A wedding invitation sparked an unexpected cultural journey for Kmezzi, an American content creator who has won over Chinese audiences with his covers of Cantonese and Chaoshan dialect songs.
Traveling to Guangdong to attend a friend's wedding, he ended up spending three days exploring Guangzhou and Shenzhen. "It was more for pleasure," he said. "I basically wanted to visit a friend for his wedding, but ended up staying a few extra days."
Guangzhou, in particular, left a mark. Wandering through the old districts of Yuexiu and Tianhe, he was struck by the city's blend of ancient charm and futuristic style. "I loved the balance of historical buildings with the modern tech of the high-rises," he recalled. "The vibe is laid-back, even though there are so many people around. It gave me a really cool feeling."
From kung fu films to a Chaoshan cover
Kmezzi's path to singing in Chinese dialects began long before this trip, in front of a television set. While other kids were obsessed with Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, he indulged in classic Hong Kong action movies. "I first picked up Chinese from watching Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-fat—those famous action stars," he explained. This childhood interest took root and eventually turned into a profound love for Cantonese.
The leap into Chaoshan dialect came through a film trailer of Dear You. Hearing the song Brewing Tea by Moonlight (月下煮茶), he was captivated by the unique tones. "I went to my daai-lo (Cantonese idiom, literally means elder brother) and asked, 'What is this dialect?' He told me it's closer to Shantou—Chaoshan. And I said, that sounds amazing." Determined to do it justice, he reached out to the original singer, Chen Jia. "I think Miss Chen's performance was amazing, but I wanted to be sure I didn't mess anything up," he said. He created a pronunciation guide, driven by a linguist's respect: "I wanted to give the culture the respect and recognition it deserves."
That respect was rooted in his own multilingual background. Half Italian, half Iranian, growing up in the USA, Kmezzi spoke around a dozen languages at different proficiency levels. "I love cultures, and I'm a linguist in general," he said. He found Cantonese especially melodic.
As the late Coco Lee once put it, speaking Cantonese is just like singing a song. "Cantonese has a really good energy and flow. As someone who's half Italian and half Persian, I find Cantonese to be an exceptionally poetic and tonal language, one that carries real depth."
He also paid close attention to how melodies fit lexical tones. He noted that some Mandarin singers tended to overlook tones, while Cantonese songs have always perfectly aligned musical pitch with pronunciation. "I really appreciate that artistic detail. You still manage to hit those notes perfectly by making sure the tones are correct through really intricate, beautiful melodies."
Digital life and future dreams
Kmezzi joined Chinese social media quite by chance. When a potential TikTok ban loomed in the US, his daai-lo recommended Xiaohongshu and Bilibili to him. "I started on TikTok, then he gave me the playbook—try this platform, try that platform," he said. He became what some call a "TikTok refugees" and soon felt at home. Early on, with the help of his team, he posted content regularly on multiple Chinese platforms and learned popular internet slang such as yyds (literally "eternal god") and 666 (literally "awesome"). There were also some slang terms he playfully refuses to explain. "It helps to pick things up slowly but surely."
Living in Massachusetts, he worked a full-time five-day job while creating videos in his spare time. Due to a past brain surgery, he could not drive and took the train to Boston. That experience made him especially grateful for the public transportation he encountered in China. "Guangdong has a much better system—high-speed trains, clean metro stations. It really made me feel at home," he said. He also felt a kinship in family values: unlike the American norm of early independence, his Iranian-Italian family prioritized family unity, a trait he noticed widely in China. "Family is a huge cultural value that my family and yours share."
Looking ahead, Kmezzi hopes to eventually live and work in China. For now, he works as a part-time content creator with wholehearted passion. "If I had enough support to make a living just from the videos, you'd probably see me making five to seven videos a week." Even if this goal takes time to realize, his original intention remains unchanged. "The Chinese people have made me smile ever since I was a little kid. Now I want to give them something to smile about every week."
Reporter: Keane
Video: Qin Shaolong
Poster: Cheng Hong
