This is a guest post by XinYue, Editor of Kanjian Music, the Chinese music services company which is Music Ally’s partner for our Music Ally China arm. We asked XinYue to explore some of the music industry trends inside China that may not yet be as well known elsewhere: here is a look at how the influence of Western music is absorbed and then localised in China, through collaborations and the use of familiar instruments, themes, and references.
Since the 1970s, China has gone through stages of learning from “foreign goods” to “self-creation” and then to “integration and absorption” as Western music exploded in popularity. During this process, Chinese music has embarked on a path of localization and diversification.
Localisation today in China is not just about using Chinese elements in music but also combining Chinese cultural memory, lifestyle, and music. Chinese culture does not necessarily have the same themes that Western pop discusses, but Chinese people do share the confusion about the current times and yearning for a better life.
By absorbing elements of overseas music, using local instruments, establishing new chord structures, and integrating different cultural elements, Chinese music is creating a more distinctive musical style, laying a solid foundation for the future development of the Chinese music industry.
The influence of Western music in China
Hong Kong was one of the first places to be exposed to Western culture, probably in the 1980s when it was still a British Overseas Territory. Hong Kong blended local triad culture, chivalry, and Western musical elements to create many outstanding gangster movies such as “Infernal Affairs” or “A Better Tomorrow,” – full of dynamic and powerful soundtrack music that’s unforgettable still today.
On the mainland of China, music sprouted during the “bootleg disc” period in the early 1990s. Despite weak copyright protection and rampant piracy during this time, it promoted the dissemination of Western music in China, exposing more ordinary people to different types of music and artists, like the popular bands Blur, Oasis, The Police, Metallica, Queen, etc. Various Western music styles became a paradise for Chinese music lovers and the first generation of Chinese rock musicians.
One person who cannot be ignored in the new millennium is Jay Chou. Jay Chou is the pioneer who pushed Chinese hip-hop music to the world. He used Chinese language to create hip-hop songs while blurring the pronunciation, making the round Chinese pronunciation sound softer and more easily integrated with the music itself. Meanwhile, his music excludes the radical elements of Western music, mostly in major keys, incorporating a large number of pentatonic scales and Chinese traditional instruments, taking inspiration from the lives of Chinese people, such as Chinese medicine, porcelain, cooking, or school. His positive, empathetic style lead to him being deeply loved by the Chinese people.
Localisation today in China
In recent years, as globalisation has taken place, Chinese music has been evolving, deepening its own characteristics while integrating with localisation. Songs with hip hop and electronic elements have emerged, integrating with Chinese local music.
The localisation of Western music in China can be mainly divided into five parts:
- Absorbing elements: When Chinese musicians come into contact with overseas music, they absorb elements and modify them to make them more suitable for the Chinese cultural background. For example, in hip-hop music, Chinese musicians will incorporate local elements such as Chinese characters and dialects. For example, Ado, the inheritor of the non-material cultural heritage of Chinese drums, created “Born Proud Drum”; GAI, a Chinese hip-hop singer, sang the theme song of DJI’s drone promotional film “The Epic”, incorporating English, Chinese, Cantonese and other languages, displaying global music styles while cleverly integrating Chinese culture.
- Using local instruments: Integrating traditional Chinese instruments into popular music is also an important way of localization. This not only enriches the musical elements but also showcases China’s unique musical culture to the world. More and more pop songs now use Chinese instruments. For example, in 2020, Wang Yuan’s single “Bubble” used erhu and pipa, giving the song a more ethnic flavor.
- Establishing new chord structures: Chinese musicians also create new chord structures to adapt to different music styles. For example, while using the harmonic progression of Western pop music, they also add some Chinese traditional music characteristics and harmony techniques. In 2020, Wang Feng released the single “Looking for”, which combines folk style and rock elements, creating a unique chord progression and adding traditional Chinese instruments such as erhu and pipa, showcasing China’s unique musical charm.
- Integrating different cultural elements: In 2022, Ado and Japanese virtual idol Hatsune Miku collaborated on the song “Sheep Dance,” integrating unique Chinese Miao singing style, ASMR, and other elements, winning over a large audience.
- Cross-border Fusion with Western Artists: Currently, the representative figures of C-pop in China are Wang Jia’er and Zhang Yixing. Through continuous cross-border collaborations with Western artists, they have showcased the charm of localization. For example, in 2021, Zhang Yixing’s collaboration with 24kGoldn on the single “Dawn to Dusk” is a typical case, not only finding worldwide success, but also gaining the love of the Chinese people.
In summary, as China’s economy and culture continue to develop, the Chinese music industry is also flourishing. As China’s economy and culture continue to develop, the future of the Chinese music industry will be even more vibrant. These music elements conform to the aesthetic of modern young people; secondly, because these music forms can better express Chinese culture and emotions through the form of Western music; finally, the localisation and cultural elements in these music creations allow audiences to find resonance and generate a strong sense of identity.
Header image of Zhang Yixing by Excentrique, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
