October 11, 2021 • 20 mins
These days you don't *need* to be a fan of KTV (karaoke) to thrive in China. But it certainly helps to have a favourite song prepared, just in case your friends, colleagues or clients force you to join them for an evening of merriment and microphones... In today's compilation episode from Season 02 of Mosaic of China, we hear from 30 people about their strategies for symphonic survival. Do you agree with any of them? Be sure to get in touch to share your own favourite KTV choices. Chapters 00:00 - Trailer & Intro 01:06 - Main 19:18 - Outro Subscribe to the PREMIUM version, see the visuals, and/or follow the full transcript for this episode at https://mosaicofchina.com/season-02-compilation-02-ktv-songs.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
[Trailer]Crystyl MO: I would rather stab my eyes out
with forks than go to KTV. People who don'tget paid to sing, should not sing.
[Intro]OF: Welcome to Mosaic of China, a podcast
about people who are making their mark inChina. I’m your host, Oscar Fuchs.
(00:23):
So this is the second special compilationepisode from Season 02, and this one is all
about the guests’ answers to the question: “What is your go-to song to sing at KTV?” (00:28):
undefined
And as you’ll hear from some of the answers,you don’t need to be a fan of karaoke to
have an answer to this question. If you wantto listen to the version of this episode which
includes excerpts of the music that each guestmentions, stop right now and subscribe to
(00:48):
the PREMIUM version of Mosaic of China onPatreon, Apple, or 爱发电 [Àifādiàn].
Otherwise you can listen to this version withoutthe music embedded, and instead listen to
the song choices separately on the playliststhat I’ve created on Spotify and QQMusic
- check out the Mosaic of China website forthe links.
[Main][Voiceover]
OF (01:08):
Louise Roy, the childbirth and lactation specialist from Episode 06.
[Clip]LR: Look, KTV is an art. You've got to choose
wisely, for the right time in the evening,and the right moment of the room and everything.
But I think probably my favourite just, like,kick-things-off songs would be something like
(01:31):
‘Sweet Child o' Mine’ or something justthat you could belt out and get things going.
Yes. Belting rock songs. LR
graphic 80s actions.OF: Oh, if only there was a video recorder
in this room right now. Anyone listening,if you can imagine that Kiss photo with the
tongue sticking out…LR: Yeah, that’s about it.
(01:54):
[Voiceover]OF: Cassandra Chen, the heavy metal bar owner
from Episode 16.[Clip]
CC (02:00):
Oh, ‘Sweet Child o' Mine’. OF
Yes. OF
right? That's obviously…CC: No, no. But it's pretty enjoyable to sing
the song.OF: Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Michael Kinsey, the fire engineer from
Episode 25.[Clip]
MK (02:20):
So I know one Chinese song. It's called ‘爱我别走 [Àiwǒ biézǒu].’ It's
a love song.OF: As in ‘Love me don’t go’?
‘Love me don't go’. OF
Exactly. It's a ballad, fairly simple. OF
actually read the bloody lyrics.MK: Exactly. And I've memorised the lyrics
as well. I can just about read them now. There'sno rapping, which is good for me for my background
(02:43):
growing up in the mean streets of Surrey.Yeah, it's just about manageable. You know,
I can almost sound OK.OF: Yes, those are the ones who need to learn.
People always like the upbeat ones, but they’retoo fast.
True. [Voiceover]
OF (02:58):
Alex Shoer, the clean energy entrepreneur from Episode 11.
[Clip]AS: So I always like to surprise and terrify
people with my rapping. Because I come fromAtlanta, so I usually usually rap to Outkast
or Ludacris. ‘So Fresh, So Clean’ is probablymy favourite of the Outkast songs. And then
(03:18):
I usually do a little freestyle in there,so I kind of make up my own words at some
point.OF: That sounds like you put quite a lot of
effort into it.AS: Well, I do, but I have to make up for
all my friends and colleagues who are singingbeautiful, delicate Chinese songs, in harmony,
in the right pitch, trained. And since I can'treally do those Chinese songs very well, this
(03:39):
is how I build my my 关系 [guānxì] inother ways.
[Voiceover]OF: Chang Chihyun, the humanities professor
from Episode 03.[Clip]
CC (03:48):
I have a really good knowledge about Taiwanese gangster songs. So I sing all the Taiwanese
gangster songs. For example, one song is ‘BeingLonely’. 孤單 [Gūdān].
OF (04:00):
Gūdān, ah right, right. CC
lonely’, it’s how he works alone, hiscriminal life, by himself.
[Voiceover]OF: Noxolo Bhengu, the African community organiser
from Episode 14.[Clip]
NB (04:19):
Uh, it's anything, man. Like, whatever feels good in the moment, you know? One that
I did recently is ‘Ordinary People’.OF: Oh, which one?
John Legend. Because… mainly because that song is one I think I can handle for
now. So that's what I've been singing recently.OF: It's in your range, it’s…
Yes. It's in my range. Exactly. Yes. [Voiceover]
OF (04:40):
Michelle Qu, the improvisational comedian from Episode 20.
