As genres like K-pop and J-pop have become dominant forces in the international music scene, the Chinese music market has gradually been gaining popularity on a global scale — especially when it comes to Mandopop.
Short for Mandarin popular music, Mandopop is a subgenre of Chinese-language music that often pulls from Western influences like pop, rock, R&B, and hip-hop. While that approach is common in Asian pop music, Mandopop artists have often been praised for their emotive lyrics and expressions, as well as their homages to Chinese culture within their music. Even with such cultural ties, Mandopop's intrigue has only continued to grow.
Arguably the most popular subgenre within Chinese popular music (C-pop) — which also includes Cantopop and Hokkien pop — Mandopop's rising global prominence is thanks to both streaming services and social media, as well as Western audiences' heightened interest in Asian pop culture. But it's also because of the genre's deep history: Mandopop's early roots can be traced back to Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s, though it first gained significant traction in the '70s and '80s. While Taiwan and Hong Kong have played a major role in shaping Mandopop in the decades since, the genre has made a big resurgence in China in recent years. And now, Mandopop is breaking through more than it ever has.
Both veteran and rising stars have helped Mandopop prove to be a genre to watch, from Lexie Liu and Cai Xukun's acclaimed modernization of Mandarin pop music to Xin Liu and Xiao Zhan's pop idol success and social reach. The K-pop industry has helped bolster the genre's growing prominence, too; Chinese K-pop stars like Jackson Wang (GOT7) and Lay Zhang (EXO) have launched solo careers of their own Mandopop music, and SEVENTEEN's Jun and The8 have also released Mandarin-language songs.
As the Recording Academy celebrates AAPI Heritage Month on a global scale, get to know 12 artists who have made their mark on the Chinese music scene — and are helping Mandopop take off around the world.
Often dubbed the "King of Mandopop," Jay Chou is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the Chinese-speaking world since his debut in 2000. The Taiwanese singer/songwriter is known for blending Eastern and Western styles of music, often mixing genres like R&B, rock and hip-hop with Chinese instruments like the dizi (bamboo flute) and the erhu (a Chinese-style fiddle). Chou is also known for trying out various vocal styles, even incorporating Peking opera in songs like "Fearless," released in 2006.
Chou's versatility has made him one of the best-selling artists in Taiwanese history, selling over 30 million albums over the course of his 25-year career. Beyond music, Chou is also an accomplished actor, appearing in films like Initial D and Secret. Chou has also leveraged his musical fame by crossing into Hollywood, appearing in films like 2011's The Green Hornet and 2016's Now You See Me 2. Those works helped him gain even wider recognition among Western audiences.
G.E.M.
Born Gloria Tang Sze-wing in Shanghai, G.E.M. is a singer, songwriter and producer whose name stands for "Get Everybody Moving." Over the years, G.E.M. has gained prominence for her autobiographical songwriting, vocal performances and versatility. While many of her songs are in Mandarin, she has also released music in Cantonese.
G.E.M. signed her first record deal as a teenager, after winning a 2006 singing competition titled "Spice It Up." She found greater success in mainland China after placing second on the Chinese singing competition show "I Am a Singer" in 2014.
In the years since, G.E.M.'s music and performances have broken records. Her single, "Light Years Away," the Chinese theme song for the film Passengers, remains the most viewed music video by a Chinese artist on YouTube. Her ongoing I Am Gloria world tour has drawn more than three million attendees across shows in Paris, London, Singapore, China, Canada, and the United States; by March 2025, her tour has grossed a cumulative total of $424 million USD, making it the fourth highest grossing tour by a female recording artist of all time, surpassing acts including BLACKPINK and Madonna.
While A-Lin may not have the same global prominence as some of her peers, she is widely known in the Mandopop scene for sharing empowering songs and breaking down barriers for the Taiwanese Indigenous community. As a singer from the Amis tribe, A-Lin has often paid homage to her roots through her music. While competing on the show "I Am a Singer" in 2015, she even brought her family on stage with her while wearing traditional Indigenous clothing.
