TAIPEI, March 18 -- Mandopop icon Jay Chou's next album didn't just arrive out of a creative vacuum - it started with a nickname, a handwritten note and a box of mangoes from fellow legend Jacky Cheung.

The phrase "Children of the Sun", now the title of Chou's upcoming 16th studio album, was first coined by Cheung during Chou's Carnival World Tour stop in Hong Kong in May 2023.

After days of relentless rain cleared just in time for each performance, Cheung playfully credited Chou's apparent streak of good fortune, sending him a note alongside mangoes labelled "Children of the Sun".

Chou later said the gesture brought sunshine to his heart - and, true to form, decided to claim the title.

That inside joke has since evolved into a full-f...