[Clip]MQ: Oh, I would sing ‘我的心里只有你没有他
[Wǒ de xīnlǐ zhǐyǒu nǐ méiyǒu tā]’,I only have you in my heart, there's no space
for anyone else.OF: Who sings that?
MQ (04:56):
黄小琥 [Huáng Xiǎohǔ], a singer from Taiwan.
OF (04:59):
OK. MQ
still in tone, I feel comfortable about it.OF: Yeah.
MQ (05:06):
And it’s a little bit jazz style, and a little bit drama style. And also 1980s disco.
OF (05:13):
Oh that’s ‘Peak Michelle’. Alright. MQ
[Wǒ de xīnlǐ zhǐyǒu nǐ méiyǒu tā,nǐ yào xiāngxìn wǒ de qíngyì bìng
bù jiǎ]”OF: Oh. That's a free performance.
[Voiceover]OF: Wendy Saunders, the architect from Episode
(05:37):
12.[Clip]
What would be your song? WS
or something that would bring me back to mychildhood.
[Voiceover]OF: Douglon Tse, the island businessman from
Episode 15.[Clip]
DT (05:51):
I have a go-to song that people want me to sing at KTV.
OF (05:54):
Oh-Oh. DT
World.OF: Oh, you have got quite a deep voice, is
that why?DT: Yeah. But it's just because they want
to hear me impersonate him.OF: Oh, you can do an impersonation?
DT (06:07):
Yeah. So once people get drunk enough, or if I get drunk enough, that song somehow
always ends up… And it's not… Becausethe thing is, the version on the KTV machines
isn't even very good.OF: It's a crowd-pleaser.
[Voiceover]OF: Jovana Zhang, the handicrafts designer
(06:28):
from Episode 08.[Clip]
JZ (06:30):
Because I don't do singing - I really don't know how to sing - so it's gonna be
ABBA.OF: Which one?
Money, Money, Money OF
Yeah. And I always sing it in a duet with somebody.
[Voiceover]OF: Murray King, the public affairs leader
from Episode 29.[Clip]
(06:50):
s02e29 Murray KINGMK: There are a few. But I guess the one that
I like to sing - if I can sing with somebodyelse, because it's probably more known as
a female song - 后来 [Hòulái], 刘若英[Liú Ruòyīng].
OF (07:00):
OK. MK
probably is 15-20 years old now. And whenI learned Chinese - and I tried to improve
my colloquial Chinese - I did it by tryingto listen to more Chinese pop music. It’s
a great way to entertain yourself and learna language. And it's just one of the early
(07:20):
songs that you know… It's kind of just atune that stuck with me, and gnawed at me,
and stayed with me. And so you have to learnone song. Right, you need your karaoke song.
So that was my song, because nobody wouldhave expected I could sing that song, right?
Ah. MK
[Duìmiàn de nǚhái kàn guòlái], whichis very common.
[Voiceover]OF: Vladimir Djurovic, the brand naming expert
(07:43):
from Episode 13.[Clip]
VD (07:45):
I was actually, I think, terrorised because one of my first trip at my first internship
in China, we happened to sing in the lobbyof a hotel.
OF (07:54):
Oh! VD
around the whole building.OF: What? What kind of terrible hotel was
this?VD: It was a building, it was a hotel in 沈阳
[Shěnyáng], 1999 or 2000. So it was a longtime ago.
Yeah. VD
go for 任賢齊 [Rèn Xiánqí], who is aChinese pop singer from 20 years ago. He sings
(08:15):
very simple songs like 对面的女孩看过来[Duìmiàn de nǚhái kànguòlái], this
type of thing, very light-hearted. And I thinkthat, I can do.
[Voiceover]OF: Zhao Huiling, the Africa travel vlogger
from Episode 28.[Clip]
ZH (08:33):
Ooh, something from Britney Spears. Hit Me Baby One More Time.
OF (08:38):
Wow, she means it. [Voiceover]
DJ BO, the DJ from Episode 23. [Clip]
BO (08:48):
Chuck Berry and ‘Johnny B. Goode’ is such a great song, which has a great spirit
to it; there's a story; people know it fromBack to the Future; it’s got a very very
easy chorus for people to sing along to; andit's great.
[Voiceover]OF: Zhang Yuan, the performance art exhibitor
from Episode 07.[Clip]
ZY (09:09):
I hate KTV. OF
are you never tempted to have a sing?ZY: Of course I would, they would coerce me
to sing.OF: That’s it.
You know, I would sing ‘You Are Not Alone’.
OF (09:21):
Oh. ZY
I do, Michael Jackson, right? ZY
Why that one? ZY
and you’re singing karaoke, you are lonelyin a way. Yeah, but you're saying you're not
alone. Yeah, for me, it’s…OF: Ah, so it really touched your heart, actually.
ZY (09:40):
Yes, it’s touching in a way. Yeah. The song itself is touching. Yeah, it’s a good
song, yeah.[Voiceover]
OF (09:48):
Björn Dahlman, the Swedish clown from Episode 17.
