Adai Song (also known as her EDM persona ADÀI) is an internationally acclaimed electropop singer, producer, DJ, and songwriter based in NYC and Beijing, currently exploring the concept of C-pop by blending the roots of Chinese and Pan-Asian music with her unique electronic touch. A Recording Academy member and New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA)-funded artist, she is also a faculty member at Berklee NYC, where she earned a master’s degree in Songwriting and Production. She’s also pursuing a PhD in music at the moment.
Adai Song has established herself as a major label singer-songwriter and producer in the Chinese pop music industry, achieving over 70 million streams across platforms with frequent placements on indie pop charts. Her work has been synced in films and TV shows, and featured in major music festivals and popular video games like Arknights. As a producer and songwriter, she has collaborated with major industry players including SONY/ATV, UMG, Warner Chappell China, and Tencent Music Entertainment.
Growing up with diverse musical influences, Adai Song started playing violin at age three, wrote her first song at twelve and self-taught guitar and keyboard. After graduating from UCLA, Adai Song started her career as a multi-hyphenate artist. Her breakthrough came in 2018 when she was selected as runner-up in Tencent Musicians’ prestigious “The Force” Music Competition (原力计划), earning her the opportunity to release her debut album Cyan Black <青黑>. She subsequently gained widespread recognition through her appearances on Youku’s acclaimed music competition show, Chuang (这！就是原创).
Under her EDM persona ADÀI, she has collaborated with producers across Europe, Asia, and beyond, creating a distinctive sound that bridges Eastern melodic sensibilities with Western electronic structures.
With The Bloom Project out now, we took some time to hear from Adai Song. Read below to learn more about Adai Song, the story behind The Bloom Project, and what’s to come.
Stream The Bloom Project: https://open.spotify.com/album/6nKLgYXd4c0YH8mNxsev8x
Hi Adai Song! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?
“Adai” comes from my Chinese given name 黛 (Dai), which means “dark green” — a poetic symbol often used to describe women’s eyebrows in ancient Chinese literature. I liked how it sounded when spoken aloud — simple, bold, and soft at the same time. Song is my real last name, although it has nothing to do with music as a Chinese character.
What city are you from, and where are you based now?
I was born and raised in Beijing, China, a city that taught me both tradition and modernity. Right now, I’m based between New York City and Charlottesville, Virginia, where I’m pursuing my PhD in Music at the University of Virginia. I’m constantly moving between academic, creative, and production spaces, which somehow feels like the perfect reflection of my life and work.
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
Music has always been there. I started classical violin training at three, and by twelve, I was already writing my first song — though I didn’t even realize that’s what I was doing. I just hummed melodies everywhere I went and decided one day to write one down.
Things became more serious when I joined The Force competition in Beijing, which led to my first record deal with a label under Tencent Music Entertainment. That opened the door to the professional world — touring, performing at major festivals, and writing songs for film and television. From there, I started collaborating with producers, joining songwriting camps with Sony ATV, UMG, and Warner Chappell, and eventually realized I wanted to produce my own music. That realization led me to keep pursuing in NYC, where I ended up forming my identity in music.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
It’s a cross between vintage Chinese aesthetics and global electronic production. I fuse East Asian instruments like guzheng and erhu with EDM, UK garage, and house beats. My sound lives in the space between softness and strength, nostalgia and futurism, almost like Shanghai in the 1930s meeting a neon-lit club in New York.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
I love rock climbing. It keeps me grounded and strong — literally. I like the feeling of building physical strength because it connects directly to mental strength. When you’re hanging off a wall, problem-solving in midair, you learn how to stay calm and strategic under pressure. That mindset translates perfectly to creative work.
I also love reading, especially writing by women about music and authorship. Books like Tara Rodgers’ Pink Noises or Paula Wolfe’s Women Make Noise have inspired how I think about women producers and sound as a form of agency.
Who are some of your main musical influences?
My influences span centuries and continents — from Peking opera and century-old pop to contemporary club music and EDM. This range directly reflects The Bloom Project‘s aesthetic: honoring traditional forms while pushing them into futuristic sonic territories..
What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?
