Welcome to Karaoke Saturdays, a regular feature on the Beijinger where we help fill out your karaoke repertoire by recommending some of today’s best Chinese pop songs as well as the musicians that make them.

On the whole, Chinese popular music is not doing that great. It is an industry powered by melodrama and runs on cliches. Caught between the restraints of Chinese culture and the need to exploit new trends blowing in from South Korea, Mandopop has become a bland style of music where the only visible sign of progress is when hairstyles change.

And then, there’s Li Jian.

Li is China’s velvet-voice tenor who is famous for his crisp, effortless-sounding vocals. Best compared as a contemporary of Faye Wong, Li Jian (李健) has a simple and honest style of performance counter-balanced by his unshakable modesty. When asked how his life has changed after becoming famous, Li answered with his usual wit that nothing substantial in his life had changed, only that “more people known him now.”

Fame hasn’t deterred Li from making strong choices of his own. On this year’s finals competition for the I Am A Singer reality show, Li shocked viewers by inviting xiangsheng star Yue Yunpeng to sing love duets with him. By inviting a non-professional singer to the finale of one of China’s most popular TV shows, some fans suspected Li was attempting to sabotage his own chances of winning.

Whatever his motives were, Li performed superbly on I Am A Singer, perhaps signifying the first time a performer on the show acted with more restraint than the anguished and spell-bound members of its audience. And no better example of Li’s talents exists than his remarkable performance of “A Foreigner” (异乡人) on episode 7 of the show. 

“A Foreigner” is Li’s hit single dating back to 2007 that is about the loss of identity when moving away from one’s hometown. As China’s cities continue to grow, “A Foreigner” is a poignant song about the alienation and assimilation that has been the sad legacy of China’s drive towards urbanization.

Here are the song’s lyrics translated into English (and here’s the Youtube version, a version with lyrics, a karaoke version, and an online streaming version):

(Verse 1)
披星戴月地奔波
Pīxīngdàiyuè de bēnbō 
Rushing about all day long

只为一扇窗
zhī wéi yīshàn chuāng 
just for a window

当你迷失在路上
Dāng nǐ míshī zài lù shàng 
When you lose your way during your travels

能够看见那灯光
nénggòu kànjiàn nà dēngguāng 
you can see that light

(Verse 2)
不知不觉把他乡
Bùzhībùjué bǎ tāxiāng 
Unconsciously accept that foreign land

当做了故乡
aāngzuò le gùxiāng 
as your own familiar hometown

只是偶尔难过时
Zhīshì ǒuěr nánguò shí 
It’s just that whenever you feel sad

不经意遥望远方
bù jīngyì yáowàng yuǎnfāng 
inadvertently look off into the distance

(Pre-Chorus)
曾经的乡音
Céngjīng de xiāngyīn 
That local accent from before

悄悄地隐藏
qiǎoqiǎo de yǐncáng 
has been quietly hidden away

说不出的诺言
Shuōbùchū de nuòyán 
Can’t make that promise

一直放心上
Yīzhí fàng xīn shàng 
That stays in your heart

(Chorus)
有许多时候
Yǒu xǔduō shíhou 
There are many times

眼泪就要流
yǎnlèi jiù yào liú 
when tears must fall

那扇窗是让我坚强的理由
Nà shàn chuāng shì ràng wǒ jiānqiáng de lǐyóu 
That window is the reason why I perservere

小小的门口
Xiǎoxiǎo de ménkǒu 
That little doorway

还有她的温柔
huán yǒu tā de wēnróu 
still has her tenderness

给我温暖陪伴我左右
Gěi wǒ wēnnuǎn péibàn wǒ zuǒyòu
That warmly accompanies me

Want to listen to more Li Jian? Check out the following jams:

• “The Shore of Lake Bakai“: Li Jian goes continental with this European-styled ballad, complete with accordian
• “A Father’s Poem“: This one’s for Pops
• “Saga”: Faye Wang is best-known for popularizing this Li Jian-penned song
• “Yearning“: Here’s Li’s performance at this year’s CCTV Lantern Gala
• “Waterworks“: An earlier I Am a Singer performance of what is perhaps Li’s most classically-Chinese hit song 

More stories from this author here.

Twitter: @Sinopath

Images: ChinaByte, 80351, QQ Cover, Art China, Bilibili, Qilishi, Duitang