[Clip]BD: The title song of ‘Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon’ of course. So I wanted tobecome an actor, because I saw Michael Jackson
on TV. And I wanted to become Michael Jackson.And too late I realised that if you want to
be a singer, you need to hit tones, whichI was never really interested in. So I became
(10:14):
an actor, that was as close as I could get.But that also means when I was in high school
I wanted to be in all these musicals thatthey put on in that high school. And since
I couldn't sing, I always got to play thedrunk guy. Because then I can drunk-sing.
I think that's when I started to do comedy.I really love to do the Crouching Tiger song
(10:35):
in Chinese, because it's so beautiful. Andme trying to hit tones, it's just… it's
a mess.OF: I don't actually know that, I’m gonna
have to find that out, how does it go?BD: Oh, I hate you. 我醒來 睡在月光裡
下弦月 讓我想你 [Wǒ xǐng lái shuìzài yuèguāng lǐ xiàxián yuè ràng wǒ
(10:56):
xiǎng nǐ]. It’s a girl singing, and yeah…I'm having fun, the audience is like “Ah,
bloody hell.”[Voiceover]
Katherine Wong, the Peruvian healer from Episode 04.
[Clip]KW: I've stopped going to KTV for so long.
But, at home, John Legend (11:15):
“All Of Me”. OF
song really.KW: Yes.
OF (11:23):
Are you a romantic Latin type after all? KW
[Voiceover]OF: Casey Hall, the fashion journalist from
Episode 22.[Clip]
CH (11:34):
These days, I've become a lot more au fait with Disney songs over the last couple
of years. So I could bang out any number ofDisney classics right now at karaoke. And…
OF (11:44):
In Chinese even? Let it go… CH
[Suí tā ba]” Yep. I don't know any ofthe other words aside from “随它吧 [Suí
tā ba].”OF: That’s good enough.
[Voiceover]OF: Jiyoung, the transgender teacher from
Episode 30.[Clip]
J (12:00):
'From Me To You', by The Beatles. OF
Because most of them have it, so I can expect it. And it's short. And it's easy.
And it immediately puts me in a good mood.OF: You've rationalised that pretty well actually.
[Voiceover]OF: Sean Harmon, the beer company CEO from
(12:23):
Episode 09.[Clip]
SH (12:24):
You know, I wish I was a better singer. But I'm not great at KTV, I'm not the star
of the room by any means. If I have to sing- and I will sing - I do like the Red Hot
Chili Peppers, and the range of the lead singerAnthony Kiedis, he doesn’t get too high
or too low.OF: Ah right.
So it's manageable, without completely embarrassing yourself. Maybe ‘By the Way’,
(12:45):
if I have to choose one.[Voiceover]
OF (12:48):
Stéphane Wilmet, the head of consumer insights at L'Oreal from Episode 01.
[Clip]SW: I am so happy and relieved that KTV today
is no longer as relevant, because there arenew ways of entertainment today. You think
back to when KTV was so important, there wasn'tsocial media, there wasn't TikTok, there weren't
(13:13):
all these different sources of entertainment.And so KTV brought people together for the
purpose of entertainment. So of course, KTVis still there. But it has been digitalised,
like many things. And for me, I love that,because I sing so horribly. But I do have
a song. It's from an older Chinese rock singercalled 许巍 [Xǔ Wēi]. It's called The
(13:36):
Blue Lotus. And I like it, it’s very interesting.The lyrics are quite easy. And there’s no
real ups and downs, very Zen. So for me, veryeasy to sing, or easier to sing. KTV is a
humbling exercise, is it not?OF: Right.
[Voiceover]OF: Cocosanti, the drag performer from Episode
(13:59):
05.[Clip]
C (14:00):
I am not a singer. I have no musical bone in my body. I really don't. I don't. I like
musicals, I like Broadway musicals. But Imostly just kind of like, chill at KTV, while
my friends - who are all performance people- sing. But I'm pretty good at Super Bass,
by Nicki Minaj.OF: OK.
Yeah, I can't sing but I think I can… I can't rap. I can't rap either. My eldest
(14:25):
brother is a rapper, and he's pretty famousin the underground scene in Boston.
OF (14:28):
Right. C
Maybe you're being hard on yourself, because your brother is a professional rapper. But
actually, you're not bad.C: I mean, he's not that good. So I know that
I'm not that good.[Voiceover]
Jamie Barys, the street food expert from Episode 02.
(14:50):
[Clip]JB: I'm such a bad singer. It is so embarrassing.
It’s Super Bass, by Nicki Minaj. BecauseI don't actually have to sing, I just get
to rap.OF: I kind of want to see you do that pregnant
right now. Why am I saying that?JB: You’re right, I actually, um, you know,
my friends are like “Oh, we should go toKTV!” And I'm like “Can we do daytime
KTV? Because I'm not gonna drink anyway”.So it'll be, yeah…
(15:12):
Yeah, because you really have to do sober KTV, and that's hard.
