Source: Twitter. Screenshot of Tia Ray’s tweet.
Twitter and KKBOX, a popular music streaming service in Asia, are collaborating to increase global recognition and appreciation of Chinese pop music, known as Cpop (#Cpop).
To achieve this, KKBOX is developing exclusive Cpop content (#OnlyOnTwitter) for their main Twitter account (@KKBOX). This includes weekly live question and answer sessions with Cpop artists, personalized video messages from Cpop musicians and producers using Twitter’s Challenger app, frequent #KKvote contests to encourage international fan participation, and live streams of Cpop concerts and the yearly KKBOX music awards through Periscope (@KKBOXTW).
The #LoveCpop campaign, launched recently, showcases Cpop artists’ support for KKBOX’s mission of bringing Chinese-language music to the world. A growing number of Cpop artists, including notable figures like Jam Hsiao (@JamHsiao0330), Z-Chen (@zchen0508), May Day (@Mayday_EN), IO Band (@ioband), Tia Ray (@tiaraymusic), Vanness Wu (@VanNessVanWu), Stefanie Sun (@Stefsunyanzi), Kelly Lin (@kellyhlin), JJ Lin (@JJ_Lin), GEM (@GEMoving), Shung Xiao Yu (@ShungXiaoyu), Coco Lee (@cocolee117), and Erika Liu (@ErikaLiu0314), have joined Twitter to share their music with a wider audience.
Catherine Chien, Marketing VP of KKBOX, highlights that KKBOX boasts the most extensive library of Asian pop music, with their track collection expanding from 20 million to 25 million this year. They also have over 2,500 artists and celebrities as dedicated supporters. Partnering with Twitter allows them to co-create unique content for Cpop enthusiasts and artists, enabling them to connect with a global audience and share their passion for the music through this live communication platform.
Margot Ling, Head of Media Partnerships at Twitter Greater China, expresses their goal of increasing the amount of Chinese-language content on Twitter. This aims to make their platform a vibrant hub for users worldwide to engage with Chinese culture. Music, being universally loved, makes their collaboration with KKBOX a unique and exciting venture. Through real-time interactions and live discussions, they aim to promote Cpop globally.
She emphasizes their excitement in partnering with KKBOX, one of Asia’s leading music streaming platforms, to produce distinctive Twitter content featuring both established and up-and-coming Cpop artists, as well as coverage of music concerts and award ceremonies.
Several Cpop artists have already posted videos on Twitter for their global fan base, including:
Lala Hsu - A Taiwanese singer-songwriter recognized with the Best New Artist award at the 2010 Golden Melody Awards. She also achieved the title of champion in Taiwan’s singing competition One Million Star.
A-Lin - Known as A Born Diva, this aboriginal Taiwanese pop singer has numerous music awards and enjoys significant popularity within the Mandarin-speaking world.
Yoga Lin - Her debut album in 2008, Mystery Guest, reached the top of major music and radio charts across Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and mainland China.
Tia Ray - Hailing from Hunan Province in mainland China, this Cpop-R&B-Soul-Jazz singer-songwriter received The Best Stage Performance Award and Outstanding Singer Award at the 2015 Global Chinese Music Awards Ceremony.
Finn Liu - A multi-award-winning jazzy-Cpop singer from Heilongjiang Province in mainland China, recognized as the Best Newcomer at the Guangzhou Music Chart Awards 2015.
Jam Hsiao - Honored as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons in Taiwan in 2015.
Cpop artists also directly engaged with fan questions via Twitter Challenger video messages:
Derrick Hoh - This Singaporean idol singer rose to national recognition after securing the second runner-up position in Channel U’s Project SuperStar in 2005.
GJ - Born in Shanghai but based in Australia, this award-winning artist received the Best New Singer-song-writer Music Radio China Top Music Award.
If you’re interested in experiencing this fusion of music and social media, follow @KKBOX on Twitter and @KKBOXTW on Periscope. You’ll have access to live broadcasts, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and musical highlights from all the Cpop concerts hosted by KKBOX in Taipei and Hong Kong throughout the year. Upcoming events include:
June 5 - Jason Chan x Phil Lam Live, showcasing these two Canadian-Hong Kong Cpop singers.
June 17 - Binghem Yeh x Shennio Lin Live, featuring a collaboration between these two Taiwanese singers.