June has been a month full of great Cpop releases. I thought it might be nice to highlight some of our favourite Cpop songs this month.
Featured Cpop recommendation: R1SE – Goodbye My Old Friend & I’m Gonna Create A New World Of You
Last month, R1SE released their graduation EP, Before Sunrise, to conclude R1SE’s two-year run as one of the most popular boy groups in recent history. The EP consists of 6 songs, released one by one through May and June. The final two tracks, released in June, Goodbye My Old Friend and I Want To Create a World of You, perfectly encapsulate the bittersweet time for both the C-pop group and their fans.
Goodbye, My Friend is a ballad-style love letter to their fans, gently comforting their fans about times gone by, and reminiscing about their time as a group, and reassuring fans to keep moving forward. It is a lovely and bittersweet song and a perfect way to signify their final moments as a group together as one of the most famous groups in C-Pop.
I Want to Create a World of You is a bonus track released in this EP. With lyrics penned by frontman Zhou Zhennan and music also co-written by him, it encapsulates the feelings of disbandment and venturing through life on a more lonely path. This song demonstrates Zhou Zhennan’s growth as a composer, its catchy hook and lyrics are his style at his best, capturing the desperation and complex emotions that come from R1SE’s disbandment.
Zhao Ke – No Reason To Blame You
Singer and rapper Zhao Ke from Air League Band, winners of The Coming One Superband last year, released a solo song called No Reason To Blame You. The song was inspired by a painting he saw of a young girl hugging a cat against the dark corner of a window sill, with heavy rain outside and loneliness filling the space. From the lyrics full of heartache, sung with Zhao Ke’s mournful voice and his well-delivered flowing rap verses, the whole song embodies a feeling of helplessness and regret that accompanies love.
Li Jian – The Door
After six years, Li Jian has finally released his seventh solo album Incessantly (lit.). Known famously in the C-Pop industry for his poetic lyrics and his gentle voice, Li Jian’s new album maintains the warmth and gentleness present in his past works, while also exploring new musical styles. The album’s second single, The Door musically takes inspiration from 1980s rock in its style. It tells the story of a person and of life’s metaphorical doors, whether they be dead ends or pathways in life. Overlaid with his gentle vocals, it allows the listener to find their own journey through the philosophical concept of doorways.
Oaeen – Start from the End
After the past couple of years plagued by legal troubles, the legendary Taiwanese band Sodagreen rebranded to Oaeen in 2020, with each member taking on a new stage name. This is the second song they have released under their new name, and as the title suggests, signifies a new beginning for the 6 member band. Start From the End returns to the familiar style of their previous work under Sodagreen, and paired with a music video showing them reuniting as a band again, fans can look forward to more music and a new album coming from Oaeen in the future.
Mao Buyi – Sea Voyage
This is Mao Buyi’s first album containing completely new songs written after his debut on The Coming One. While his previous songs capture the period of dissatisfaction and sadness in his life, now he turns his focus to exploring the problems he faces as a young person trying to face the world. The second single off his new album, Sea Voyage, deviates a bit from the types of ballads he is more well known for, with its blues-influenced pop showing his growth as a musician and willingness to explore new styles. It tells of how each person continues to drift forward in life, the people and moments around you that pass by, and how one might not realise or appreciate them until you have moved to a different place in life. This is one C-pop album you should definitely not miss out on.
Zhao Rang – R.A.N.G.
While R1SE might have disbanded, that doesn’t mean the end for any of the members. We can look forward to bigger and better things from each member as they pursue their entertainment careers, even if it’s not beside their other ten teammates.
Zhao Rang kicks off his own venture with the release of his EP, R.A.N.G, establishing his first mark as a solo artist in a post-R1SE era. The EP features a number of upbeat and catchy pop, as well as a touching song written to his other R1SE ex-team members about the memories from the last two years (“I Wish”).
These are just a fraction of the great C-pop releases from last month, if you have any other releases you particularly enjoyed in June or releases you’re looking forward to or love in July, please let us know!
Haven’t added WAYV？？