JB (15:17):
Yeah. [Voiceover]
OF (15:19):
Vittorio Franzese, the lawyer from Episode 27.
[Clip]VF: I think that I have to talk about my favourite
Chinese song that I like to sing at KTV. It'scalled 我们不一样 [Wǒmen bù Yīyàng].
It's a very popular song from 大壮 [Dàzhuàng].I don't know the author well, except for this
song. But I really like to sing it, especiallywhen there's the refrain part. He reaches
(15:44):
some high tones, I love to try to get themwell, although it doesn't really happen often.
Yeah, but if you're drunk, you don't care, right?
VF (15:54):
The other people care, though. They still notice it.
[Voiceover]OF: Danma Jyid, the Tibetan social enterprise
leader from Episode 10.[Clip]
DJ (16:06):
I haven't been to KTV for so many years. OF
is that right?DJ: Yes, that’s probably it.
OF (16:13):
Totally. But maybe if you drink enough yak milk, you'll get some kind of high.
DJ (16:18):
Yeah. [Voiceover]
OF (16:21):
Crystyl Mo, the fine dining expert from Episode 26.
[Clip]CM: I would rather stab my eyes out with forks
than go to KTV.OF: You have obviously been, though. You haven't
been able to avoid it entirely.CM: I really have only been maybe three times
in my early career in China before I realisedthat I will never go again. People who don't
(16:45):
get paid to sing, should not sing.[Voiceover]
Seth Harvey, the education coach from Episode 19.
[Clip]SH: Oh sorry, I'm such a big hater of KTV.
Oooh. SH
but there's a Chinese song called 为什么你背着我爱别人[Wèishéme Nǐ Bèizhe Wǒ Ài Biérén].
(17:06):
And that translates to “Why did you betrayme? Why did you love someone else?” But
for me, that's that song that represents myfirst year in China. And it was always on
the radio, and it has this very, super nicemelody, da-da da-da-da da-da. And whenever
you try to sing this in KTV, it depressesall the Chinese people.
Oh! SH
(17:28):
But, man, the melody is so nice. So I guessthat's my KTV revenge, it’s like “I told
you I didn't want to go, and now I'm goingto depress all of you with this beautiful
sad song”.OF: The perfect weapon.
[Voiceover]OF: Ajay Jain, the car designer from Episode
21.[Clip]
AJ (17:47):
I've never been to KTV. And now I'm never gonna get a chance, because my daughters have
got microphones at home…OF: Yes.
…With a speaker system, and tthey own them. So they want me to appreciate their
singing.OF: Ah.
You know, “Shark doo doo doo doo” or whatever.
OF (18:04):
Oh that’s gonna be your song. AJ
[Voiceover]OF: Jo McFarland, the product sourcing leader
from Episode 18.[Clip]
JM (18:15):
I have not got one, Oscar. Because, if you heard my singing voice… No honestly,
I've said to my friends “Have I got theworst singing voice you’ve ever heard?”
And they all go “Yes”. I like singingstupid things like Robbie Williams’ ‘Angels’
is always a popular one.OF: Yeah. And who cares if it's good or bad?
[Voiceover]OF: Salome Chen, the investor and developer
(18:39):
from Episode 24.[Clip]
SC (18:41):
Sorry, I don't sing songs. I'm a terrible singer. For me, it was like, I didn't know
I was a terrible singer. You know, when you’rea kid, you don't know. You just try to sing
songs. And I was a good student. So when wehad this music exam, I did the paperwork very
well. Full score, always. And my teacher toldme "You don't need to sing, you passed the
(19:07):
exam”. And really, she just let me passthe exam. 60 exactly. Not even 61. How bad
does that mean?
[Outro]OF: Thank you for listening to today’s compilation.
I know from doing these interviews that karaokeseems to a dying art for many people in China.
(19:27):
But since I remain a fan, I’ve decided tokeep asking this question to the guests of
next season. In fact, I was feeling a littlenostalgic about when I first got into karaoke
while living in western Japan, and in theback of my mind I remember I had a photo somewhere
to prove it. And wouldn’t you know, I managedto find it, and I’ve posted it on social
media. So please search for Mosaic of Chinaon Instagram and Facebook to see it, or add
(19:52):
me on WeChat to join one of the listenersgroups there. It was taken in 1999 in 岡山
[Okayama] city, back when I used to stillhave brown hair. And bonus points if you can
guess the song I’m singing just from thelyrics on the screen. No cheating!
Mosaic of China is me, Oscar Fuchs, with artworkby Denny Newell. The next episode will be
(20:14):
released in 2 weeks’ time, and it’ll bean anthology of the things that still surprise
the guests about life in China. I’ll seeyou then.
[Clips]SW: Thank you very much.
JB (20:26):
Thank you, it’s been a pleasure. CC
KW (20:28):
Thank you so much. C
LR (20:31):
Thank you very much. ZY
JZ (20:33):
Thank you. SH
DJ (20:35):
Thank you. AS
WS (20:36):
Thank you. VD
NB (20:38):
Thank you. DT
CC (20:39):
Thank you. BD
JM (20:41):
Thank you very much. SH
MQ (20:43):
Thank you. AJ
CH (20:45):
Thank you. BO
SC (20:46):
Thank you. MK
CM (20:47):
Thank you. VF
ZH (20:49):
Thank you for having me. MK
J (20:50):
Thank you so much.
