https://www.scmp.com/rss/330811/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Chinese R&B has gone mainstream, and what used to be a niche genre is now gaining a following in China and overseas. According to a recent report released by Tencent’s research institute – which mined data from streaming platforms QQ Music, KuGou Music and Kuwo Music – R&B is one of the fastest growing music genres in China, with 2021 recording a 4.5 per cent increase in number of releases over the previous year. The genre trailed behind rap and electronica, which saw 13.8 per cent and 11.8 per... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3178944/5-chinese-rb-albums-listen-right-now-kuns-mystery-explicit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3178944/5-chinese-rb-albums-listen-right-now-kuns-mystery-explicit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 May 2022 09:15:08 +0000 Although the K in K-pop clearly stands for Korean, the industry isn’t shy when it comes to drawing from global talent – most notably, Blackpink’s Lisa hails from Thailand while NCT’s Mark Lee is Canadian. Closer to home, there are also many Chinese K-pop idols in various famous groups, with naturally interesting casting stories to tell. So let’s take a look at five currently active K-pop stars from China, who they were before hitting the big time – and how they got where they are today. 4... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3146583/5-k-pop-idols-china-exos-lay-and-aespas-ningning-gi-dles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3146583/5-k-pop-idols-china-exos-lay-and-aespas-ningning-gi-dles?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Aug 2021 04:13:03 +0000 Torrential rains that battered Henan province, China, over the weekend of July 17 have displaced over a million people and resulted in almost two billion yuan (US$308 million) of damage, NPR and Reuters reported respectively. The heaviest rainfall on record in central China submerged entire neighbourhoods, trapped passengers in subway cars, caused landslides and overwhelmed dams and rivers. Rescue and recovery efforts continue as at least 33 people have died and eight remain missing in and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3142538/why-these-chinese-celebrities-were-shamed-henan-flood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3142538/why-these-chinese-celebrities-were-shamed-henan-flood?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jul 2021 07:12:13 +0000 “Of course Hong Kong people support our people. We are united because of Mirror,” said one fan to a Young Post reporter while attending a concert by pop sensation Mirror in May. The speaker? A father watching the show with his wife and 13-year-old daughter, along with her friend and that friend’s family. He, like others, has cheered on 12-member boy band Mirror as they rose to prominence and became a source of solace in the politically charged city during the pandemic. Boy band Mirror ruining... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3140110/boy-band-mirror-are-taking-over-heres-what-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3140110/boy-band-mirror-are-taking-over-heres-what-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jul 2021 04:15:09 +0000 Against a three-dimensional backdrop of a firefly-studded forest, five members of hit Chinese girl band The9 performed their song Hunting on a Jeep that rolled past trees and fallen trunks. The details of the images generated using extended reality (XR) technology, such as the jolting of the Jeep and the creeping moss that carpeted rocky outcrops, were impressive. Held in late March, the online concert – The9’s first live concert since the band formed last year – featured more than a dozen... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3127572/chinese-girl-band-the9s-first-live-concert-virtual?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3127572/chinese-girl-band-the9s-first-live-concert-virtual?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Mar 2021 23:15:04 +0000 Chinese pop superstar Faye Wong has been criticized by fans across the political spectrum for singing a well-known patriotic song ahead of a major political anniversary next week. Wong sang a cover of My people, my country – a nationalistic “red” song originally released in 1985 to celebrate the achievements of the ruling Communist Party – in her signature breathy style. The criticism lobbed at Wong, 50, from all sides shows the difficulty faced by international Chinese celebrities with diverse... https://www.scmp.com/politics/pop-star-faye-wong-takes-flack-all-sides-after-singing-red-song/article/3030475?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/pop-star-faye-wong-takes-flack-all-sides-after-singing-red-song/article/3030475?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Sep 2019 09:36:05 +0000 Apparently you can have too much of a good thing. The parents of Karry Wang, a member of the Chinese pop sensation TFBoys, tried to capitalize on their 19-year-old son’s fame by opening a bubble tea shop earlier this month. But they were forced to close it just three days later after fans mobbed the tiny store in Wang’s hometown of Chongqing. Reports said that more than 1,000 fans—mostly young girls—had lined up outside the store, Chaforu, on opening day. Some had to wait up to four hours to... https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-boy-band-bubble-tea/article/3019958?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-boy-band-bubble-tea/article/3019958?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jul 2019 12:37:05 +0000 The first time Wang Yan was told he looked like Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou, he didn’t even know who the singer was. It was 2005, the peak of Chou’s career. Wang was a 16-year-old high school student in Jiangsu province. One day, he received a text message from an anonymous student that read, “I love you, Jay Chou. Please be my boyfriend!” “I had no idea who Jay Chou was at the time,” Wang recalls. “I didn’t understand why that girl was calling me by that name.” After learning more about Chou,... https://www.scmp.com/culture/becoming-jay-chou-life-chinese-celebrity-impersonator/article/3000616?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/becoming-jay-chou-life-chinese-celebrity-impersonator/article/3000616?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jan 2019 06:03:38 +0000