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Singtao Daily, New York  | March 21, 2007

Transcribing Lyrics to Help Sing Chinese Songs

Karazen.com – Popular Internet Website 

Written by: Billy Chan, SingTao Daily Reporter

Photo credit: William Ng, Living Image Studio

Translation by: Cindy C. 

There are literally thousands to ten thousands of music websites on the Internet these days. But to stand out from the rest is not easy. Here we have four friends who love Chinese songs and culture. These four became partners and created this music website- Karazen.com. Since its establishment 2 years ago, there are now over 2000 unique visitors on a daily basis. Registered members of Karazen.com are recorded to be over 8000. The secret to Karazen’s success is not to offer free downloads or showcase reality shows or gimmicks. It is actually their Chinese lyrics database. Their lyrics are displayed in the native Chinese characters but with a twist-  it includes the pinyin-  English romanized phonetics of the lyrics. This method also allows for non-Chinese speakers and native-born Chinese to show off and sing anywhere, especially in Karaoke lounges and bars. 

In 2004, four young individuals, Guan, Sang, Garmen and Terri, produced such a unique and extraordinary theme by pioneering a Chinese music website. Initially, songs were translated into pinyin by Terri but later on, computer programming replaced the manual work; with lyrics producing the output of English phonetics into pinyin. The operation of the site is current and up-to-date with over 2000 unique daily audience; among them are Chinese from all around the world, Americans, Europeans, Southeast Asians, etc. One of the founders, Guan, faced a time when he wanted to give up the site due to the overwhelming workload. When he realized the influx of visitors over time, he felt the well-received cause through Karazen.  

Besides the popular songs from Hong Kong, Karazen.com also features artists from Taiwan and China . In order to allow the non-Chinese speaking Internet users to keep up with the updates, Sang, another Karazen partner, is involved with translations. Recently, he made additions with the latest news about the celebrities and entertainment. (Of course, it’s in English!) Moreover, Karazen is now showcasing the highly-demanded movie reviews. Sang says, “for example, with the recent popular Hollywood blockbuster, “The Departed”- not many people know that it is a remake from Hong Kong ’s “Infernal Affairs”. Sang continues, “we certainly hope that Karazen will serve to promote the Chinese media and entertainment industry.” Presently, Karazen also has a forum set up for members to comment and share feedbacks and opinions.

Like many American-born-Chinese, these four young individuals learned the Chinese dialect from their own families while growing up. While at Hunter College, New York, these four friends have found a common ground and interest yet they couldn’t put the concept into reality. Not until their career lives began did they kick off their web development that ignited their ideas. Currently, these friends utilized the DIY method, doing everything themselves.

In addition to gaining over 8000 members, they are also well on its way to producing their own "KZ Wear" apparel brand. Being in New York, the fashion capital of the world, they will mix unique designs with Asian themes to create their own line of street wear apparel.  When asked about how they see the future and what to anticipate, Sang, the KZ designer, replies with a smile, “Of course, we would like to grow like YouTube or Google, and establish a profitable legacy.”  

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