As artificial intelligence reshapes the global music scene, Snow J stands out for her thoughtful, balanced perspective. She founded Cheerful Music and works where tradition meets technology, connecting Chinese musical heritage with a fast-changing, AI-driven future.
With tens of thousands of AI-generated tracks released every day, the main challenge in the industry is standing out, not just creating music. Through all this, Snow J has always believed that technology should support creativity, not replace it. Her approach is rooted in a philosophy that values cultural identity, emotional depth, and the unique role of human expression.
In this conversation, Snow J talks about the real state of AI music in China, the widening gap between how much music is made and how much it matters, and why authenticity could be the most important factor in a world driven by automation.
Hello Snow J, welcome to Blackbird News! To start, could you introduce yourself and share the vision behind founding Cheerful Music?
I originally come from a background as a Chinese traditional-style music artist, and that experience has deeply shaped my business philosophy. When I founded Cheerful Music, traditional Chinese music still represented a relatively small segment of the market, and there were few systematic label-level efforts focused on driving its global development.
However, I have always believed that traditional Chinese music possesses powerful emotional resonance and carries unique cultural symbols. It should not be confined to a domestic audience; rather, it has the potential to be understood and appreciated by global listeners across cultural boundaries.
From the very beginning, Cheerful Music has followed a strategy of high-quality content paired with precise promotion. Our mission is to uncover the contemporary value of Eastern musical aesthetics and help Chinese sounds reach a global stage — true to our slogan, “Fill the world with music.”
Today, the success of our traditional Chinese catalogue has validated this vision. I am deeply proud that Cheerful Music has been able to contribute these distinctive Eastern aesthetics to both domestic and international music markets, allowing the world to experience the vitality and expressive power of Chinese music.
Following your recent participation at SXSW, what were your key takeaways regarding the intersection of AI and the global music industry?
One of the most profound takeaways for me from SXSW was the realization that the AI era has truly arrived — and it is irreversible. The question is no longer whether we should embrace AI, but how we do so responsibly.
As we move toward fully integrating AI into our workflows, we must be equally intentional about protecting music’s core value as an emotional medium. Technology can accelerate creation, but it should never come at the cost of the emotional depth and human expression that give music its meaning.
You’ve mentioned that “the faster AI develops, the more valuable human-created music becomes.” How does Cheerful Music balance technological efficiency with preserving artistic soul?
The relationship between AI and music is a question of balance at its core — technology should amplify expression, instead of replacing it. That is why I always mention that the faster AI develops, the more valuable human-made music becomes.
At Cheerful Music, we have deliberately chosen not to pursue fully automated, one-click music production, as purely AI-generated music tends to be highly homogenized. Our current strategy is to use AI as a tool for re-imagining and re-producing viral tracks, while keeping our core focus firmly on Guofeng (Chinese-style) music, where we have deep creative expertise.
Even in the AI era, we continue to invite artists from around the world to China to participate in international songwriting camps. In my view, the value of the artist should never be replaced, and technology should serve creativity, not erase it.
As an entrepreneur who bridges Eastern and Western markets, what are the biggest challenges and opportunities you see in China’s current AI music landscape?
I believe the biggest challenge in China right now is extreme content oversaturation.
I recently spoke with an executive from a major streaming platform who shared a staggering statistic: they see 80,000 to 90,000 new AI-generated tracks uploaded every single day. However, fewer than 50 of those tracks gain any significant traction, with views often peaking at around one million. This reality made me realize that in this ‘flood of content,’ ‘being heard’ has become far more difficult than ‘being created.’
This is exactly where Cheerful Music’s opportunity lies. Our core strength—short-video marketing and promotion—is more vital today than ever before. We possess the market intuition and data-driven judgment to identify which songs have ‘viral DNA’ and then leverage our short-video ecosystem to connect them directly with users. While AI solves the problem of ‘production,’ we solve the problem of ‘reach.’ In an era of oversupply, the ability to turn noise into impact is the ultimate competitive advantage.
Your collaboration with MKJ merged Afrobeats with traditional Chinese elements. Do you believe AI will make these types of cross-cultural experiments more common?
Personally, I believe that AI does make cross-cultural music experimentation more accessible and feasible. By lowering both the technical and cost barriers of music production, AI allows more musicians — even those with limited direct exposure to another musical culture — to experiment with cross-cultural or hybrid works, using the data resources and sound libraries provided by platforms.
However, AI cannot replace creativity itself. While it can help artists quickly generate initial rhythmic or melodic ideas based on specific prompts, thereby improving efficiency, the elements that give a piece true cultural depth and emotional resonance still require human involvement. Artists must understand the underlying contexts of both cultures, make intentional expressive choices, and integrate their own identity and creative perspective into the work.
For example, in my collaboration with MKJ on “Yan Wu Xie (Remix)”, the core concept, cultural interpretation, and narrative direction were led entirely by us. This is why Afrobeats and traditional Chinese elements blend so naturally in the track, and why it has performed strongly across major platforms in China.
AI can offer tools and direction, but it is ultimately people who determine a work’s depth and its ability to resonate.
What advice would you give to independent artists who are worried about their value in an era of scalable AI production?
I have two sincere pieces of advice for independent creators today:
First, anchor yourself in ‘Uniqueness’ and ‘Personal Identity.’ Independent artists must double down on the styles they excel at. Treat AI as a tool to enhance your workflow, but never let it become a crutch. AI can mimic your sound, but it can never replicate your unique aesthetic intuition.
Second, maintain your passion and consistent output. It’s okay if your work hasn’t been discovered yet—keep moving forward. The trends in the music market are constantly shifting; as long as you stay in the game, the wind will eventually blow in your direction.
Lastly, effective promotion and exposure are more critical than ever. Many artists feel they aren’t social media experts or lack traffic. In such cases, I recommend partnering with a label you trust. An individual’s promotional resources are inherently limited. A professional label helps bridge the gap between ‘creation’ and ‘reach,’ allowing you to return to what matters most: the art itself.
What is next for Cheerful Music and your mission to globalize the Chinese music scene?
The next step for Cheerful Music is to leverage the efficiency gains brought by AI and fully accelerate the deep integration of Chinese music with global culture.
Globalization should not be one-sided. In addition to promoting Chinese music internationally, we will also invite overseas artists to China, allowing them to experience the Chinese market and the richness of Chinese culture firsthand. We believe that only when international creators truly feel the rhythms and emotions here can they engage in cross-cultural collaborations that are truly vibrant and alive.
As our slogan says: “Fill the world with music.” In the future, Cheerful Music will serve as a two-way cultural bridge—bringing Chinese music to the world, while allowing Chinese culture to shine with a unique humanistic brilliance through its interaction with artists from around the globe.
