The imperceptible steps to 'becoming Chinese'
From a bowl of soup, to a shared melody and getting a joke, immersion in culture a gentle process
Songs of praise
Carly Beth, an American singer-songwriter, pianist and livestream artist based in New York, began her journey with Chinese music unexpectedly while living in London, when a Chinese acquaintance encouraged her to livestream to audiences in China. She continued streaming daily while learning the language and developing her music, building a strong connection with Chinese listeners.
"When I first started livestreaming to China, the response was overwhelming in the most beautiful way. I suddenly had thousands of people connecting with my music at once, but I couldn't communicate with many of them yet," she said.
"I stayed up until 4 am night after night teaching myself Chinese just so I could talk and sing to them."
A turning point came when she encountered the classic song Later by singer Rene Liu that reflects on love and regret.
"I looked up the translation and I cried. The emotional depth of the lyrics hit me so hard that I immediately knew I wanted to continue learning Chinese music," she said.
She developed her own way of learning, slowing songs down and mimicking each sound, finding that melody helped guide both tone and emotion.
"Singing in Chinese actually felt easier than speaking at first, because melodies help guide the tones and emotion… The most rewarding part has been the emotional connection with my Chinese audience. Music stopped being just performance; it became communication," said Beth.
As her work reached wider audiences through platforms such as Xiaohongshu and television appearances, she observed differences in how her music was received. Chinese listeners, she said, tend to respond strongly to emotional depth and poetic expression, while Western audiences often focus more on the conversational aspects of her songwriting.
Chinese music has become "an emotional anchor" in her life, shaping her sense of identity. "It feels less like I chose Chinese music, and more like Chinese music chose me," she said.
Friends and family in the US who had never listened to Chinese music before have begun listening to the songs she performs, forming what she describes as a cultural bridge.