[Trailer]Crystyl MO: I would rather stab my eyes out
with forks than go to KTV. People who don'tget paid to sing, should not sing.
[Intro]OF: Welcome to Mosaic of China, a podcast
about people who are making their mark inChina. I’m your host, Oscar Fuchs.
(00:23):
So this is the second special compilationepisode from Season 02, and this one is all
about the guests’ answers to the question: “What is your go-to song to sing at KTV?” (00:28):
undefined
And as you’ll hear from some of the answers,you don’t need to be a fan of karaoke to
have an answer to this question. If you wantto listen to the version of this episode which
includes excerpts of the music that each guestmentions, stop right now and subscribe to
(00:48):
the PREMIUM version of Mosaic of China onPatreon, Apple, or 爱发电 [Àifādiàn].
Otherwise you can listen to this version withoutthe music embedded, and instead listen to
the song choices separately on the playliststhat I’ve created on Spotify and QQMusic
- check out the Mosaic of China website forthe links.
[Main][Voiceover]
OF (01:08):
Louise Roy, the childbirth and lactation specialist from Episode 06.
[Clip]LR: Look, KTV is an art. You've got to choose
wisely, for the right time in the evening,and the right moment of the room and everything.
But I think probably my favourite just, like,kick-things-off songs would be something like
(01:31):
‘Sweet Child o' Mine’ or something justthat you could belt out and get things going.
Yes. Belting rock songs. LR
graphic 80s actions.OF: Oh, if only there was a video recorder
in this room right now. Anyone listening,if you can imagine that Kiss photo with the
tongue sticking out…LR: Yeah, that’s about it.
(01:54):
[Voiceover]OF: Cassandra Chen, the heavy metal bar owner
from Episode 16.[Clip]
CC (02:00):
Oh, ‘Sweet Child o' Mine’. OF
Yes. OF
right? That's obviously…CC: No, no. But it's pretty enjoyable to sing
the song.OF: Yeah.
[Voiceover]OF: Michael Kinsey, the fire engineer from
Episode 25.[Clip]
MK (02:20):
So I know one Chinese song. It's called ‘爱我别走 [Àiwǒ biézǒu].’ It's
a love song.OF: As in ‘Love me don’t go’?
‘Love me don't go’. OF
Exactly. It's a ballad, fairly simple. OF
actually read the bloody lyrics.MK: Exactly. And I've memorised the lyrics
as well. I can just about read them now. There'sno rapping, which is good for me for my background
(02:43):
growing up in the mean streets of Surrey.Yeah, it's just about manageable. You know,
I can almost sound OK.OF: Yes, those are the ones who need to learn.
People always like the upbeat ones, but they’retoo fast.
True. [Voiceover]
OF (02:58):
Alex Shoer, the clean energy entrepreneur from Episode 11.
[Clip]AS: So I always like to surprise and terrify
people with my rapping. Because I come fromAtlanta, so I usually usually rap to Outkast
or Ludacris. ‘So Fresh, So Clean’ is probablymy favourite of the Outkast songs. And then
(03:18):
I usually do a little freestyle in there,so I kind of make up my own words at some
point.OF: That sounds like you put quite a lot of
effort into it.AS: Well, I do, but I have to make up for
all my friends and colleagues who are singingbeautiful, delicate Chinese songs, in harmony,
in the right pitch, trained. And since I can'treally do those Chinese songs very well, this
(03:39):
is how I build my my 关系 [guānxì] inother ways.
[Voiceover]OF: Chang Chihyun, the humanities professor
from Episode 03.[Clip]
CC (03:48):
I have a really good knowledge about Taiwanese gangster songs. So I sing all the Taiwanese
gangster songs. For example, one song is ‘BeingLonely’. 孤單 [Gūdān].
OF (04:00):
Gūdān, ah right, right. CC
lonely’, it’s how he works alone, hiscriminal life, by himself.
[Voiceover]OF: Noxolo Bhengu, the African community organiser
from Episode 14.[Clip]
NB (04:19):
Uh, it's anything, man. Like, whatever feels good in the moment, you know? One that
I did recently is ‘Ordinary People’.OF: Oh, which one?
John Legend. Because… mainly because that song is one I think I can handle for
now. So that's what I've been singing recently.OF: It's in your range, it’s…
Yes. It's in my range. Exactly. Yes. [Voiceover]
OF (04:40):
Michelle Qu, the improvisational comedian from Episode 20.
[Clip]MQ: Oh, I would sing ‘我的心里只有你没有他
[Wǒ de xīnlǐ zhǐyǒu nǐ méiyǒu tā]’,I only have you in my heart, there's no space
for anyone else.OF: Who sings that?
