International songwriting camp in Shanghai fosters cross-cultural music collaboration

The "Code-M: Conversation in Music" camp brought artists, producers and songwriters to Shanghai from July 5 to 10, fostering dialogue between Chinese-speaking regions, Western counterparts and the international music markets.

Participants of the "Code-M: Conversation in Music" camp pose for a photo in Shanghai, July 10, 2026. [Photo courtesy of Universal Music Publishing Group]

The international songwriting camp held by Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) China, themed "Conversation in Music," brought together 13 songwriters and producers. 

Based in Shanghai, the initiative brings together songwriters from across Chinese-speaking regions to foster cultural exchange. It also connects these songwriters with counterparts in Europe and the Americas, building creative partnerships across borders. And it aims to strengthen the ongoing dialogue between China's music market and the international industry.

Patricia Sun, managing director of UMPG China, attended the event alongside several UMPG-signed songwriters, including China’s Hong Kong legendary lyricist and music producer Jolland Chan and Wan Xiaoli, Malaysian singer-songwriter and renowned Mandarin music producer and composer VChuan, as well as multiple licensing and business partners of UMPG were in attendance. They joined the creators in listening to the works produced during the songwriting camp and engaged with in-depth exchanges afterwards.

"As a world-leading music publishing group, UMPG aims to leverage its established global platform and professional systems to build bridges for cross-border musical exchange and dialogue, supporting and accompanying our songwriters as they explore new creative directions," Sun said at the closing ceremony on July 10.

"By fostering dialogue and co-creation between musicians from China and abroad, we can unearth the unique melodic richness and deep cultural heritage of Chinese music while embracing diverse genres from international pop. This will allow the distinctive charm of Mandarin music to reach the world more naturally and vibrantly, enabling the global music industry to see the boundless potential of Mandarin music, and to craft timeless hits that will endure across generations — creating a musical memory unique to our time" she continued.

The musicians who participated in the songwriting camp included folk-rock representative Alipu from China's Xinjiang, Australian singer-songwriters Benny Morrell and Matthew Choi (aka Saint Leonard), producers JNYBeatz and Matthew Tong from China's Hong Kong, Singaporean songwriter Ralph Pan, Malaysian lyricist Ruiye, Portuguese hitmaker TYOZ, electronic producer WILLIM, Chinese mainland drum and bass pioneer Radiax Yang, singer-songwriter Yang Moyi, Canadian-born genre-blending creator Laird (Zhou Yutian), and avant-garde singer-songwriter Akini Jing.

Over the course of the week, the 13 songwriters collaborated with three groups of differing artistic styles, producing more than 20 new works. At the closing ceremony, they presented the music. 

Jolland Chan recognized the works produced at the songwriting camp and shared his personal insights on the creative process, "Music creators must have their own character and a clear vision for their work. Music should be forward-looking, not following big data trends. When writing songs for different singers, it's not just about tailoring the music to fit them — more importantly, it's about whether you can bring new themes and give the singer a chance to reinvent themselves."

Wan Xiaoli also shared that he was amazed by the high-quality presentations and high-standard works that emerged from just two or three days of the songwriting camp. VChuan said he was so happy to have heard so many excellent works of different styles and that the energy from this songwriting camp would continue to inspire him to create better music.

Prolific Malaysian lyricist Hong Ruiye delivered multiple new Chinese lyrics during the songwriting camp. Participating in the camp for the first time, he said the experience was highly rewarding, allowing him to break free from his habitual creative patterns by drawing on the musical environments and elements of songwriters from different regions.

Akini Jing not only received several promising songs written for her, but also contributed and created to new songs for other artists. "The songwriting camp brought together different people, each leaving their own stories in the same song. I want to thank every collaborator who joined this creative journey. I hope these works will travel further than we do, and one day, accompany many more people," she said. 

This year's songwriting camp also introduced, for the first time, a dedicated exchange and sharing session on the commercial operation of music publishing rights. The session was designed to deepen professional songwriters' understanding of the commercial models behind music publishing, while fostering exchange and mutual benefit between business partners, songwriters and their management companies. The move aligns with UMPG's new global brand identity, launched in June, putting songwriters at the heart of music culture and using its global reach to help works cross borders and find wider audiences.

UMPG is a global music publisher with 48 offices in 46 countries, representing top songwriters from Jay Chou to Taylor Swift, Adele and Eminem. It also leads in classical and production music, providing creative and synchronization licensing for major studios including Warner Bros. Entertainment, Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Animation and NBCUniversal Television.