This thread is about Chinese music, in light of how it’s evolved and diversified in the past decade. Everything from Teresa Tang to Hua Chen Yu, Cantonese to Minnan, war or monk chants all the way to emo songs, as long as it’s Chinese it’s welcome here.
Note: if you see any communist songs appear here, know that it’s just a music recommendation and less about propagating the CCP. Please keep any jabs or jokes about the CCP to a minimal since I intend to keep my job 
Genre: modern pop with a hint of 90s city pop
Singer: AGA (Spotify) (Tidal)
Lyrics: AGA - CityPop lyrics + English translation
As the name says, this is an homage to 90s City Pop. AGA is one of my favorite singers. Her lazy and soothing voice to some maybe boring, but it’s something I absolutely adore.
Genre: rap and pop
Singer: Hua Chen Yu (Spotify) (Tidal)
Lyrics: 【华晨宇】《斗牛》英语歌词翻译 - 哔哩哔哩
Hua Chen Yu, or Hua Hua, is an iconic singer of his generation. He got a very dynamic voice, and is very interested in putting traditional Chinese elements into his own music.
Genre: electro pop.
Singer: Zhou Shen (Spotify) (Tidal)
Lyrics: 达拉崩吧 (Dá Lā Bēng Ba) | Vocaloid Lyrics Wiki | Fandom
Interesting thing about this song is that is was originally written for a Vocaloid, so it’s really hard to find a pause to take a breath. This is the GOAT cover I’ve heard of this song.
Genre: classic 90s pop.
Singer: Leslie Cheung (Spotify) (Tidal)
Lyrics: Leslie Cheung - 红 [Red] (Hung) lyrics + English translation
Leslie Cheung is a classic Hong Kong singer from the 90s era. His songs are quite well known even in Japan and other SEA countries.
Genre: 2010+ karaoke canto pop
Singer: Shiga Lin (Spotify) (Tidal)
Lyrics: https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/連詩雅/到此為止/translation/english
Classic Canto Pop style, the kind where you hear it once and you find most canto pop to be. Her voice is pretty good though.
Genre: classic Mandarin pop
Singer: Tsai Chin (Spotify), (Tidal)
Lyrics: 蔡琴 - 被遗忘的时光 Forgotten time Cai qin (Tsai Chin) - Bei yi wang de shi guang: song, lyrics, pinyin, English translation and quotes of memory | Chinesetolearn ♫ learn Mandarin in a fun way ♫
This is like the Chinese version of Hotel California in the hifi world. One of the most overplayed song in hifi shows
Interesting topic…for me personaly I dont understand a single word. I get the appeal and now thanks to this, I understand that chinese IEMs are tuned like they are sometimes: eastern style. But man I don’t like pop in the first place.
What would interest me is what “western music” chinese people listen to, if any at all?
I listen to lots of different genres (see my profile). There aren’t a lot of music I don’t like, exception being really hardcore emo, dubstep, death metal, etc.
I can probably post the genre fitting to each song, since not all Chinese songs are pop songs. There are some good classic Chinese rock as well.
Genre: 90s classic rock
Singer: Wang Feng (Spotify) (Tidal)
Lyrics: Wang Feng - 春天里 (Chūntiān lǐ) lyrics + English translation (Version #2)
This song is a sad one. Lyrics talking about how he reminiscence the good ol’ day. “one day when I am old and alone, please leave me at that spring time. One day when I am dead, please bury me in that spring.” His voice has a classic Chinese Rock timbre in it - the rage growl, is what I would describe it as.
Genre: modern hip hop
Singer: Lexie Liu (Spotify) (Tidal)
Lyrics: embedded in the video
This song is what got me hooked into gen Z singers. The mix, voice, production and lyrics are all on point. This girl dropped out of a top business school in NY. Can’t wait to see more of her on the front page.
Genre: classic pop
Singer: Faye Wang (Spotify) (Tidal)
Lyrics: Faye Wong - 夢中人 (Mung jung yan) lyrics + English translation
This song is a reissue from Cranberries’ classic song Dreams. Faye Wong is a singer that really just goes onto the stage and sing. No chit chat, not much dancing, etc. Her songs were quite a hit in Japan. Her song Eyes On Me stayed charted #9 and got best foreign song award.
Japanese metal is awesome. Havent heard a single by BTS. Listened a podcast on an american sound mixer that traveled through china recording punk bands.
Music is universal.
Japanese metal are mostly well recorded and mastered. Love them.
The live show is what blows everyone away. Watch metal heads around the world tear up on the live performances its hilarious.
Music is an olympic competition in asia, its great.
Song: Ma Mun (Mammon)
Singer: Chung’s Brother (Spotify) (Tidal)
Lyrics: couldn’t find it lol
The Chung Brother - found this in an audio show. The recording is super solid. Too bad they didn’t really came out with other recordings. This song, to me, really talks about how Hong Kongers are bounded by the corporates. Work hard and really not doing much else. Sad but true reality.
Song: All we have is now
Singer: Charmaine Fong (Spotify) (Tidal)
Lyrics: 方皓玟 (Charmaine Fong) – All We Have Is Now Lyrics | Genius Lyrics （couldn’t find the English lyrics)
Charmaine Fong is a chill type singer. This song is very much for the people who were protesting in Hong Kong. Putting the political underlying message, this song also encourage people to take charge of their lives and forget about pre-destination.
Song: Yiqi Biaogaoyin (High pitch together)
Singer: Namewee and Jess Lee
Lyrics: Namewee 黃明志 x Jess Lee 李佳薇 - High Pitch Together 一起飆高音 Lyrics 歌詞 with Pinyin - Music Across Asia (couldn’t find the English English, which is so sad)
Namewee is known for his interesting and sometimes controversial songs. This is a song making fun of the music competitions that is very prolific in Chinese TV channels. Because of how most singing contests are voted by people in the audience, most contestants usually pulls out all the stops to sing them high notes. This song is a satirical way of saying how it’s a twisted way of what “good music” is all about. This is the second song in the series, the first one being “hit them high pitches.” This time the protagonist found his SO to sing with. I will just rough translate the funniest part:
Finally, I found someone to hit them high pitches with me.
Thanks to you, I have the courage to keep going
Even though my muscles are strained from singing
Or wind blows, thunder and storm hitting me in the face
…
I sang with everything I got at all cost, as long as the crowd likes it
Even if my back side is broken
Or if my a-hole is exploded
No matter if it’s the gods or the ghosts in my way
I have to keep hitting them high pitches, and even higher
Song: Bus Lightyear
Singer: Wilson Lam Fung Ng
Lyrics: https://jspinyin.net/2020/06/27/lyrics-ng-lam-fung-吳林峰-巴士光年-bus-light-year-歌词/ (more indie song, so couldn’t find the English lyrics)
This song is a great audiophiles song. It talks about the story of how Hong Kongers are always on the bus, stuck in traffics and all. Just like you really can’t predict traffic, so is life, so why not just let it loose a little. Got on a wrong bus? Just treat it as a spontaneous scenic trip. Not knowing the destination you can find something new and unexpected.
I love this song because it’s mastered really while, and showcase what a good pair of headphones can do. Hopefully you guys will enjoy the chill tone and swing mood as well.