A-Lin's 2022 album LINK also explores her connection to her heritage. Her single "ROMADIW," which translates to "singing" in the Amis language, is a song written aimed to bring people together. LINK was critically acclaimed in Taiwan, and awarded her Best Chinese Female Artist at the 34th Golden Melody Awards in 2023.
JJ Lin, born Wayne Lim Junjie, has found popularity across the Chinese-speaking world through his powerful pop ballads and relatable song lyrics. The Singaporean singer has often been described as the "Walking CD" for his vast vocal range and impressive live performances. He has won numerous accolades for his work, including four Golden Melody Awards — an honor awarded by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture, often referred to as Taiwan's GRAMMYs — for Best New Artist and Best Mandarin Male Singer.
While JJ Lin has a vast repertoire of songs, one would argue that he is best experienced when you're in the mood for an emotional ballad. A singer/songwriter who has perfected the art of the breakup song, Lin has become best known for his hits like "Never Learn" and "If Only," both of which have helped him garner more than 121 billion streams on online music platforms around the world. He gained further exposure in 2021, contributing a track called "Lose Control" for the soundtrack of the Marvel film Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Xin Liu
Known for her edgy and androgynous style, Xin Liu is one of China's fastest growing female soloists. She rose to fame in 2020, finishing first on the survival reality competition series "Youth With You 2" thanks to her versatility in dancing and singing. That won her the spot on the girl group The9, which disbanded following the end of the band's contract in 2021.
That same year, Liu launched her solo career, releasing EPs Epsilon and Xanadu — the latter of which pays homage to her love of street dance. A big part of Liu's success is her ability to play with genres, from R&B to hip-hop and trap. Her music and performances have also crossed over globally: Liu signed with the Asian American label 88Rising in April 2024, performing as part of the 88Rising Futures showcase at Coachella shortly after.
Beyond music, Liu has appeared as a dance captain on the Chinese dance competition show "Street Dance of China." She's also a force in the fashion world, with Dior naming Liu as a global ambassador.
Mayday are veterans of the Taiwanese rock scene, first debuting in 1997. Dubbed as "the Beatles of the Chinese-speaking world," the group is known for delivering anthemic pop rock songs. Mayday's influence has resonated with young people, as they often sing about teen angst, growing up and the realities of being a youth in Taiwanese society.
To this day, they remain one of the top streamed artists in the Mandopop genre, with more than 1 billion plays over streaming platforms. The group has also become famous for putting on epic, lengthy concerts for their fans throughout their 20-plus year career. In their home city of Taipei, Mayday recently sold out eight concerts within 10 minutes, selling more than 300,000 tickets.
Mayday's lead singer Ashin has also become an accomplished songwriter for other acts, including JJ Lin and Jolin Tsai. In 2019, he also featured on Jay Chou's single "Won't Cry," which sold over two million copies within 25 minutes on Chinese music streaming platforms.
David Tao
Also a veteran of Taiwan's music scene, David Tao is no stranger to voicing his thoughts on political matters by marrying genres like R&B and rock in his songs. "Dear God" shares a message of anti-terrorism following the 2001 September 11 attacks, while "Ghost" is a criticism of political corruption and manipulation within society.
Tao spent his childhood in Asia (Hong Kong and Taipei) and the United States (Los Angeles), which has influenced both his musical style and his point of view — and has allowed Western audiences to resonate with the messages he sends through music.
Recognized as the "Queen of C-pop," Jolin Tsai has become one of the biggest stars across East Asia for her ability to continue to reinvent her image and musical style throughout her career. She has sold over 25 million records, making her the highest-selling Taiwanese female artist since 2000.
Tsai was first discovered in 1998 through a singing competition organized by MTV Mandarin, which she won by singing songs by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. That exposure led to a record deal with Universal Music Taiwan in 1999, and from there, Tsai's career has skyrocketed.
Known for her dance pop style, Tsai's music has also been impactful because of her boldness in addressing societal issues, including beauty standards, gender norms and support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Due to her success across Taiwan and China — which includes more than 42 million followers on the Chinese social media platform Weibo — Tsai gained further global exposure through collaborations with Western hitmakers like Kylie Minogue and Steve Aoki and MAX.
