1 billion views related to its content. On Weibo, the main hashtag #J-StyleTrip surpassed 2.2 billion views. A total of 56 individual trending topics these

LaRocca cites his experience at a diner for the song’s inspiration. time. The EP was written over the course of a year wherein LaRocca grew as a person and as one half of a relationship. He captures the complexity of the tug-of-war between fulfilment and disbelief that comes with finding someone you want to spend forever with. As more pieces to LaRocca’s Dog Years are revealed, listeners are shown the many sides that make up the Toronto-born artiste. His vulnerability shines through in every verse, where he consistently demonstrates the ability to turn life’s most complicated moments into relatable bodies of work.