[Jan-Jun] KKBOX Top 100 Mandopop Hits: 831 Leads the Chart, G.E.M & Eric Chou Dominate Top 10

Everyone can agree that the first half of 2020 isn’t exactly a walk in the park — and it shows on KKBOX’s mid-year Top 100 charts for Mandopop. Heartwrenching ballads dominate Singapore and Malaysia’s top 10 rankings, including the #1 on the list, ‘Miss You 3000’ by Taiwanese band 831. Taking the second and third spots here are Hong Kong singer-songwriter G.E.M’s poignant ballad ‘Full Stop’ and a soulful duet of a sad love song with Taiwanese artist Eric Chou ‘Don’t Force It’. The aforementioned artists, with their penchant for emotionally-provocative tracks, have many entries on the charts here and across the Causeway.

Uplifting songs that provided solace for listeners in these trying times are also featured prominently on the charts. This includes Chinese online singer A Rong’s ‘Your Answer’ which was written for the city of Wuhan when it went to a lockdown in January. It ranked #6 in Singapore and a solid #2 in Malaysia. Chinese singer-songwriter Hua Chenyu’s ‘I Really Want To Love This World’, a moral-boosting track written for people with depression, finds a spot on the #4 in Malaysia’s charts and #12 in Singapore’s.

Here are five highlights of KKBOX’s mid-year Top 100 Mandopop charts.

#1 Taking home #1 is 831’s <Miss You 3000>, thanks to covers

From the soundtrack of Taiwanese time-travelling romance-mystery drama Someday Or One Day, 831’s thoughtfully-written ‘Miss You 3000’ tops the Singapore chart, and the third in Malaysia’s. The song was released last November but found continued popularity thanks to the countless covers. The original music video now has over 24 million views on YouTube — and some of its better covers, several million more. ‘Miss You 3000’ has all the right elements of a catchy ballad, as well as ‘current’ lyrics such as the Avengers-coined phrase ‘Miss you 3000’ and “follow your every IG”.

#2 The dominance of G.E.M

You can’t deny the influence that G.E.M is exerting in today’s Mandopop scene. Five of her works are in the top 10 charts in Malaysia, and two in Singapore. The power-packed ballad ‘Full Stop’ topped the Malaysian list and comes in second on Singapore’s chart. Composed by G.E.M and released last November, the pointed lyrics are clearly directed at her former management company Hummingbird, which G.E.M is embroiled in a lawsuit with. Her duet with Eric Chou, ‘Don’t Force It’, placed favourably too: #3 in Singapore and #10 in Malaysia. ‘Selfless’, ‘Long After’ and ‘City Zoo’, alongside many of G.E.M best works like ‘Missing You’, are featured on the charts.

#3 Eric Chou is the new Chou to watch out for. Yup, we said it.

Watch out, Jay Chou. Known for his melancholic love songs and beautifully-lovelorn vocals to go with, Eric Chou established his niche in the Mandopop world with his 2014 debut ‘The Distance Of Love’ and ‘How Have You Been?’ in 2016. Today, the American-raised composer has three songs on the top 10 charts here, namely the recently-released ‘Enough’, ‘When We Were Young’ and ‘I’m Happy’. They are also ranked in the top 20 chart in Malaysia. His English-inflected enunciation, soft falsettos and poignant vocals make his songs so easy to listen to if you want a good, good sob.

#4 Jay Chou scores big with <I Truly Believe>, <Mojito> gets off slowly

The king of pop Jay Chou goes for theatrical in the soundtrack for Chinese disaster film Skyfire, ‘I Truly Believe’, which ranks #9 in Singapore’s charts and #16 in Malaysia. The movie stars Mrs Chou aka Hannah Quinlivan — ah, that explains it. Written by Jay and his long-time collaborator Vincent Fang, the dramatic song depicts a moving love that hunkers down together in tumultuous times. His latest track ‘Mojito’ got off on a slower start on the charts (#50 in Singapore and #47 in Malaysia) though it has since gone viral online, with various groups imitating the cheesy but fun scenes in the Cuban-themed MV.

#5 Old is gold: Mayday’s <Tenderness> finds a second life on the charts

Taiwanese band Mayday recently celebrated their 20^th anniversary in the industry by relaunching their debut hit ‘Tenderness’ featuring local songstress Stefanie Sun. It ranks #4 on the Singapore charts and #19 in Malaysia’s. This reboot is phenomenally done; Stef’s unique crisp voice blends amazingly with Mayday’s A Shin’s like waffles with ice cream; and the arrangement for this update is spot-on. 20 years on, ‘Tenderness’ is evergreen and continues to break our poor hearts with its heartfelt lyrics and well-conceived score. Old is gold, truly.

Listen to the Top 100 Mandopop Singles of 2020music on KKBOX.