TO MARK Chinese New Year, over 400 new songs by Malaysian creators are filling the nation’s airwaves.
One in particular, Haoyùn mashàng lái (Good luck is coming soon), has already clocked 14 million views on YouTube and growing.
It features an assemblage of influencers, sponsored by a dried meat company brand.
The most familiar is undoubtedly Gong Xi Gong Xi but contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t written for the lunar new year.
As Wang Piau Ming, 988 FM’s deejay explained, the iconic track was composed by renowned musician Chen Ge Xin and recorded by siblings Yao Lee and Yao Min.
The song was considered an anthem of survival for the Chinese, to mark the end of World War II and the defeat of the Japanese.
“Our ancestors didn’t say Gong Xi for the New Year. They said Wànwù gengxin (Everything is renewed).
“It was only through the popularity of this post-war song that Gong Xi became the standard greeting.
“Also it would be weird to congratulate people during CNY,” he said.
In the 1970s, Hong Kong cinema introduced the phrase ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’, literally meaning “Congratulations on getting rich” which has stuck in the local psyche ever since.
“We found out that ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’ was originally coined in Canton or now known as Guangzhou, where international trade brought wealth.
“It has been used since the early 1900s regionally, and became a Chinese New Year greeting due to popular culture in songs and movies,” Wang explained.
The 1980s and ’90s saw the rise of legendary artistes like Taiwan’s Long Piao Piao, who became a household name in Malaysia by churning out annual albums.
By the early 2000s, Malaysia had firmly established itself as the global hub for original CNY music, even catching the attention of international sponsors and mainland Chinese TV programmes.
Fast forward to the 2020s and the barrier to entry has vanished entirely.
In the key opinion leader or KOL era, it is all about chasing views.
In 2023, Malaysian YouTuber group 3P released Wo de ma ya, a high-energy track that garnered a staggering 21 million views.
“Any YouTuber can make a CNY song. It might not be ‘professional’ in the traditional sense, but the numbers are undeniable,” said Wang.
A Malaysian primary school has also jumped onto the CNY song bandwagon, generating over 600K views on YouTube with their tune.
988 FM assistant general manager (content) Mannson Yong said the radio station had made it a tradition to produce brand new CNY songs since 2009.
This brought in a new era of radio hosts and deejays leading the charts.
In the early years, they released DVDs featuring 10 songs and 10 music videos, which were sold commercially.
In 2012, they were selling the DVDs and USB to attendees at their roadshows.
At the heart of the project is 988 FM’s unwavering commitment to creativity and cultural continuity, said Yong.
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, 988 FM’s CNY 2026 campaign blends vintage aesthetics with nostalgic sentiments through their Mandarin song The Warmest Moment and Cantonese song Abundant Fortune and Joy.
These are included in the radio station’s “All in For The Year” limited edition gift box set.
“The CNY songs will include at least one Cantonese festive track,” Yong added.
“Cantonese CNY songs are a signature of 988 FM, because not many people sing CNY songs in Cantonese,” said 988 FM assistant general manager Su Joo Li.
The gift box, priced at RM88, features Peranakan tile motifs incorporating symbols from 988 FM’s pre-1996 era of Rediffusion.
Included are a desk calendar with AR features, Rediffusion USB drive with CNY songs and various products through collaboration with 988 FM’s partners. To purchase, go to shopnow.988.com.my/
