Chinese American Bear have shared “Take Me To Beijing (一起回北京),” the track is off the Seattle duo’s forthcoming album album Wah!!!, available October 18 via Moshi Moshi. Chinese American Bear includes married musicians Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten, they write songs that flit between English and Mandarin, capturing a spirit of cross-cultural joy and longing, that is often poignant while never losing its sense of fun. In support of the LP they will be touring across North America in the fall.

After moving to the US in elementary school, Tong grew up with a complex relationship to her heritage. She spoke some Chinese at home, but she sometimes felt embarrassed to speak in public. “Kids of immigrants often just want to fit in, to assimilate, especially in school. Japan really exported their culture in the ’90s, and in the last 10 to 15 years Korean culture has become huge,” she says. “But we’ve heard from so many fans that hearing me sing in Chinese has made them feel proud to speak Chinese for the first time.”

“Take Me To Beijing (一起回北京)” on which the tensions of Tong’s experience as a child of immigrants is spoken to in a beautifully emotional directness. “Take me to your hometown/ Let’s drink some oolong tea/ Show me where you first loved/ Show me your family,” she glows, grabbing onto her memories and sharing them with the listener through each new sensation. “I’ve had Chinese-American fans tell me that the song has made them tear up a little bit, feel emotional,” Tong says proudly.

Tong adds:

This is my favorite song on the album. When Bryce first showed me the chords and synth sounds to this song, I immediately felt strong feelings of nostalgia and wanted to write about something that holds a lot of happy childhood memories for me. I lived in Beijing prior to elementary school and then spent my childhood summers visiting Beijing after my parents immigrated to the U.S. I wanted to share those joyful memories of visiting beautiful and bustling Beijing in the hot summers with lyrics on “eating jianbing, drinking oolong tea, exploring the Great Wall, and returning to the place where I first learned about love and family.”

Chinese American Bear
WAH!!!
Tracklist
Moshi Moshi

Kids Go Down 孩子们的时光
Magic Number 魔法数字
Yummy Yummy Yummy 好吃好吃
Feelin Fuzzy (毛绒绒的感觉)
Love You 爱你
Heartbreaker 伤心情歌
Pink Strawberries 粉红草莓
Bear Day 熊的日子
Float On Baby 宝贝, 随风摇摆
Weekend In Chinatown 唐人街周末
Take Me To Beijing 一起回北京

Chinese American Bear 2024 Tour Dates

October 18 – Seattle WA – Sunset Tavern
October 30 – Toronto ON – Monarch Tavern
October 31 – Montreal QC – La Sotterenea
November 3 – Brooklyn NY – Baby’s All Right
November 4 – Philadelphia PA – Milkboy
November 5 – Washington DC – Pie Shop
November 7 – Austin TX – Hotel Vegas
November 9 – Chicago IL – Reggie’s Rock Club
November 12 – Los Angeles CA – Moroccan Lounge
November 13 – San Francisco CA – Neck of the Woods
November 15 – Portland OR – The Fixin To
November 16 – Vancouver BC – Green Auto

Pre-order WAH!!! by Chinese American Bear HERE