Multi-National Record Label Cheerful Music Interview with Itsezbreezy

Question:

When you founded Cheerful Music in 2019, the industry was already heavily saturated. What was the “gap” you saw in the market that you knew your label could fill?

Answer :

When people look at the global music industry, they often assume it was already mature in 2019. That was largely true in Western markets. But in China, I saw something very different.

Traditional labels were still building careers around albums and radio. We believed music was entering an era where discovery would happen first on social platforms, and where a song could travel across millions of users before people even knew the artist’s name.

So Cheerful Music was built for that new reality. We combined high-quality songwriting with data-driven promotion and fast execution. Instead of waiting for trends, we learned how to create songs that naturally fit the way people were already consuming content.

Question:

You’ve bridged the gap between being a creative (a professional singer-songwriter) and a business executive. How do those two sides of your brain communicate, and does one ever get in the way of the other?

Answer:

As a singer-songwriter myself, I believe this background gives me a natural sense of empathy when working with artists. Having experienced the creative process firsthand, I have developed a strong understanding of musical aesthetics and an awareness of market trends. This allows me to better evaluate the quality of the tracks, communicate with artists from their perspective, and make more insightful and targeted decisions when it comes to marketing and promotion.

But at the same time, there are also some conflicts. The biggest conflict is actually personal. When I’m fully focused on building the business, I don’t have enough space to create my own music. Songwriting needs emotion, experiences, and quiet moments. Leadership demands constant decisions and responsibility. It’s difficult to switch between those two worlds.

But I don’t see them as opposites. One makes me a better entrepreneur, and the other reminds me why I started the company in the first place. Scaling a company internationally—like opening your London branch—comes with immense growing pains.

Question:

What was the hardest lesson you learned during that global expansion?

Answer:

The biggest lesson I learned is that there isn’t one management style that works everywhere.

As we expanded internationally, I realized that every team has a different way of communicating, collaborating, and making decisions. What works well in China doesn’t necessarily work in the UK, and vice versa.

I realized that global leadership is less about managing differences and more about embracing them. It has been said that music today is competing on “attention” rather than just “quality”.

Question:

How do you ensure your artists break through the noise when tens of thousands of songs are uploaded to streaming platforms every single day?

Answer:

I believe that in today’s music landscape, “attention” and “quality” are not mutually exclusive; they complement each other. We have a strong understanding of how to use effective marketing strategies to help music reach more audiences in the short-form video era, allowing a song to quickly gain attention and exposure.

A recent example is “The wings of dreams have been injured” (《梦的翅膀受了伤》). It’s actually an old song, but we gave it a new life by creating an AI dance template on Douyin. Anyone could upload just one photo and instantly generate a dance video with the song.

Suddenly, people weren’t just listening to the music—they were creating with it. Thousands of users joined the trend, and the song found a whole new generation of listeners.

For us, marketing isn’t about interrupting people with advertising. It’s about giving people a reason to become part of the story.

Question:

When you are scouting new talent, what is the one intangible quality you look for that data and streaming metrics can’t tell you?

Answer:

The first thing I look for isn’t talent—it’s character.

I care about integrity, humility, and the way someone treats the people around them. The music industry is built on long-term relationships. Artists work with producers, songwriters, managers, and partners every day. Talent may open the first door, but character determines how many doors stay open.

Of course, great music is essential. But if I have to choose between an incredibly talented artist with a difficult personality and a talented artist with great character, I’ll choose the second every time. Because skills can be developed, but values are much harder to change.

Question:

There is a lot of pressure on young artists today to be constant content creators on top of making music. How do you protect your artists from burnout while still pushing them to grow their audience?

Answer:

I actually think the pressure has changed.

In the AI era, creating content is no longer the biggest challenge. AI can help artists generate ideas, speed up production, and even overcome creative blocks.

Every week, our team works closely with our artists, sharing insights, creative ideas, and practical strategies. We also host international songwriting camps every quarter, bringing together creators from different countries to collaborate, exchange ideas, and inspire one another.

I believe artists create their best work when they feel supported, not pressured. Our job isn’t just to help them release more music—it’s to help them build careers they can enjoy for the long term.

Question:

 What do you want the legacy of Cheerful Music to be?

Answer: 

Music connects people. If Cheerful Music can help connect cultures, artists, and ideas through music, then we’ve achieved something much bigger than commercial success.

I also hope we can build more bridges between China and the rest of the world. Great music shouldn’t be limited by language or geography. There are incredible artists and stories everywhere, and our mission is to help them reach global audiences.

If, years from now, people say that Cheerful Music helped more artists be discovered, inspired the industry to embrace innovation, and made music more accessible across cultures, I think that would be the legacy I’m most proud of.

https://www.cheerfulmusic.co.uk

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@cheerfulmusicuk