Billionaire, entrepreneur, humanitarian… recording artist?
That’s right, Jack Ma, the king of Chinese e-commerce, is trying his hand at something new. On Friday, the founder of online retail giant Alibaba posted a link on Weibo to a duet he recorded with Faye Wong, a Chinese pop singer. The song is the theme for a new kung fu movie in which Ma will star alongside Jet Li and Donnie Yen. The film is set to be released on November 11, also known as “Singles’ Day” in China, an anti-Valentine’s Day celebration and huge day for online retail.
As Fortune reported in a recent profile of Ma, singing is not the only trick up his sleeve. He’s caught business people and world leaders off guard with his down-to-earth style, small-business-led doctrine on global trade, and “genuine care” for the people around him.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCJ0SH7dHJ0]
The new song and forthcoming film are the latest demonstration of Ma’s prowess in the performing arts. In September, he performed a tribute to Michael Jackson at Alibaba’s annual party, and earlier this month, he made a surprise appearance at the Yunqi Music Festival.
It’s almost enough to make you wonder if he missed his calling. Then again, it never hurts to have a few billions—$40 billion, to be more exact—in the bank before you try to make it in show biz.
