Time for the first C-pop Saturday post of the year! If you're new to the blog, C-pop Saturday is a semi-regular series that I started in 2018, featuring Chinese music (pop and sometimes other genres).
Today I'm featuring a mix of songs- pop, R'n'B and some African inspired music! :)
WayV- Poppin' Love
First up is Poppin' Love by WayV, the Chinese sub-unit of the Korean boy band NCT. It's from their 2nd studio album On My Youth, which was released in November. The title track came out on 1st November 2023, the same day as the album.
Poppin' Love is a pop/R'n'B song sung in Chinese (I think Mandarin). I'm not sure if it was an official single but the video was uploaded in October.
I think the video follows on from the one for No One But You + INVINCIBLE, which you can watch here if you want to see it first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuIV0bWMEy8
Poppin' Love is listed as a "Track Video", so maybe it's not an actual single but just has an accompanying video.
Vinida Weng- WAIYA!
Next is WAIYA! by Chinese rapper and singer Vinida Weng. It's a Chinese hip hop song, with influences from African music, in particular amapiano, (the South African music genre which has become really popular in recent years). It makes an interesting, unique mix! :)
In WAIYA! Vinida shares her love for her hometown Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province in China. After reading comments online, I believe it's sung in a Chinese dialect, maybe the Fuzhou dialect, from Min Chinese? If anyone reading is a Chinese speaker, please let me know. :)
The video came out in November. Click "Subtitles/closed captions" for English subtitles!
There's also an official dance video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw0_tguTXdI
Vinida released an Afrobeats inspired EP called One Life Only in 2022. Listen to/watch the videos from it here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDx13nEEE3GW-e5TCPyIQ7CLYaE1GkeaZ
Vinida feat. Min G- Come Back To Me
And here is the video for Vinida's latest single Come Back To Me, where she appears as the God (or Goddess) of Love!
The song features rapper Min G and was released in December.
Jolin Tsai- OH LA LA LA
Here is the latest single from Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It was released in November as McDonald's 40th anniversary theme song. (The first restaurant opened in Taiwan in January 1984.) I thought she sang, "I'm loving it!" at the end!
Jolin previously collaborated with McDonald's back in 2003 and returned 20 years for OH LA LA LA. It's a happy song based on the American Motown style and listening to it will cause dopamine (the "happy" chemical) to be released in the brain. Don't think this has been scientifically verified though! And please keep in mind that I used Google Translate for this info, lol.
Hopefully the song and colourful video will lift your spirits a bit, anyway!
For more Jolin visit these links:
C-pop Saturday posts:
Features the video for Sweet Guilty Pleasure (Jan 2021 post): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2021/01/c-pop-saturday.html
Includes Equal in the Darkness, her 2021 collab with Steve Aoki and MAX (Jan '22 post): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2022/01/c-pop-saturday.html
Music video for Someday, Somewhere, a collaboration with Netflix (released in November): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUhM4j0ztEk
Shi Shi feat. Karencici- Addicted
Finally, in December Taiwanese Korean singer Shi Shi and Chinese American singer Karencici (who is also a member of Chinese hip hop group PANTHEPACK) teamed up for the single Addicted. It's about hgaving a best friend to help you through your love dramas. According to Google Translate, the two singers ' collab was written online (through late night chat), making fans happy.
Addicted is a pop/R'n'B Chinese and English song with dance vibes. The music video (which premiered on 14th December) tells the story of Shi Shi, who after being hurt by her ex "Spider Man", seeks solace in the arms of other lovers. But luckily, her best friend Karencici is there to rescue her and help her heal. I like the upbeat style of the song.
For more recent music from Shi Shi and Karencici, check out these links:
Shi Shi:
Music video for Unwind, released in Dec (English language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ9B2aJkbjk
Her brand-new single TMT feat. Sean Ko from Taiwanese boy band U:NUS (Chinese/English; contains explicit lyrics): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHQ6rBzE_Lw
Karencici:
Taking-over.mp3 with Starr Chen (released in October): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YM4pQ1MEwo
Her latest solo single Bad Girls Behave (also released in Oct): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Oq3-mbiwk
Hope you liked the post! :) I just realised that my first C-pop Saturday post of last year was also in February, and it featured both WayV and Shi Shi! My last one of 2023 was in September, so it's been a while. What Chinese music are you listening to currently?
See my previous C-pop Saturday post here, plus links to the others from 2023: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2023/09/c-pop-saturday.html
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