Chinese Music Shines on the Global Stage as Zi Yu Claims Top Spot in 2025 Billboard Global No. 1s China Honor Selection

Recently, Tencent Music Chart, under Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME), partnered with Billboard China to officially unveil the China region results of the 2025 Billboard Global No. 1s, a prestigious annual global honor initiated by Billboard. Following two rounds of fan voting, rising Chinese artist Zi Yu emerged from a field of exceptional musicians to claim the honor as China’s sole representative, earning a place in Billboard‘s global hall of fame with an outstanding performance and overwhelming fan support.

The Billboard Global No. 1s China Honor Selection featured music by Chinese artists officially released between November 2024 and October 2025. Initial screening was based on annual performance across two authoritative Tencent Music Chart rankings, the TME Uni Chart, which reflects mainstream popularity, and the TME Wave Chart, which showcases professional quality. Final placements were then determined through two rounds of fan voting. Ultimately, Zi Yu’s “Ni Tan,” Shi Ge Qin Tian’s “Jun Zi Liao Ran,” THE 8’s “Cold Love,” Liu Yu’s “Si Jun Zhao Yu Mu” and Deng Jia Xin’s “Cheng De Shang Zhi De” secured the top five positions.

Zi Yu’s winning track “Ni Tan” captures a protagonist’s struggle to rise above adversity through poignant lyrics and a deeply compelling melody. As China’s sole representative for the 2025 Billboard Global No. 1s, Zi Yu joins an elite roster of Billboard artists from the U.K., Japan, South Korea and beyond in this year’s honor class, securing Billboard‘s annual special feature coverage and premium global cross-platform exposure. Additionally, Zi Yu and the track will receive comprehensive promotional support from TME Chart across its full domestic and international network, ensuring worldwide visibility.

In recent years, the partnership between Tencent Music Chart and Billboard has continued to deepen. The successful launch of the Billboard Global No. 1s China Honor Selection is built upon this increasingly robust strategic alliance. In 2023, TME Uni Chart became the sole music chart from mainland China featured on Billboard‘s global website, filling a significant gap in Billboard‘s Chinese music chart coverage. On Nov. 6 of this year, TME Chart announced a strategic partnership with Luminate, the internationally renowned music data provider behind Billboard’s charts, becoming its first in-depth data partner in mainland China. Music consumption data from TME platforms will now be integrated into globally authoritative chart systems including the Billboard Global 200 through the Uni Chart’s professional data system.

By deeply integrating its domestic data infrastructure with international music platforms, TME Chart is steadily building a bridge connecting Chinese music to the global stage, empowering exceptional artists and their works to achieve international reach. Looking ahead, as TME Group continues to strengthen its partnerships with Billboard and other global collaborators, even more Chinese artists will leave their mark on the worldwide music landscape.