MQ (04:56):
黄小琥 [Huáng Xiǎohǔ], a singer from Taiwan.
OF (04:59):
OK. MQ
still in tone, I feel comfortable about it.OF: Yeah.
MQ (05:06):
And it’s a little bit jazz style, and a little bit drama style. And also 1980s disco.
OF (05:13):
Oh that’s ‘Peak Michelle’. Alright. MQ
[Wǒ de xīnlǐ zhǐyǒu nǐ méiyǒu tā,nǐ yào xiāngxìn wǒ de qíngyì bìng
bù jiǎ]”OF: Oh. That's a free performance.
[Voiceover]OF: Wendy Saunders, the architect from Episode
(05:37):
12.[Clip]
What would be your song? WS
or something that would bring me back to mychildhood.
[Voiceover]OF: Douglon Tse, the island businessman from
Episode 15.[Clip]
DT (05:51):
I have a go-to song that people want me to sing at KTV.
OF (05:54):
Oh-Oh. DT
World.OF: Oh, you have got quite a deep voice, is
that why?DT: Yeah. But it's just because they want
to hear me impersonate him.OF: Oh, you can do an impersonation?
DT (06:07):
Yeah. So once people get drunk enough, or if I get drunk enough, that song somehow
always ends up… And it's not… Becausethe thing is, the version on the KTV machines
isn't even very good.OF: It's a crowd-pleaser.
[Voiceover]OF: Jovana Zhang, the handicrafts designer
(06:28):
from Episode 08.[Clip]
JZ (06:30):
Because I don't do singing - I really don't know how to sing - so it's gonna be
ABBA.OF: Which one?
Money, Money, Money OF
Yeah. And I always sing it in a duet with somebody.
[Voiceover]OF: Murray King, the public affairs leader
from Episode 29.[Clip]
(06:50):
s02e29 Murray KINGMK: There are a few. But I guess the one that
I like to sing - if I can sing with somebodyelse, because it's probably more known as
a female song - 后来 [Hòulái], 刘若英[Liú Ruòyīng].
OF (07:00):
OK. MK
probably is 15-20 years old now. And whenI learned Chinese - and I tried to improve
my colloquial Chinese - I did it by tryingto listen to more Chinese pop music. It’s
a great way to entertain yourself and learna language. And it's just one of the early
(07:20):
songs that you know… It's kind of just atune that stuck with me, and gnawed at me,
and stayed with me. And so you have to learnone song. Right, you need your karaoke song.
So that was my song, because nobody wouldhave expected I could sing that song, right?
Ah. MK
[Duìmiàn de nǚhái kàn guòlái], whichis very common.
[Voiceover]OF: Vladimir Djurovic, the brand naming expert
(07:43):
from Episode 13.[Clip]
VD (07:45):
I was actually, I think, terrorised because one of my first trip at my first internship
in China, we happened to sing in the lobbyof a hotel.
OF (07:54):
Oh! VD
around the whole building.OF: What? What kind of terrible hotel was
this?VD: It was a building, it was a hotel in 沈阳
[Shěnyáng], 1999 or 2000. So it was a longtime ago.
Yeah. VD
go for 任賢齊 [Rèn Xiánqí], who is aChinese pop singer from 20 years ago. He sings
(08:15):
very simple songs like 对面的女孩看过来[Duìmiàn de nǚhái kànguòlái], this
type of thing, very light-hearted. And I thinkthat, I can do.
[Voiceover]OF: Zhao Huiling, the Africa travel vlogger
from Episode 28.[Clip]
ZH (08:33):
Ooh, something from Britney Spears. Hit Me Baby One More Time.
OF (08:38):
Wow, she means it. [Voiceover]
DJ BO, the DJ from Episode 23. [Clip]
BO (08:48):
Chuck Berry and ‘Johnny B. Goode’ is such a great song, which has a great spirit
to it; there's a story; people know it fromBack to the Future; it’s got a very very
easy chorus for people to sing along to; andit's great.
[Voiceover]OF: Zhang Yuan, the performance art exhibitor
from Episode 07.[Clip]
ZY (09:09):
I hate KTV. OF
are you never tempted to have a sing?ZY: Of course I would, they would coerce me
to sing.OF: That’s it.
You know, I would sing ‘You Are Not Alone’.
OF (09:21):
Oh. ZY
I do, Michael Jackson, right? ZY
Why that one? ZY
and you’re singing karaoke, you are lonelyin a way. Yeah, but you're saying you're not
alone. Yeah, for me, it’s…OF: Ah, so it really touched your heart, actually.
ZY (09:40):
Yes, it’s touching in a way. Yeah. The song itself is touching. Yeah, it’s a good
song, yeah.[Voiceover]
OF (09:48):
Björn Dahlman, the Swedish clown from Episode 17.
[Clip]BD: The title song of ‘Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon’ of course. So I wanted tobecome an actor, because I saw Michael Jackson
on TV. And I wanted to become Michael Jackson.And too late I realised that if you want to
be a singer, you need to hit tones, whichI was never really interested in. So I became
(10:14):
an actor, that was as close as I could get.But that also means when I was in high school
I wanted to be in all these musicals thatthey put on in that high school. And since
I couldn't sing, I always got to play thedrunk guy. Because then I can drunk-sing.
