Tencent Music Entertainment Group (Tencent Music or TME,NYSE: TME), the leading online music entertainment platform in China, has partnered with the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beijing to launch a collaborative cross-border music album, Norwegian Special: Northern Lights. The album introduces classic, innovative Norwegian songs to Chinese audiences, and promotes dialogue between Chinese and Norwegian musicians.
Supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beijing, the special cross-border music album is produced by TME’s musician platform Tencent Musician, Norwegian publishing company Quint and producer Morten Luxhøi. The album comprises a collection of music works from the famous Norwegian musician Bjørn Eidsvåg, remade by Chinese musicians Cao Fang(Icy), Chaliangfen Band, Chen Yimiao, Jian Hongyi, Liu Fengyao, Su Yunying, Yan Zehuan, and Zhao Zhao, and a Norwegian music production team. The goal of the album is to convey understandings of belief, life, trust, passion, and regret. The album is now available on TME’s platforms including QQ Music, Kugou Music, and Kuwo Music.
“It is a great pleasure for us to see the songs of Norwegian musician Bjørn Eidsvåg’s interpreted and performed by Chinese prominent musicians,” said Tom Knappskog, Minister Counsellor and Deputy Head of the Mission of Norwegian Embassy in Beijing, during a press conference. “Norway and China has a long history of cooperation, where cultural exchange has always been central. We have seen a great number of cultural exchange projects take place. We would like to congratulate the successful launch of the album, well done! As songwriter Bjørn Eidsvåg said himself, the lyrics of his songs are in Norwegian language. This makes it hard to reach the international market. Translating and interpreting these songs in Chinese is a great help to promote Norwegian music in China..”
The Norwegian Special: Northern Lights album is the second collaborative album under Tencent Musician’s Nordic Echo project, in which Tencent Musician partners with Nordic embassies, publishing companies and producers, and Chinese musicians and bands to reproduce classic works of music from Nordic, incorporating them with Chinese lyrics and styles. The first collaborative album, Nordic Echo: China Hears Sebastian, was launched in 2019, remaking 10 classic songs from top Danish artist Sebastian.
“TME leverages this collaborative model to establish a communication bridge which introduces high-quality music from across the globe to Chinese audiences, as well as help Chinese musicians present their music on a global stage,” said Wang Lei, General Manager of Tencent Music. “We hope to further this dialogue with Nordic music in various forms in the post-pandemic era.”
Since its launch in July 2017, Tencent Musician has been committed to original music content creation and promotion, connecting indie musicians to broader audiences across both domestic and overseas markets. Tencent Music aims to construct a path for indie musicians and music works, creating more industrial and commercial value and accelerating the global development of Chinese original music.
Through Tencent Musician, TME will continue to introduce excellent works of music from overseas to domestic Chinese audiences. TME will also help Chinese musicians learn from different cultures, guide them towards the international stage, and promote dialogue amongst players in the global music industry.
