C-pop singer and rapper Lexie Liu placed in the top five in the Korean reality show K-pop Star 5 when she was just 17. At 18, she became the youngest Chinese artist to perform at Austin, Texas’ venerated South by Southwest festival. The fast-rising star’s well-deserved swagger is all over this special playlist she assembled. “Lunar New Year is a period for me to do away with the past and get started on the next chapter,” she tells Apple Music. “My most cherished part of the season is reuniting with loved ones at home, having dinner and watching the Spring Festival Gala on our sofa. It’s the one day I never got into trouble with my parents for staying up late.” Tunes like Roy Woods’ “Worth It”—“warm, resolute and confident”, as she describes it—exemplify the type of music that best suits the holiday period. “I pump myself up with that song,” Lexie says. Much like her playlist, her favourite New Year blessing focuses on positivity and well-being. “It may sound trite, but I feel that happiness and good health are the most basic and important things in life,” she adds. “I hope everyone can be physically and mentally well for the new year!”