Musical Taste

In a previous post I stated that I like to listen to Taiwanese music because it helps me with learning Chinese, so I have been planning to share some of the songs that I am listening to each month.  I like all kinds of musical genres and listening to Taiwanese music stations come with a plethora of music variation.  Not all are new releases, but each of the songs I am sharing with you today are songs that I listen to over and over again. Now, without further a due, here are my current top 5 songs.

1. Kimberley 陳芳語: 世界毀滅 Acoustic Version (World Destruction)

Kimberley Chen is one of the first Mandopop singers that I began to listen to.  She is a Taiwanese singer that grew up in Melbourne, Australia.  Kimberley's first album came out back in 2012 right around the same time that I began listening to Mandopop music.  Her first big hit song was 愛你 (Ai Ni) which is another great song that I invite you to go check out.  This song, 世界毀滅 (World Destruction) is the acoustic version of one Kimberley's songs from her new (and second album Kimbonomics).  I think that her music is great and I enjoy listening to both her original songs and their acoustic versions (which she posts on her YouTube channel).

2.  方大同 Khalil Fong: 麥恩莉 (My Only Girl)

Khalil Fong is one of my favorite Mandopop artists and I like to listen to all of his music.  He is Hong Kong singer, though interestingly he hasn't written any songs in Cantonese and has grown extremely popular in Taiwan.  The reason for this probably being that he is American born (Hawaii), brought up in China and Cantonese is his fourth language.  Regardless of what language he sings in, I love the smooth, rich sound of Khalil Fong's voice and musical style.  This song, 麥恩莉 (My Only Girl) is from his Back to Wonderland album that was released back in 2012.

3. 嚴爵 Yen J: 沒有你的日子的我

Yen J is a Taiwanese jazz-pop singer who has grown in popularity in recent years due to the support and 

testimonials given him from other popular Taiwanese artists.  Yen J's incredible talent got him a signed contract

with a Taiwanese recording company back in 2008 after only three months of trying to break into the music

industry.  I love the jazz influence in his music and it keeps me coming back for more.  This song is from 

Yen J's new album Y4You.

4.  陶喆 & 關詩敏 David Tao Zhe & Sharon Kwan: 好好說再見 (Nice to Say Goodbye)

David Tao is a phenomenal Taiwanese singer-song writer who is known for his beautiful blend of R&B and hard rock.   I really like to listen to David Tao's music.  He has been in the music industry since the 90s and has helped to popularize R&B in the Mandopop industry.  This is one of my favorite songs of his and comes from his most recent album, Hello Goodbye.  I find myself hitting repeat almost every time I listen to it.  I think it is the guitar that really touches me in this song, but the wonderful blend of David Tao and Sharon Kwan's voices certainly help in making this one of my top five favorite songs at the moment.

5.  EXO-M: Peter Pan

EXO is actually a very popular Korean boy group, but like many Korean groups, their album has also been released and they perform their songs in Mandarin as well.  For all the boy group fans, here is a song that I think is fun and strikes my Disney loving chord with the cute Peter Pan and Wendy references.  EXO is probably most known for their song Growl, which I like too, but this one is a little more fun and light hearted.

There you have it, my current top five songs that I am listening to on repeat.  I plan on keeping you up to date with more music that I listen to, so stay tuned for those updates on more artists.  Enjoy!