Mandopop: Top 20 of the first half of 2015

Let's see which twenty videos from the Mandarin speaking cultural sphere I have liked the most so far this year;

20. Jolin Tsai ft Namie Amuro - I'm Not Yours. Two super-stars from two countries may not mean sure success, as it may as well spell heavy and uninspired productions. This was not it, "I'm Not Yours" works quite well and the video is of course eye-candy.

19. Xu Ziwai - Big Times. KTV pop - happy, easy to dig and that's enough.

18. Miss Ko - Ready, Set, Drunk. Probably due to growing up in New York, Miss Ko got that extra swag which, combined with her mandarin rap, makes her songs really makes me want to dance.

17. Han Lei & Da Bing - Scratch Scratch. One of the tries at creating a viral hit like Little Apple, this is quite OK.

16. Jam Hsiao - Zombie All-Stars. A song that gets its theme from Plants vs Zombies? Yes, indeed, but it is actually much better than one would believe, sounding more like a theme love song for a tv-series.

15. Mao Ze Shao - Do it, lady. This one song is the only one I know of from her, but oh so nice it is. Lovely composition for a song that makes me want to swing.

14. Sophia Wang - No 1. I feel maybe I should think the soundscape is somehow...cheesy...but I like it.

13. Genie Chou - Be Yourself. This focused video has a sobriety and -presence- that I would say is most unusual in eastern asian music videos.

12. Tong Yu - Lolita. A light melody combined with a fun video makes this a given on my list.

11. Zheng Bing Bing - Don't Be Afraid. This young and charming tween seems to have some serious production muscles supporting her as her videos so far has been spot on for a girl star. Don't Be Afraid is a super fun video which winks to movies like Kill Bill without ever being non-child friendly, an achievement in itself.

10. Yang Fan - Grandma Yang. This return song from TV host Yang Fan is quite cool with a refrain that explodes with superb craziness.

9. Da Mouth - What the.... Of the three "great" songs from their 2015 album, this was the one which I think of as "the bitpop one", an uppity song that is not as an instant and easy hit to get into as the other two (se later in this list), but it is still great.

8. Zhang Wenqi - Three bowls of pig feet. There is a very attractive sound to the song, sung in the southern chinese dialect hokkien by miss Zhang.

7. AM444 - Dark Show. Talentful musicians going their own way with slightly odd music is almost always worth more than ten "safe" hits. French-Chinese AM444 proved this last year and Dark Show reminds me of this.

6. Jolin Tsai - I Love, I Embrace. A beautiful song and video with a beautiful Jolin being the centerpiece.

5. Xiao Quan - Social Shake. A catchy song in the true mandopop form for the KTV crowd. ;-)

4. Ren Lijia - Xiao Fang, Oh, Xiao Fang. Charming and easy to "get", this was an instant hit for me.

3. Xiao Zhiming & Chen Wei - Most Beautiful. This song just makes me so darn happy! Happy, happy, happy!

2. Da Mouth - Loser. After their first single "Funky Girl", I thought that was probably it, and then they releases "What the..." and this, "Loser", and I'm in heaven.

1. Da Mouth - Funky Girl. This is the first song from their superb album "Back To The Future", and the one that really got me hooked on them. After this follow a number of great songs, as seen above in the list, but this is still the number one.

Mandpop/Indie: AM444 - Dark Show

Chinese/French indie duo AM444 made one of my favorite Mandarin songs of 2014 with "Détache Toi / Shen Jing Mo Shao". The new "Dark Show" from the new EP Dark Show (KaiGuan/Believe) is similary interesting and with the same distinct unique style.

• AM444 - Dark Show

Mandopop: Top 20 of 2014

Time to try to sum up the best pop from the "chinese cultural sphere", which in reality is impossible as it consists of roughly 1,5 billions of people in China, Taiwan and the rest of the world. Instead this is of course a very subjective list of what I liked the most. ;-)
As usual good songs triumphs over good looking videos, and uptempo beats ballads.

20. Jolin Tsai - Play. Her best uptempo song this year, with of course another great and fun video.

19. Miu Miu - I'm outta control. Yes, this *is* a trashy video where Miu Miu really sells it with her imagined sexiness. But that's the point, this phenomena is rather new in China (on the big arena) and so it is worth mentioning.

18. Wang Rong - Chick Chick. This oddball didn't quite take off like Little Apple did, probably because it being way more over the top to be played everywhere. But everyone with their inner child left, this was pure gold. Kudos to Wang Rong for daring to partake in this.

17. Show Luo - Fantasy. An artistic and professionally sexy video that with kpop diva Gain's added star quality really is one of the most "pro" videos of the year.

16. Hebe Tien - Forever Love. The last two years, everything from her has been really gold - the voice, the production, the songs. One of the few mandarin singers that can make me interested in soft ballads.

15. Kris Kuan - After Smoke. The theme is interesting, but most of all it's one of the most suggestive (borderline rock) songs I've heard in Mandopop.

14. Jolin Tsai - We're all different, Yet all the same. The kiss. The gay marriage. The passionate song.

13. Wang Rong - Bad Sister. Just a normal pop song, performed without complicating things and with Rong's charming professionality.

12. Fiona Sit - Pheromone. Cantonese usually confuses me but with this song Fiona Sit really uses the Chinese dialect to it's best musically. It is both catchy and endearing.

11. Aaron Yan - No Cut. Now, this is how Aaron should make songs and videos, updated and cool.

10. Sun Shengxi - Girls. I don't think she will ever be famous, and this piece sounds like something that would come out of an American setting, but I don't care. Sleek and sensual.

9. Huo Zun - Song of Birds. In some sense this harmonic ethnic song is one of the top 3 songs for me this year, but just because there are so many similar "new age"-sounding songs coming out, I have a hard time comparing it. But it is a must for anyone into eastern Asian traditional music.

8. Khalil Fong - Black White & Grey. A slick performance in black and white. His voice is made for this music and vice versa.

7. Alan - Mo Lan. The contrast between the ethereal singing and the seven deadly sins' depiction in the video is extremely beautiful.

6. Yáng Hǎibiāo and Lóng Méizi - Lonely people's sad song. A really odd song which many will miss, but the beat and refrain is ... perfect. This is a song made for playing on repeat.

5. Khalil Fong - Dangerous World. Yet another great song from Khalil, and this time the video is rather epic too.

4. AM444 - Détache Toi / Shen Jing Mo Shao. This is maybe the most cool Chinese song in 2014 in an international perspective, being bilingually sung by a chinese/french underground group, and with a sound that contrast french electronic sounds with a modern chinese voice.

3. Li Yunchun - In 1987, I didn't know I would meet you. The eternal boyish girl finally makes a hit that is one of the best electronica I've heard in years.

2. Khalil Fong - Little Fong. ..and add some personal and emotional components and Khalil Fong got his third and best song on the top 20 list. Only the impossible Xiao Pingo beats this in 2014 for me.

1. Chopstick Brothers - Little Apple/Xiao Pingo. When I was in China over Christmas, six months after its release, I still heard it being played in every other store and lots of people having it as their cel phone jingle. It is really the meme of the year in China.