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Uh oh: American idol with Chinese twist
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-15 08:13 A US music factory has set up shop in China to produce one of the first Mandarin-singing, Beijing-based, all-American pop stars. The Nettwerk Music Group, which launched megastars Avril Lavigne and Dido, has recently unveiled its latest pop creation: 17-year-old Chloe Wang, who sings in both Chinese and English.
Although Wang's father is Chinese, the American-born teenager grew up in Chicago and did not begin learning Chinese until March this year. She admits the 2008 Beijing Games was really the first time she became aware of China. But language and cultural barriers are no obstacle to her minders and US manager Peter Coquillard believes his young charge is a trailblazer for more young Western performers. "We haven't done this before," said Coquillard, who produced Chinese Super Girl winner Chris Lee's second album, Mine. "We discovered Chloe's talent in the US, but brought her here and wanted to start here. If we succeed, it will open the Chinese market for more foreign entertainers." No expense has been spared in molding China's new pop princess: She shares the producers of her first album with Madonna, Britney Spears, and Miley Cyrus, and has already launched her first single, Uh Oh, in both English and Chinese. To raise her profile among Chinese youth, Wang will soon grace the glossy pages of the Chinese editions of Vogue, Elle, and Cosmopolitan, and last month performed one of her first live Chinese-singing performances in Chengdu, Sichuan province. Wang also has a full-time language teacher who lives with her in an up-market Chaoyang Park apartment and the teenager is already using Chinese characters to respond to her growing number of fans. The Chloe Wang experiment is attracting keen interest from international music companies struggling to develop a business model in a nation where most music fans download songs for free. "It is honestly the hardest place to make money," said Tinnie Chow, another of Wang's managers. "Perhaps money will come in the future if foreign singers can truly connect with their audience in China." Every year, about 600 new albums are launched in China with international record companies releasing almost half of them. However, Chinese music companies do not rely on CD sales to generate profits and consider sales of 150,000 copies a success. In the West, CDs from major stars, such as Lil Wayne and Coldplay, sold more than 3 million copies last year. Instead, Chinese music stars make money through live concerts, mobile phone ring tones, advertising deals and special appearances. Universal Music releases about 100 CDs in China every year, and although the company would not reveal sales figures, it said sales were profitable because of what it said was the lack of depth in local music. "The Chinese pop music industry does not have great variety, so music fans turn to non-Chinese pop music," said Liang Dandan, Universal Music's assistant marketing manager of International Repertoire. "This helps some global music companies to bring in some singers." Hit FM radio station music editor Reaf Zhang agreed, saying the industry lacks a stable of world-class superstars, giving opportunities to newcomers like Chloe Wang. "Once we cannot find local singers, we eye foreign pop singers who come here to develop their singing careers," he said. Although Wang is one of the first American pop stars to launch her career in China, Korean stars have come, soared and conquered before. Actor-cum-singer Lee Seung-hyun became famous in Korean pop band Take, but is now more active in Chinese TV programs. Kim Hee-seon has released Chinese songs and appeared in Jackie Chan's blockbuster The Myth.
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