Mandopop: Zhengyue Shiwu (正月十五)

Just as the muslim calendar, the Chinese calendar is lunarbased, and it would mean that the New Year would move around the year just as Ramadan does, but instead China (like the Gregorian calendar) inserts extra time. In China this means one extra lunar month every three years, and this reduces the New Year to vary between January 19th and February 18th.
So, the New Year falls on a new moon and it formally lasts 15 days when there is the by now rather famous Lantern Festival which has been popularized and spread to many countries in the world. This date is called "正月十五" which literally means "First Month 15th", which also (this was one long preamble...) is the name of the duo singing the catchy "Little Grape", just released suitably enough during the Lantern Festival.

• Zhengyue Shiwu - Little Grape (小葡萄)

Mandopop: Mavis Fan (范曉萱)

Mavis Fan from Taiwan has always had the penchant for the naivè, and this still surfaces as in this excellently performed New Years (parody?) song, which I managed to save for a long time just for the Chinese New Year and then post a day to late...

• Mavis Fan - Year (年)

Mandopop: Amanda / Zheng Bing Bing (郑冰冰)

Zheng Bing Bing (older homepage, this is the new Weibo), or Amanda as is her English name, just turned 10 years old, but has been singing on stage in various forms since the age of four, and has several music videos under her belt already. The "Don't Be Afraid" is the best video depending on if you find her videos and singing cute or irritatingly childish. The references to Kill Bill and Kick-Ass is quite fun, and the video surprisingly violent (in a cute way) that is very charming.

• Zheng Bing Bing - Don't Be Afraid (不要怕)
• Zheng Bing Bing - New Year (新年到, from 2012)
• Zheng Bing Bing - Mashed Up Youth (混搭青春, from Jan 2015)
• Zheng Bing Bing - Most beautiful dream (最美的夢, from 2012)

Mandopop: Ado (阿土)

Ado from China in his first single wants everyone to "Put down the phone" and instead focus on enjoying their family and friends company, especially now as the main holiday of the year approaches, the Chinese New Year (the New Years Day is on 19th February). He also have some choreography ("gun" hand gesture, anyone?) that he hopes will make this a hit. The song concept *is* rather fun but will probably soon become very obnoxious if played to much…

• Ado - Put Down The Phone (放下手機)

Jpop: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Yume no Hajima Rin Rin

Each new video of the Japanese music and fashion icon Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is often met with the expectations of wired, garish and fashinating settings, but the new "Yume no Hajima Rin Rin" (roughly "the dream of ring beginning") is surprisingly (for her) understated and a bit melancholy as it is about growing up and farewells. As this is the time between the asian New Year and the cherry blossoms, it is a very suitable theme, but one cannot wonder if the use of old costumes also is a sign of Kyary signalling that her future releases will be in a whole new direction?

• Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Yume no Hajima Rin Rin (ゆめのはじまりんりん)