At the end of 2019, I got a sync deal on a theater movie for the first time. I took my parents to the movie theater and watched the film’s premiere. When my music started to play, I peeped at my mom’s smile. That made me the proudest. We all waited till my name showed up in the credits.
Also, The Bloom Project is currently under GRAMMY consideration for “Best Global Music Album.”
What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?
Through the production process, I realized that authority in music doesn’t come from external validation — it comes from knowing your sound, let creativity lead the way and having the courage to pursue your vision, even when it challenges conventional boundaries. And if I get stuck in the middle of the process, that’s part of it…
Now onto your release, The Bloom Project. What inspired this album?
It started with a fascination for shidaiqu, the East-meets-West sound of 1930s Shanghai. I was inspired by how women’s voices were heard back then, but only as performers, not creators. Almost all the producers and songwriters were men. I wanted to revisit those songs through a feminist lens, reimagining what those stories could sound like if women were behind the console.
I fused East Asian instruments with EDM and modern electronic textures to reflect that tension and dialogue between past and present, tradition and technology. The Bloom Project became both a historical conversation and a personal declaration of creative agency.
What is the overall theme of The Bloom Project?
Musically, these songs come from the golden age of shidaiqu, pop music in Shanghai during the 1920s to 1940s, a result when Chinese folk met Western jazz for the first time. And now a hundred years later, I recreate them in a way as the past meets the future. The overall “production” theme is the beauty of cultural coexistence: East meeting West, the past meeting the future.
What was the creative process like when making The Bloom Project?
Every song started differently. Some, like “Night Shanghai” and “A Lost Singer,” began with chords and vocals. Others, like “River Run,” started with a bass line — that driving groove became the backbone. “Wuxi Tune” came from deconstructing jazz stems by my friend Siyi Chen, then flipping them into a UK garage rhythm.
I worked with incredible co-collaborators like SHI, Jack Choi, Electron, and Yuanming Zhang for arranging, each adding their unique sonic touch. Then, I handed stems to mixing engineers, including Malcolm Welles, Huang Shao Yong, all well-rounded and acclaimed producers themselves in Europe and Asia; then we sent them to Rachel Alina, Berklee-faculty and post-production engineer for the final master.
How long did it take to complete The Bloom Project?
The project actually began about two and a half years ago, when I was commissioned to produce a show for the New York Botanical Garden’s annual Orchid Show, themed The Roots. For that event, I created three live pieces that later became the foundation for The Bloom Project.
Those songs sat in my folder for nearly a year and a half until I received a New York Foundation for the Arts Women’s Fund, which gave me the time and resources to complete the record. From there, I expanded the concept into eight tracks, refining the direction I had started with — bridging historical material with modern electronic production.
Is there a specific song on The Bloom Project that speaks to you the most? If so, what is it called, and what is it about?
It’s hard to choose, but “Carmen 2025” and “River Run” might tie for this moment. The former is my reinterpretation of Bizet’s “Habanera,” performed on guzheng. I grew up loving that melody and always imagined how it would sound on a traditional Chinese instrument. The track moves through sensuality, chaos, and empowerment. “River Run” is what turned a sweet southern China folk song into a powerful synth-led and beat-driven tune.
What message or messages do you hope fans take away from The Bloom Project and your music in general?
That coexistence is possible. Tradition and modernity, East and West, femininity and power can live in harmony. I hope listeners feel that cultural exchange isn’t about blending into sameness, but about expanding what’s possible.
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
I’m pursuing my PhD at the University of Virginia, where I’m researching gender, technology, and production in pop music. That research is already influencing how I think about sound and authorship.
Performance-wise, I’m developing hybrid live experiences that blend DJing, live vocals, and immersive visuals inspired by both 1930s Shanghai glamour and contemporary club culture. I’m also planning a few collaborations and remixes following the GRAMMY voting season.
Where can we follow you on social media?
Website: www.adaisong.com
Instagram: @iamadaisong
Spotify: Adai Song
EDM alias: ADÀI
Before you go, let’s ask you something random. What is your favorite food?
I love fusion food as much as fusion music. I’d eat spaghetti with kimchi or pickled daikon as sides, haha.
Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!
