Meet the South African singer making her debut on the Chinese pop scene

To patrons of bars and speakeasies in Hong Kong, Eli Zello may look familiar

Before the coronavirus outbreak, the 27-year-old South African singer was a fixture on Hong Kong's low-key live music scene, performing jazz, blues and R&B tracks in English at venues across the city. But now Zello has her sights set on a growing market: Earlier this year, she released a Mandarin R&B ballad, Love And Love Song. Incorporating reggae, R&B, house and African instruments into her popular music, Zelo credits her experience of living on three different continents to her diverse musical styles. Zelo was born in Pretoria, South Africa and studied at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music before moving to Hong Kong to play the role in the musical The Lion King at Hong Kong Disneyland. It was here that she was introduced to Chinese Pop music, known as C-pop, which includes cantonese and Mandarin songs. 'I'm studying the [Mandopop] masters to see how they do it. Hopefully I can follow in their footsteps.'

Eli Zaelo, singer-songwriter

Cantopop dominated the market in the 1970s and 1980s, but record sales began to decline in the early 2000s, creating space for Mandopop to soar in popularity. The market for Cantonese speakers is even bigger, with nearly a billion people. Chinese music streaming companies like Tencent are helping the market expand: China's fast-growing digital music industry is expected to double by 2022 as the coronavirus pandemic accelerates demand for homegrown talent. China's digital music industry was worth about $2 billion in 2020. When Zelo started learning Mandarin, often considered easier to master than Cantonese, it was just for conversation. But then her tutor discovered that she was a singer and introduced her to the music of Taiwanese star Teresa Teng. 'My mentor said, 'How about you listen to this song, and if you like it, I'll teach you how to sing it? 'I closed my eyes and heard something that made my heart pound.'

Overcome the Language Barrier

Robin Ch 'i, artist and head of repertoire at Warner Music (Hong Kong) LTD., which is not affiliated with CNN's parent company Warner Media, said the language barrier was one of the main challenges faced by artists looking to break into Chinese-language music. 'Chinese pop is driven by lyrics,' he says. He added that one of the difficulties foreign artists face is getting their message across truthfully. How synesthesia helped artist Prince Giasi Turn his Work into 'Color therapy' But it's not impossible: Alec Benjamin, an American singer-songwriter, just released a Mandarin version of his new single this month, and Transition, a British indie band, has become hugely popular in Taiwan over the past decade with its own mandarin originals. Foreign singers, he says, cannot rely on the 'novelty factor' of singing in Mandarin or Cantonese -- songs have to be their own. But Cizzello's musical style and international influence 'brought something new,' he said. 'She could be a bridge between cultures.' Zelo works closely with her personal teachers, who help her write original Songs in Chinese. 'I consider my mentors as friends because I want them to understand my personality and the way I speak, so sometimes they give me advice instead of direct translation,' she said.