I think that's when I started to do comedy.I really love to do the Crouching Tiger song
(10:35):
in Chinese, because it's so beautiful. Andme trying to hit tones, it's just… it's
a mess.OF: I don't actually know that, I’m gonna
have to find that out, how does it go?BD: Oh, I hate you. 我醒來 睡在月光裡
下弦月 讓我想你 [Wǒ xǐng lái shuìzài yuèguāng lǐ xiàxián yuè ràng wǒ
(10:56):
xiǎng nǐ]. It’s a girl singing, and yeah…I'm having fun, the audience is like “Ah,
bloody hell.”[Voiceover]
Katherine Wong, the Peruvian healer from Episode 04.
[Clip]KW: I've stopped going to KTV for so long.
But, at home, John Legend (11:15):
“All Of Me”. OF
song really.KW: Yes.
OF (11:23):
Are you a romantic Latin type after all? KW
[Voiceover]OF: Casey Hall, the fashion journalist from
Episode 22.[Clip]
CH (11:34):
These days, I've become a lot more au fait with Disney songs over the last couple
of years. So I could bang out any number ofDisney classics right now at karaoke. And…
OF (11:44):
In Chinese even? Let it go… CH
[Suí tā ba]” Yep. I don't know any ofthe other words aside from “随它吧 [Suí
tā ba].”OF: That’s good enough.
[Voiceover]OF: Jiyoung, the transgender teacher from
Episode 30.[Clip]
J (12:00):
'From Me To You', by The Beatles. OF
Because most of them have it, so I can expect it. And it's short. And it's easy.
And it immediately puts me in a good mood.OF: You've rationalised that pretty well actually.
[Voiceover]OF: Sean Harmon, the beer company CEO from
(12:23):
Episode 09.[Clip]
SH (12:24):
You know, I wish I was a better singer. But I'm not great at KTV, I'm not the star
of the room by any means. If I have to sing- and I will sing - I do like the Red Hot
Chili Peppers, and the range of the lead singerAnthony Kiedis, he doesn’t get too high
or too low.OF: Ah right.
So it's manageable, without completely embarrassing yourself. Maybe ‘By the Way’,
(12:45):
if I have to choose one.[Voiceover]
OF (12:48):
Stéphane Wilmet, the head of consumer insights at L'Oreal from Episode 01.
[Clip]SW: I am so happy and relieved that KTV today
is no longer as relevant, because there arenew ways of entertainment today. You think
back to when KTV was so important, there wasn'tsocial media, there wasn't TikTok, there weren't
(13:13):
all these different sources of entertainment.And so KTV brought people together for the
purpose of entertainment. So of course, KTVis still there. But it has been digitalised,
like many things. And for me, I love that,because I sing so horribly. But I do have
a song. It's from an older Chinese rock singercalled 许巍 [Xǔ Wēi]. It's called The
(13:36):
Blue Lotus. And I like it, it’s very interesting.The lyrics are quite easy. And there’s no
real ups and downs, very Zen. So for me, veryeasy to sing, or easier to sing. KTV is a
humbling exercise, is it not?OF: Right.
[Voiceover]OF: Cocosanti, the drag performer from Episode
(13:59):
05.[Clip]
C (14:00):
I am not a singer. I have no musical bone in my body. I really don't. I don't. I like
musicals, I like Broadway musicals. But Imostly just kind of like, chill at KTV, while
my friends - who are all performance people- sing. But I'm pretty good at Super Bass,
by Nicki Minaj.OF: OK.
Yeah, I can't sing but I think I can… I can't rap. I can't rap either. My eldest
(14:25):
brother is a rapper, and he's pretty famousin the underground scene in Boston.
OF (14:28):
Right. C
Maybe you're being hard on yourself, because your brother is a professional rapper. But
actually, you're not bad.C: I mean, he's not that good. So I know that
I'm not that good.[Voiceover]
Jamie Barys, the street food expert from Episode 02.
(14:50):
[Clip]JB: I'm such a bad singer. It is so embarrassing.
It’s Super Bass, by Nicki Minaj. BecauseI don't actually have to sing, I just get
to rap.OF: I kind of want to see you do that pregnant
right now. Why am I saying that?JB: You’re right, I actually, um, you know,
my friends are like “Oh, we should go toKTV!” And I'm like “Can we do daytime
KTV? Because I'm not gonna drink anyway”.So it'll be, yeah…
(15:12):
Yeah, because you really have to do sober KTV, and that's hard.
JB (15:17):
Yeah. [Voiceover]
OF (15:19):
Vittorio Franzese, the lawyer from Episode 27.
[Clip]VF: I think that I have to talk about my favourite
Chinese song that I like to sing at KTV. It'scalled 我们不一样 [Wǒmen bù Yīyàng].
