Shenzhen star Cacien serves her own flavor of C-pop

Cacien (卡西恩) looked like she had stepped out of a cartoon when she performed at Jing 100, Jing Daily’s inaugural awards ceremony for the Chinese luxury industry, in Shanghai on October 16. The pop star wore an electric-blue dress with exaggerated, storybook hips, bright green tights and a red headpiece in full bloom. Born Chen Sixian (陈思娴) in Shenzhen in 1999, she grew up in a Teochew family — the Teochew people trace their roots to the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong — and was raised between cultures. Her stage name comes from the Cantonese reading of her birth name, she said in a 2020 interview with That’s. The Shanghai-based artist has spent the past few years building a world around her alter ego, Garlica Princess, whose name nods to her love of garlic: a girl who seems well-behaved until you get to know her. Her latest album, “Flavors,” released on July 26 as an exclusive on streaming platform NetEase Cloud Music, sorts emotion by taste: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy and the lingering aftertaste of growing up. It is also multilingual, shifting between Mandarin, English, Uyghur (a Turkic language spoken mainly in Xinjiang), Italian and, for the first time on one of her albums, Teochew. The guzheng, a plucked Chinese zither, and bamboo flute share the arrangements with a recurring vibraphone. The result is silky, neo-Chinese pop. As one of the inaugural Jing 100 honorees, Cacien spoke to Jing Daily in Shanghai after the ceremony about why luxury, for her, now means slowing down, the confidence she still draws from actor Gong Li (巩俐), her dream collaboration with Balenciaga and the ideas that make people say, “Wait, what?” Jing Daily: What does it mean to you to be part of the first Jing 100? Cacien: It feels a little surreal. Music is my main way of expressing myself, and fashion has always been another language for me. What connects me to Jing Daily is that Chinese perspective within a global conversation about fashion and luxury. I’m a Chinese artist who’s grown up across cultures, so that mix comes through in both my sound and my style. Being part of the first Jing 100 feels like those different parts of me are being recognized together. JD: How would you define luxury in 2026? C: To me, luxury in 2026 is about appreciation. Everything moves so quickly that having the time and attention to really appreciate something feels precious. With fashion, that means noticing the craftsmanship, understanding the idea behind a piece, and letting it spark something in your imagination. That kind of appreciation helps you understand your own taste and express it more clearly. The luxury is being able to slow down enough to let something mean something to you. JD: Which Chinese stars inspired you most growing up? C: I would say Gong Li. I’ve always been drawn to her confidence. To me, there’s something quite untamed and unapologetic about her presence, and I admire the way she keeps challenging herself. She’s an actress, and her influence on me goes beyond any particular art form. She inspires me to trust my own instincts, keep pushing myself, and feel confident in who I am. That’s something I still carry with me today. JD: What was it like being a creative growing up in Shenzhen? C: I think Shenzhen gave me the feeling that I could have an idea and just try it. It’s a young, tech-driven city with a mix of people and influences, and I started exploring things online pretty early. I loved singing and was in a choir. I started using Instagram in my first year of middle school, and I was also recording covers and posting them on YouTube. I’d plan the videos myself — where to film, how I wanted them to look. I remember getting my mum to take me to an abandoned railway to shoot a cover. I had this whole idea of how I wanted it to feel, and it was just really fun figuring out how to make it happen. I loved finding ways to make those covers feel like me. That gradually led to writing my own songs when I was 17. JD: Describe the Garlica Princess’ persona. C: She looks like she knows exactly how to behave. Then you get to know her, and realize she’s a little weird. Growing up in China, I was aware of the expectations around being a “well-behaved girl,” and she carries that tension. She’d probably be the so-called bad student — the one with an idea she just has to try. She’ll sing or dance in public because it feels good, even if nobody’s watching. She knows it might look cringey, or a little tacky. She can live with that. She wants to hold on to the things that make her feel alive. JD: What’s been your biggest career turning point so far? C: My new album, “Flavors.” Making it gave me a clearer sense of who I am, and which flavors of myself I want to explore further. I made it in LA with a new producer. It brings together Mandarin, Uyghur, Italian — which I studied in high school and university — and, for the first time on an album, Teochew, my family’s language. Different genres capture the emotions I experienced at 26, with sounds like vibraphone, guzheng and bamboo flute woven through the record. For example, “Hot ’n’ Sour” is entirely in English, and its intro opens with the same vibraphone sound you hear in the instrumental break of “Garlica Princess Pro.” The way we play it changes — the intervals and scales give that same sound a different emotional color in each song. To me, it’s like hearing the same person in different moods. The sound connects the songs, while the melodies reveal different flavors of who I am. That’s how the album’s idea of “flavors” becomes something you can actually hear. I’m proud of how intentional those choices are. I know why those sounds are there and what the arrangements express. There’s a part of me in every track. “Flavors” became a chapter of self-discovery. In my next era, I want to focus more closely on the sounds and ideas that feel most like me, so that identity comes through more clearly to the people listening. Making this album helped me find that direction. JD: Which luxury brand would be your dream collaboration? C: Balenciaga. I connect with its unorthodox spirit — the daring, the humor, the willingness to make something a little strange. I’m often drawn to ideas that make people go, “Wait, what?” There’s a similar instinct in my own work: I get excited about an idea and want to see how far I can take it. I’d love to bring my music into that world and create something unexpected together. JD: What’s the last luxury item that you bought? C: A vintage Vivienne Westwood Orb necklace. I love that it has a sense of history, and this strange, playful little twist. With vintage, you’re discovering something from another time and deciding how it belongs in your own life. I like that feeling of finding a piece and making it personal. That’s a kind of luxury I connect with. JD: What would you like to manifest for 2027? C: I’d love to play shows in places I’ve never been and hear people singing my songs back — even if we don’t share a first language. I want to keep exploring my roots and the sounds I’m drawn to, and make a show people leave feeling a little braver about their own ideas. Also, at least one creative idea that makes my team look at me and go, “Wait. You’re serious?”

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Shenzhen star Cacien serves her own flavor of C-pop