C-pop Saturday

Time for another instalment in my semi-regular series C-pop Saturday! Today I'm sharing mainly a mix of C-pop and R'n'B:)

Ally Shen- Secret

First up is Secret by Ally Shen. She is a Taiwanese singer who has grown up in Germany and Switzerland. She is fluent in Chinese, German and English.

Ally started out as a model aged 15, which led to her catching the eye of a music producer and becoming a girl group trainee. She made her music debut in April 2020, as part of the Taiwanese girl group PER6IX. They released a digital single and two EPs but their debut was disrupted by the pandemic. They don't  appear to be active currently.

During her break from PER6IX, Ally concentrated on songwriting and music, as well as college. She then decided to focus on an entertainment career. In 2023 she took part in the Taiwanese reality show NEXT GIRLZ, where contestants competed for a spot in a new girl group. She was one of the winners and became a member of Twinkle Black.

As well as being in the group, Ally has pursued a solo career. She released her first single Is It All A Lie in August last year, followed by LMRN this January and Secret in June. She likes to explore new territories with her music. 

Secret is Ally's latest single and came out in June. It's a sultry R'n'B style song, sung in a mixture of Chinese (Mandarin), English and even a tiny bit of Greek, I think! The YouTube info on the video also describes it as an "Afro rhythm song" (I suppose Afrobeats)? Its about the desire to unlock each other's secrets and share each other's inner world. (I had to use Google Translate, so apologies for any mistakes!

 

 

For more on Ally visit these links:

Kprofile (as part of PER6IX): https://kprofiles.com/per6ix-member-profile/

Infatuasian podacast interview (English language): https://infatuasian.podbean.com/e/ep-127-an-interview-with-c-pop-idol-ally-shen-english/ 

Official FB page: https://www.facebook.com/ally.shn.official/

Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ally.shn/

Official YouTube channel (more for covers and vlogging): https://www.youtube.com/@ally.shn_

SS Entertainment YouTube channel (features Twinkle Black and Ally's solo music videos): https://www.youtube.com/@ssentofficial

 

Also check out  the performance video of B.R.B by Twinkle Black (which premiered in January): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmCu_FniRrk

 

NICKTHEREAL- Wei Le Ni

Next is a song by Taiwanese singer and rapper NICKTHEREAL aka Nick Chou. The main title is written in Chinese (which I can't read) but according to a link it's called Wei Le Nei, which translates as  "For you" in English.

For you is a special song that was released on Nick's birthday (2nd August). Hope he had a great day! :) It's sung/rapped in a mix of Chinese and English. I like the laidback style and it kind of gives me 90s vibes! 

 

 

For more Nick check out these posts:

C-pop Saturday post from Sept 2023 (features his song CLOUD 9 for Sprite Limelight): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2023/09/c-pop-saturday.html

His latest single, released on 10th September. I think the pinyin title is Ni Shou De Duo Dhi, which translates as something like "Everything You Said Is Right" in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxTIByI0zsk

Andrew Tan-  Eternal Prayer (Lifelong Disciple)

This is Eternal Prayer by Andrew Tan (also known as Chen Shi'an). He is a Malysian Mandopop singer and actor. He started out by competing in singing competitions, winning second place in the Malaysian contest ASTRO Star Quest in 2006 and going on to represent Malaysia in the 25th TVB International Chinese New Talent Singing Championship.

He released his first Malaysian album Longzhong Dengchang (Grand Appearance) in November 2007. In August 2009 he also launched his career in Taiwan with the self-produced mini album Tianhou (Stardom).

Andrew's hit singles include Tianhou (the title track from the mini album) and Shizaibixing, a collab with Korean/Taiwanese singer Bii. His music is a mix of styles including R'n'B, rock, EDM and urban.

To date he has released several more albums- Zai Ai Yibian.Tianhou Chen Shi'an (Love Once  Again.Queen of Heaven Chen Shi'an; 2011), Fei Ni Buke (Can't Live Without You; 2013), Qin'ai De Pianzhikuang (2016), Huaidiao De Women (2018) and The Song of Hearts (2024).

Acting wise, Andrew has appeared in the dramas Four Gifts (2010) and What is Love (2012).

Eternal Prayer came out on 27th August. The Chinese title translates as "Lifelong Disciple". It's a reflective ballad.  I think that the video was filmed in Siwa in Egypt. Click "Subtitles/closed captions" on YouTube for English subtitles! :)

 

 

Also watch the music video for Andrew's new single Furniture (released on 4th September) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmDVaXVerUs

 

And for more on Andrew visit these links:  

Music Gateway profile: https://www.musicgateway.com/creative-professionals/songwriter/andrew-tan

Official FB page: https://www.facebook.com/andrewt0604

Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewt0604/ 

Official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@andrewt0604

NAME- Sweet Chilli

Now we move on to a girl group! This is Sweet Chilli by NAME. They are a Chinese girl group signed to Yueha Entertainment. 

NAME started out with 7 members and debuted in December 2021 with the single Say My Name. They went on release  two digital singles- Red Shoes in March 2022 and On Play in April 2023.

In October last year, the group members took part in a variety show to determine the final line-up. (It must have been very disappointing for them when they'd previously debuted.) Jin Zihan withdrew from the competition and Li Jiha and Feng Ruohang were voted out. The curent 4 members are Li Siyang, Liu Jiaxin, Long Yunzhu and Ouyang Chengxi.*

In addition to their other singles, NAME have released 3 special singles and a promotional single. Their first single as a 4-piece was Sweet Chilli, which was released on 23rd August. It's the lead single from their debut mini album Be Bold, which just came out on 10th September. 

 

 

Plus, here is the dance performance video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44ugIl3CXyk

 

For more on NAME visit these links:

Kprofile: https://kprofiles.com/name-members-profile/

Official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nameyh_official

 

Note: I don't know that many Chinese girl groups but I've featured SING in C-pop Saturday before (most recently in 2022). I plan to share more C-pop by girl groups in future. :)

Kimberly Chen- Say What 

Finally, here is Say What, the new song by Australian born, Taiwan based singer Kimberly Chen. This is the dance performance video and it premiered on 25th September. 

 

It's been a while since I've featured Kimberly on the blog, so it's nice to "catch up" with her again! The last time was in my Nov 2021 C-pop Saturday, post, where I shared the video for her song always be my always. Check it out here: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2021/11/c-pop-saturday.html

 

Hope you liked the post! :) What Chinese songs have you been listening to lately?

See my previous C-pop Saturday posts from 2024 here:

https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2024/02/c-pop-saturday.html

https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2024/06/c-pop-saturday.html

*These are Chinese names with the surname/family name written first.