Musician Jingbo You Blends Human Artistry with AI Enhancements to Bring Traditional Chinese Music to the World through Echoes of China

Exploring the synergies of generative AI music and traditional songwriting methods, Jingbo Yu

shares traditional Chinese music with wider audiences through the use of AI tools. His groundbreaking new work, Echoes of China, blends world music, folk, and Chinese Pop to welcome Western audiences to traditional Chinese music with the help of ChatGPT and SUNO.

Jingbo You hopes to harness AI as a tool to enhance natural capabilities. “Every musician has limitations—no one can master all styles and production techniques,” shares You. “AI gives me the ability to work across genres with precision and depth. It allows me to fuse Chinese melodies with Western musical languages in ways previously impossible.” Productions that once required specialized musicians and a large investment can now be produced with dedicated AI tools and a single artist’s creativity—all in a fraction of the time once required to complete major projects.

You’s Echoes of China is a four-part album that includes:

Vol. 1 Folk Collection (Adaptation / Production) 
Vol. 2 Songs for Children (Adaptation / Production) 
Vol. 3 Ancient Poems (Composition / Production) 
Vol. 4 Golden Hits (Adaptation / Production)

According to You, “The project required cross-language translation and complete lyrical reconstruction. Translating lyrics is not simple translation—it is songwriting. The English lyrics must reflect the meaning of the original Chinese and match the rhythm, phrasing, and melodic contour.” In order to fully convey the depth of each song, You had to ensure that the lyrics, rhythms, and movement of each song worked together harmoniously. This often required countless revisions of drafts created by ChatGPT.

Learning to communicate with AI effectively to make the most of its efficiencies is part of the challenge of a musical collaboration. Fortunately, Jingbo You has long been a user of AI interfaces and relies on his understanding of AI logic and behavior to create the most compatible accompaniments for his work. According to You, “My background—as a music professor [at the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy], researcher, and author of over 50 books on popular music—helps me make those decisions. Even so, I still make wrong calls. For example, I originally tried arranging Jasmine Flower as Hip-Hop. After many attempts, the rhythm and melody still didn’t align. Only when I shifted to reggae did the arrangement finally ‘click.’ This reinforced my belief that: in AI-assisted music creation, the musician’s aesthetic judgment determines the final quality.”

To create the album, Jingbo You focused on selecting classic Chinese folk songs from the public domain that carried distinctly Chinese cultural characteristics. This was done in hopes of helping Western listeners understand China through its folk heritage, thus encouraging cultural exchange.

Jingbo You has made traditional music more accessible by simplifying each song’s meaning and creating imagery that relates to modern day. Some examples include utilizing a reggae sound in Vol. 1, Embroidered Pouch, to tell the traditional story of lovers expressing affection through hand-stitched embroidery. Additionally, in Vol. 2, You added rap sections to several songs to explain the cultural meanings behind the original lyrics.

Of the four volumes, Vol. 3 – Ancient Poems, holds special meaning to Jingbo You. “These lyrics come from ancient Chinese poets—songs whose melodies have been lost for thousands of years. Between 2016 and 2018, I composed and recorded over 100 songs based on ancient poems and released them worldwide in Chinese. Now, I am working with AI to adapt this entire body of work into English, so global audiences can experience the emotions, imagery, and beauty of Chinese classical poetry.”

At the end of the day, You wants the world to embrace AI, not fear it. “AI is a tool; the artist is the soul. AI is not here to replace musicians. It is here to amplify musicians’ creativity and push artistic expression further.” He hopes Western listeners will embrace his new work and appreciate the beauty of the ancient Chinese culture and all it has to offer.

Make sure to stay connected to Jingbo Youon all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

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