Cebuana singer-songwriter Jolianne is reaching a new set of listeners outside the Philippines, this time in China.
The rising OPM artist, known for her hit collaboration with Arthur Nery, "Palayo sa Mundo," recently performed at a music festival in Hangzhou, China, where she sang OPM for the crowd.
In a video posted on her Instagram account, Jolianne shared a clip from her set at the festival.
"Just played OPM at my first festival in China," the text on the video read, followed by a crying emoji.
Addressing fans who were puzzled to see her performing in China, Jolianne explained how it happened. According to her, her English music made it to the charts in China this year.
"For those of you who are confused why I'm here, my English music charted in China this year!" she said.
The Hangzhou show was not her first time performing in the country. Jolianne shared that she held her first-ever China tour a few months ago. During that trip, a video of a street photographer taking her pictures spread online, and she said it became the top viral video in Shanghai.
"I also played my first ever tour in China a few months back. Then a video of a street photographer taking my photos became the #1 most viral video in Shanghai," she said.
Jolianne admitted she is still trying to make sense of it all.
"I'm just as confused as you," she said.
In a separate post, the singer thanked her fans in China and said she was amazed that people on the other side of the world are listening to her songs. She added that she is excited to return and perform there again.
"Hangzhou, I had the time of my life!!! Crazy, there are people listening to me on this side of the world. I cannot wait to be back, China! <3" she wrote.
Jolianne, whose real name is Jolianne Salvado, hails from Cebu City. She first appeared on national TV in 2015 as a contestant on the second season of The Voice Kids Philippines, where she was part of Sarah Geronimo's team.
After the competition, she returned home to Cebu and finished her studies, but she never stopped making songs. Her first single, "Irises," came out in 2019. A year later, she released "Halfway There," which became her breakout track online and has since gone past 14 million streams on Spotify.
She later signed with the record label Careless and moved to Manila at 17 to pursue music full time. In January 2025, she released her debut EP, "Plain Girl," followed by the singles "Favorite Friend" and "Kuryente," the latter being a collaboration with Korean producer Ziv.
Her most successful song on the charts so far is "Palayo sa Mundo," her second team-up with Arthur Nery after "Lullaby" in 2024. The track entered the Billboard Philippines Hot 100 in January 2026, marking her first-ever entry, and later rose as high as No. 23.
—By Paolo Lim