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A Mandarin cover of Cat Stevens’ “The First Cut Is the Deepest” isn’t the first song you’d expect to hear during a karate brawl. 

In Episode 6 of The Brothers Sun, eldest son Charles (Justin Chien) arrives at a golfing range after learning that his friend is being held hostage by rival gangsters. Filled with rage and heartbreak, he fights anyone standing in his path, swinging golf clubs at his enemies. As the steel handles clash and gang members grunt in pain, Bo Wang’s Chinese cover of Stevens’ melancholic classic accompanies the violent sound effects. 

“I think it does such a great job of underscoring how this is an emotional thing for Charles. We’re having a great time, and we’re watching him beat the piss out of a bunch of people,” co-creator and writer Brad Falchuk told Netflix. “But it really is such a strong emotional moment for him, and I think that song really helps sell that moment.”

In Byron Wu and Falchuk’s series, the soundtrack not only serves as an emotional vehicle for characters, but also a love letter to the Asian diaspora. Music supervisor Angela Asistio knew she wanted a wide range of songs, especially from Asian artists, from the moment she read the pilot script. “As an Asian person who grew up in Los Angeles, it felt very personal and visceral reading the scripts and talking to the filmmakers about the musical landscape for the series,” she tells Tudum. “I started furiously making playlists filled with songs that spoke to the themes of the story — Charles’ inner turmoil, Mama Sun’s hidden ambition, the sounds of Los Angeles, songs for action sequences, songs that Bruce might be listening to, and so on.”

Many of the songs Asistio had on her playlists made it into the show, including other Mandarin covers like Hong Kong singer Betty Chung’s version of “Bang Bang,” as well as artists ranging from Teresa Teng to Yaeji. Blending old with new and East with West, The Brothers Sun’s music appeals to the mahjong aunties and too-cool-for-school San Gabriel Valley teens alike. 

“One of our goals was to have a soundtrack that was fun and irreverent, something that could tonally bridge the comedy and the action,” says Asistio. In Episode 2, “How Does That Grab You Darlin’ ” by Nancy Sinatra plays as Mama Sun (Michelle Yeoh) navigates the 626 looking for clues about “the giant.” “Nancy Sinatra just felt so right for Mama Sun — determined, tough but with a cool confidence, and a hint of cheekiness,” she adds. “I love how the editors cut the song into the scene with all of the mah-jongg tiles clacking and Nancy singing out, ‘there’s more than one way to skin a cat.’ ”

Earlier in Episode 6, Charles, his younger brother Bruce (Sam Li), and their friends hide out at John Cho’s beachfront mansion. With rival gang members hunting them down, they pass the time in true Asian fashion: throwing a karaoke party. Raised by his gang leader father in Taiwan, Charles rarely shows any vulnerability. But his karaoke song of choice is none other than “The First Cut Is the Deepest.”

“It’s a quintessential Asian karaoke pick, and I’m so grateful Cat Stevens let us use it,” says Asistio. “It was also really fun to make — from thinking about the scene and finding the song, to getting the song translated to Mandarin, to locating a vocalist who could capture Cat Stevens’ emotion while also keeping it in our Brothers Sun world.”

With San Gabriel Valley being its own character in the show, it was also crucial to get the sights and sounds of the 626 just right. Director Kevin Tancharoen wanted to ground the series’ cultural aspects, and doing so through the soundtrack that Asistio put together was one way to achieve this. “Those are details that mean something. They may be insignificant to some people, but they are very significant for the ones who know,” he said. 

The Brothers Sun TrailerStarring Michelle Yeoh, Justin Chien, and Sam Song Li

The final moment of the series sees Mama Sun and Charles bidding farewell to Bruce and San Gabriel Valley before boarding a plane to Taiwan. “California,” a song collaboration between 88rising, Rich Brian, NIKI, and Warren Hue, begins to play. It’s a bittersweet moment as the two brothers, who grew up estranged from each other, share an emotional embrace. In the lyrics, each artist sings about their own experiences living in the sunny state and pays tribute to San Gabriel Valley. “Celebrate it or berate it. It’s been fated, California,” sings NIKI. 

And much like Charles and Bruce’s different upbringings, the soundtrack celebrates Asian music from Taipei to Los Angeles. “The Brothers Sun is about how location and circumstance make you the person you are,” said Tancharoen. “It’s about two brothers and families coming together to realize that [there are] special aspects to both ways of living, and they have to find the blend of both of them to find the right balance.”

Need some karaoke night inspo? Keep scrolling for the full soundtrack list.

Episode 101

Ruth Brown “I Can Dream, Can’t I” 
Gizzle “Go Up”
Toro y Moi “New House”  
Sun Ra “Dreaming”   
Bacao Rhythm and Steel Band “PIMP”  
Yohan Jung “Cicatrices”  
Shawn Wasabi “Burnt Rice”  
Rina Sawayama, Pablo Vittar, Brabo Remix “Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)” 
Boombox Cartel, Dillon Francis, feat. Desiigner “Drip”  

Episode 102

FireCityFunk “Surrender to Me” 
Deki Alem “Leave Me Alone”  
Toro y Moi “Postman”   
Li Xianglan “The Evening Primrose”  
Leisure “Money”  
Nancy Sinatra “How Does That Grab You Darlin’?”  
Dr. Octagon “Halfsharkalligatorhalfman”  
Hotei “Battle Without Honor or Humanity #3”  
Sonia Barcelona “Heart Station” 

Episode 103

Fabienne Delsol “I’m Gonna Catch Me a Rat” 
Shan “Palomino”  
Gong Linna “Tan Te”  
Ayo & Teo “Lit Right Now”  
The Rolling Stones “The Lantern”   

Episode 104

Peggy Gou “Starry Night” 
Chromatics “Toy”  
Lin-Manuel Miranda (performed by cast) “My Shot” 
Aziya “Chain Shorter”  
Yaeji “Raingurl”  
ZHU “Risky Business” 
Metro Area “Miura”  

Episode 105

Ray Davies “This Strange Effect”  
Jean-Michel Blais “Ad Claritatem Domine”  
Yao Lee “Ji Wei Jiu”  
Paul S. Glass “5029 DAMAGE DONE” 

Episode 106

Betty Chung “Bang Bang”  
Viva La Union “Alive”  
A Si “Zhi Ming Bu Ju” 
Kendrick Lamar “Humble” 
Plastic Bertrand “Ça Plane pour Moi”  
Priscilla Ahn “Find My Way Back Home”  
Anita Ward” (performed by cast as karaoke) “Ring My Bell”  
Willy Wonka (performed by cast as karaoke) “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket”  
Cat Stevens (performed by cast as karaoke) “The First Cut Is the Deepest” 
Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell (performed by cast as karaoke) “Your Precious Love” Haroula Rose “Spades” 
Erik Satie “Gnossienne No. 1”  
Bo Wang (cover of Cat Stevens) “The First Cut Is the Deepest”  
Cast/composers (cover of Teresa Teng) “Wang Ji Ta”  

Episode 107

ZHU “Risky Business” 
P-Lo “Going Off”  
Tzusing “Esther”  
Survive “Hourglass”  
The Kills “Future Starts Slow”  
boler mani “Cost”

Episode 108

Led Zeppelin “Your Time Is Gonna Come” 
88rising, Rich Brian, NIKI, Warren Hue “California” 

 The Brothers Sun is now streaming on Netflix.

The Brothers Sun TrailerStarring Michelle Yeoh, Justin Chien, and Sam Song Li