A fool's guide to Chinese pop (Cpop/Mandopop) This is a guide for those who may have stepped a little into the grand world of Chinese music, but don't know where to start. 1) Use the right platform Spotify is okay for certain artists. However it may lack live performances (particularly songs performed on variety shows). Depending on the artists, you may want to try using YouTube Music or Demus (if you're on IOS). Chinese music apps such as QQ Music, Kugou Music, Kuwo Music and Netease Music are good if your favorite artist has limited exposure outside of Mainland China. Just a warning - you may need a Chinese VPN (such as Transocks) and a membership to get the full experience, as certain songs may be geoblocked, only playable in China. 2) Find an artist to expand off There's plenty to go around. Want sad, emo songs to cry to while thinking of your ex? Zhang Yuan. Do you like electronic beats? Wowkie Zhang. If you're not sure, try searching and listening to playlists made by others. Once you find an artist, it's easier to find similar artists that you'll enjoy. I recommend starting with popular artists like Jay Chou, Joker Xue, Silence Wang and others before expanding out from there.
3. Don't understand the lyrics? No problem! Try and search <name of song> 歌词 (歌词 gēcí, means lyrics). Don't expect lyrics from the typical Western platforms such as Musixmatch. Translate the lyrics there using either Google Translate or DeepL. You can also find translations on YouTube, from channels such as Peachey Blossom, Lyrically Crafted, and myself. Websites that usually have lyrics to songs: https://www.kugeci.com/ https://mojigeci.com/ https://lyrics.net.cn/ https://chinesemusicwiki.com/ 4. Enjoy! Any questions?