Cantopop: Fiona Sit - Let Go & Miss Fiona

I was going to write about cantonese' Fiona Sit's new "Miss Fiona", an interesting enough video (what with the flourescent cleaning clothes and all), but then I realized I hadn't talked about "Let Go", and of course I had to tell you to listen to it, it being one of her best songs. Do it now!

• Fiona Sit - Let Go
• Fiona Sit - Miss Fiona

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.

Chinese pop: Top 20 of first half of 2014

Seeing as I review more and more mandarin/cantopop songs, I found it is time to a top list for the music too, so I get some kind of feeling for relative quality. There is no arguing who is my clear favorite this year so far, but there a also a great number of good songs competing for the other spots.

20. Angela Zhang - Live for Love. This one was simply interesting as a video, with a song that is not as good as her "OK".

19. Ben Xi - Gun Love. Fun song if not for anything else, so because its a song written for a computer game.

18. Hebe Tien - Fickle. She returns to Iceland in the video, in a song that is like a musical (in a good way), with grand gestures and deep passion.

17. Miu Miu - I'm outta control. She is the first Chinese singer that I have seen that openly goes for sleazy, but she combines it with quite good pop songs, adding some credibility instead.

16. Momo Wu - Camazing. For the colors, for the french, for the Gaga-esque style, I must of course add this cool lady.

15. Cheer Chen - Peace & Revolution. A suggestive video well suited to Chen's style of performance and sound, again evolving in her musical expression.

14. Fiona Sit - Pheromone. Heralded to be one important part of a new generation of Cantopop singers, I find the new "Pheromones" the best example of her style.

13. Wang Rong - Bad Sister. A happy and energic video where Wang Rong takes the scene and holds the center of attention as a real show biz pro.

12. Fabel & Candy Lo - Narcissitic and free. A little indie feel to this piece of electronic music.

11. Tanya Chua - One-sided Love. Still and precious this video is, with passion blooming with passages of sweet song between.

10. Sun Shengxi - Girls. A rather simple but elegant piece of R&B that makes me want to dance and clap my hands.

9. Hebe Tian - Forever Love. This is an excellent example how to take a traditional chinese ballad, which almost always bores me out (sorry!), and sing it in a way that keeps the listener interested all the way. It is called presence, quality of voice and focus.

8. Kris Kuan - After Smoke. Her sound is quite different from most mandopop I hear, and it feels somehow like something that has a sound not bound to a certain time but is a kind of indie rock/pop sound that has been here for maybe 20 twenty years at least.

7. Aaron Yan - No Cut. The first song with Aaron Yan that really attracted me. More dynamic and fresh uptempo than before.

6. Huo Zun - Song of Birds. This is the essence of beautiful chinese/ethnic music, so hauntingly dreamy sung by Huo Zun.

5. Yáng Hǎibiāo and Lóng Méizi - Lonely People's Sad Song. There is something inherently fascinating and dance-friendly about this odd number.

4. Khalil Fong - Black White & Grey. Elegant, tight performance and so rhythmic. Love it!

3. Khalil Fong - Dangerous World. The scope of this video and song never becomes too pompous, but instead keeps moving forward, creating a 8 minute drama that works better than most of this kind of music video cum short movie usually does.

2. AM444 - Détache Toi / Shen Jing Mo Shao. The sheer uniqueness of the sound is in itself a reason to  rate this high, but it is also such a fascinating meeting of musicians and cultures and the combination of french and mandarin is so great. Where, to be honest, Khalil Fong imports American quality style to an industry already copying much from America, acts like AM444 walks the paths unknown. More of this please!

1. Khalil Fong - Little Fong. Elegant as Black White and Grey, and grand in its feeling as Dangerous World, something in its feeling makes this the best chinese song/video of the first half of 2014.