Chinese singer Silence Wang has gained prominence in his home country for his songwriting skills and his ability to switch musical styles, from hip-hop to contemporary pop to classical. The latter is a genre he's pursued since childhood, and he even majored in classic music composition at the Undergraduate Music Department of Shenyang Conservatory of Music.
Many have praised Wang's heartfelt melodies and captivating lyrics as a source of comfort, as heard on his single "Like Sunny Days, Like Rainy Days," which was released as part of the original soundtrack for the global hit Chinese drama series "The First Frost." Wang's moving music has helped him become one of the top Mandopop artists from mainland China on Spotify, where he averages more than 2.3 million listeners a month.
WayV
While WayV have often been associated with the K-pop world, the group is an example of the ways in which the Chinese and Korean music markets have merged. As the Chinese sub-unit of the 25-member K-pop group NCT, WayV — short for We are your Vision — is a boy band composed of members Kun, Ten, Winwin, Xiaojun, Hendery and Yangyang. (Hong Kong-born Lucas was a part of the original lineup, but left in 2023.)
Upon their debut in 2019, WayV landed two No. 3 hits on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales including the viral single "Love Talk." The band has since earned several awards and accolades across Asia, with their 2023 studio album On My Youth finding particular success in Japan, entering the top five on the Billboard Japan Hot Album chart.
Though WayV has been labelled both C-pop and K-pop, members of the band have expressed their desire to pave their own path in the music industry as global stars. "We want to identify just as Asian pop or really just as WayV pop," member Ten told Billboard in 2019. To this day, the group continues to bridge the gap between Chinese and Korean cultures through music — and like many of their Mandopop peers, they're helping promote the Mandarin language on a wider scale.
Cai Xukun, known professionally as KUN, is a Chinese triple threat. A singer/songwriter, dancer and actor, KUN first got his start in the music industry performing in the boy group SWIN, after winning a spot in the lineup on the Chinese-Korean reality show "Super Idol." Following his departure from the group in 2017, KUN participated in the reality competition show "Idol Producer"; he ended up winning the series, earning him a spot on the short-lived Chinese boy band Nine Percent.
Despite seeing major success with their debut album, Nine Percent disbanded after 18 months, but it was enough exposure to allow KUN to find solo success. In 2019, he toured across North America, selling out concerts in Los Angeles and New York. In August 2024, three of KUN's songs hit the U.S. iTunes chart, with "Remedy" scoring the highest debut of the week at No. 2; he landed five total tracks on the chart that week, showing his growing international reach.
KUN has also proved himself as an influence in the fashion world. He has been a brand ambassador for brands like Levi's, Givenchy Beauty and FILA, and turned heads in a Prada outfit on the Met Gala red carpet in 2023.
Xiao Zhan is one of China's hottest young stars, with millions of followers across social media platforms. An actor and singer, Xiao got his start in the entertainment industry when he participated on the idol survival show "X-Fire" in 2015, then debuted in the boy group X Nine as a main vocalist.
Zhan's fame skyrocketed even further in 2019, when he starred in the Chinese period drama series "The Untamed." Since that breakthrough role, he has scored numerous endorsements with brands like Gucci, Saic Audi and L'Oreal — with many media outlets dubbing him as the "King of Luxury."
Alongside his acting, Zhan has contributed music to the dramas he's starred in, including "The Untamed" and "Joy of Life." His singing career has earned him similarly impressive success to his acting feats, as his 2020 single "Spotlight" became the highest selling digital single of all time with over 54 million copies sold. (The song also holds two more Guinness World Records for the fastest-selling digital track and biggest-selling digital single in China.)
In 2024, Zhan released his first studio album WE, which became the best-selling album of all time on the TME Physical Album Sales Chart, a music sales chart in China established by Tencent Music. While Zhan is mostly recognized globally for his acting and high fashion endorsements, it's seemingly only a matter of time before his music reaches the same heights.