Chinese American Bear

Chinese American Bear is an American pop duo based in Seattle, Washington, consisting of married couple Lingbo Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten. They play psychedelic, C-pop music with both Mandarin and English lyrics.

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History

Chinese American Bear consists of married couple Lingbo Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten. Tong was born in China and moved to the US as a child. Barsten was raised by conservative Christian parents on a llama farm. They have been in a relationship since they attended high school together in Spokane, Washington.
Tong, a classically trained pianist, studied economics at Princeton University and completed an MBA at the University of Chicago. Barsten studied art and was part of several indie bands in New York City. Barsten and Tong first started writing music together while Barsten was learning Mandarin. They call each other "bear" in Mandarin as a pet name, which is referenced in their band name and in the title of the first song they composed together, "Xiao Xiong". In contrast to Barsten's earlier experiences with other bands, the music he wrote with Tong was more "fun". In an interview, Tong stated: "Bryce dragged me into this. It was never my dream to be in a rock band and tour in a rock band. But now it is my dream".
They released their first song in 2020 but started gaining fans with their 2021 song "好吗 ". Their self-titled debut was released in 2022 on the Chinese label. KEXP called it "warm, kaleidoscopic, and compulsively addictive".
Chinese American Bear released their second album, Wah!!!, in October 2024 on Moshi Moshi Records. The song "Feelin' Fuzzy " is about Tong's experiences growing up in an immigrant Chinese household and includes the Mandarin lyrics: “Do your homework! Play piano! No playing!" "Yummy Yummy Yummy " is about slurping noodles. "Kids Go Down ", which references a well-known Chinese nursery rhyme, was praised as "enchanting" by Paste Magazine.'''' The music video was filmed on Barsten's family llama farm. The Seattle Times listed the album as one of the 15 best albums of 2024 from Washington artists. It was ranked #49 on Best albums of 2024 as voted by KEXP listeners. Chinese American Bear toured the US and Europe in November followed by a tour of 14 cities in China with the band City Flanker in December.
In 2025, Chinese American Bear opened several shows for Poppy on her They’re All Around Us tour. Their music appeared in various media that year, including season 2 of the TV show Platonic and the initial release of the video game Skate. “Bear Day” was used in the remake of The Wedding Banquet, a romantic comedy about Asian Americans. Director Andrew Ahn stated that the band’s “vibe was so dreamy and childlike and hopeful and wistful”. In December, they won $10,000 from Sonic Guild, a non-profit that provides grants to musicians in Seattle.

Style

Chinese American Bear's musical style has been described as pop, neo-psychedelia, and C-pop. They write songs in a mix of Mandarin and English and frequently reference food in their lyrics.
Their live shows are playful and interactive. Tong leads the audience in singing Mandarin and dancing. There is a background dancer in a dumpling hat or a bear hat, and the duo throw dumpling or boba plushies into the crowd. KEXP has described their live show as a "spectacle" that "felt like a dance party in an alternate dimension or a borderline overdose of MDMA".

Discography

Chinese American Bear

''Wah!!!''