Screenshot of "小苹果 {Little Apple}" music video [/caption] This past Sunday, the Chopstick Brothers [筷子兄弟], China's very own Psy-like duo, won the “International Song of the Year” at the American Music Awards for their song, “小苹果 [Little Apple].”
This was significant because it seems as though Chinese pop is growing in popularity, especially in the US. There was a video showing the duo performing at the event and receiving the award offstage following their performance.
The reality, however, is very different. The Chopstick Brothers performance didn't actually air for the American audience, it was filmed during a commercial break.
Chinese singer Zhang Jie [张杰] also won an award for "International Artist of the Year" and that too wasn't seen by the American audience.
By awarding Chinese artists with awards but not actually showing it in the US, it appears as though the AMA wants to please both the Chinese market and the US market. While it might appear to be a win-win for the AMA, Chinese citizens propelled the search phrase “Chopstick Brothers bought an award” to be among the top-searched terms on Weibo by Tuesday morning.
It doesn't help that the AMA didn't even list the “International Song of the Year” and the “International Artist of the Year” category or nominees on their website earlier in October. Granted, the two categories are both new to AMA, but it only confirms people's suspicion about the AMA's intention.
While Chinese media outlets are proudly declaring that Chinese pop is taking over the US, people know better.
Given the disastrous reception back in China, it remains to be if the AMA will repeat such actions next year.
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