Comprised of three Taiwanese models, Dream Girls is relatively new to the Chinese pop scene having only started in 2011. They are similar in style to older Asian groups, S.H.E. and KARA. If you detect a slight Kpop feel to some of their music and videos, that could be because one of the singers is from Korea. They have also had a Korean producer help with one of their songs. Below are a few songs to show how far they've come in such a short time.
Leehom Wang is quite the diverse singer/song writer/actor/record producer/composer. He has 14 of his own albums and has contributed to 25 more. He has also played in 12 movies including a Mandarin voice role in The Iron Giant. Musical genres he is listed in are just as diverse, ranging from pop and rap to jazz and Broadway. Oh yeah, and he was born in America! He trained at Eastman School of Music, Williams College and Berklee College of Music. This Asian American is known for fusing different styles of traditional Chinese music with hip hop and R&B. He is listed as one of Goldsea's "The 100 Most Inspiring Asian Americans of All Time". His latest single, 12 Zodiacs, is a catchy video whose song was written for Jackie Chan's movie Chinese Zodiac. With all the cute little kids dressed alike and everyone throwing peace signs around (and of course, Jackie Chan's guest appearance), this video is "so Asian" that you can't help but love it! The slower song Ni Bu Zhi Dao De Shi (or The Thing You Don't Realize) was featured in and written for one of his later movies "Love in Disguise." In the movie, Leehom tries to win the affections of a college classmate who doesn't realize he loves her, so he writes a song from a poem she wrote. Clips of the movie are featured on the screen behind him at this live performance. In this final video Bo Ya Jue Xian (or Boya's Broken String) you can hear Leehom's musical genius in the blending of traditional Chinese instruments with today's musical style. Elva Xiao is another Taiwanese Mandopop singer with musical and dress styles being compared to that of Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. In 2001, she received an award for Best Selling Chinese Artist and sold over 1 million copies of her first album. Altogether she has thirteen studio albums, with her most recent being Super Girl for which the second music video below shows. Mayday (not to be confused with American band, Mayday Parade) has been around since the late 1990's and is no stranger to the alternative rock genre. They can also be classified as pop, Taiwanese pop, and Mandopop though. They've sold more than 1 million albums and have won numerous Golden Melody Awards for Best in Band. One of my favorites from Mayday is their song entitled "Another First Love." The easily recognizable lyrics "wo ai ni, ni ai wo" (I love you, you love me) always gets stuck in my head. With such upbeat songs such as "Another First Love" and "OAOA", it's hard not to hum along. The last video, "Starry Sky", has English lyrics for you to read along with as you listen to this peacefully slow song. |
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June 2015
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