It's a very popular song from 大壮 [Dàzhuàng].I don't know the author well, except for this
song. But I really like to sing it, especiallywhen there's the refrain part. He reaches
(15:44):
some high tones, I love to try to get themwell, although it doesn't really happen often.
Yeah, but if you're drunk, you don't care, right?
VF (15:54):
The other people care, though. They still notice it.
[Voiceover]OF: Danma Jyid, the Tibetan social enterprise
leader from Episode 10.[Clip]
DJ (16:06):
I haven't been to KTV for so many years. OF
is that right?DJ: Yes, that’s probably it.
OF (16:13):
Totally. But maybe if you drink enough yak milk, you'll get some kind of high.
DJ (16:18):
Yeah. [Voiceover]
OF (16:21):
Crystyl Mo, the fine dining expert from Episode 26.
[Clip]CM: I would rather stab my eyes out with forks
than go to KTV.OF: You have obviously been, though. You haven't
been able to avoid it entirely.CM: I really have only been maybe three times
in my early career in China before I realisedthat I will never go again. People who don't
(16:45):
get paid to sing, should not sing.[Voiceover]
Seth Harvey, the education coach from Episode 19.
[Clip]SH: Oh sorry, I'm such a big hater of KTV.
Oooh. SH
but there's a Chinese song called 为什么你背着我爱别人[Wèishéme Nǐ Bèizhe Wǒ Ài Biérén].
(17:06):
And that translates to “Why did you betrayme? Why did you love someone else?” But
for me, that's that song that represents myfirst year in China. And it was always on
the radio, and it has this very, super nicemelody, da-da da-da-da da-da. And whenever
you try to sing this in KTV, it depressesall the Chinese people.
Oh! SH
(17:28):
But, man, the melody is so nice. So I guessthat's my KTV revenge, it’s like “I told
you I didn't want to go, and now I'm goingto depress all of you with this beautiful
sad song”.OF: The perfect weapon.
[Voiceover]OF: Ajay Jain, the car designer from Episode
21.[Clip]
AJ (17:47):
I've never been to KTV. And now I'm never gonna get a chance, because my daughters have
got microphones at home…OF: Yes.
…With a speaker system, and tthey own them. So they want me to appreciate their
singing.OF: Ah.
You know, “Shark doo doo doo doo” or whatever.
OF (18:04):
Oh that’s gonna be your song. AJ
[Voiceover]OF: Jo McFarland, the product sourcing leader
from Episode 18.[Clip]
JM (18:15):
I have not got one, Oscar. Because, if you heard my singing voice… No honestly,
I've said to my friends “Have I got theworst singing voice you’ve ever heard?”
And they all go “Yes”. I like singingstupid things like Robbie Williams’ ‘Angels’
is always a popular one.OF: Yeah. And who cares if it's good or bad?
[Voiceover]OF: Salome Chen, the investor and developer
(18:39):
from Episode 24.[Clip]
SC (18:41):
Sorry, I don't sing songs. I'm a terrible singer. For me, it was like, I didn't know
I was a terrible singer. You know, when you’rea kid, you don't know. You just try to sing
songs. And I was a good student. So when wehad this music exam, I did the paperwork very
well. Full score, always. And my teacher toldme "You don't need to sing, you passed the
(19:07):
exam”. And really, she just let me passthe exam. 60 exactly. Not even 61. How bad
does that mean?
[Outro]OF: Thank you for listening to today’s compilation.
I know from doing these interviews that karaokeseems to a dying art for many people in China.
(19:27):
But since I remain a fan, I’ve decided tokeep asking this question to the guests of
next season. In fact, I was feeling a littlenostalgic about when I first got into karaoke
while living in western Japan, and in theback of my mind I remember I had a photo somewhere
to prove it. And wouldn’t you know, I managedto find it, and I’ve posted it on social
media. So please search for Mosaic of Chinaon Instagram and Facebook to see it, or add
(19:52):
me on WeChat to join one of the listenersgroups there. It was taken in 1999 in 岡山
[Okayama] city, back when I used to stillhave brown hair. And bonus points if you can
guess the song I’m singing just from thelyrics on the screen. No cheating!
Mosaic of China is me, Oscar Fuchs, with artworkby Denny Newell. The next episode will be
(20:14):
released in 2 weeks’ time, and it’ll bean anthology of the things that still surprise
the guests about life in China. I’ll seeyou then.
[Clips]SW: Thank you very much.
JB (20:26):
Thank you, it’s been a pleasure. CC
KW (20:28):
Thank you so much. C
LR (20:31):
Thank you very much. ZY
JZ (20:33):
Thank you. SH
DJ (20:35):
Thank you. AS
WS (20:36):
Thank you. VD
NB (20:38):
Thank you. DT
CC (20:39):
Thank you. BD
JM (20:41):
Thank you very much. SH
MQ (20:43):
Thank you. AJ
CH (20:45):
Thank you. BO
SC (20:46):
Thank you. MK
CM (20:47):
Thank you. VF
ZH (20:49):
Thank you for having me. MK
J (20:50):
Thank you so much.
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