Pop groups from around the world know that if they can make it Stateside, they can conquer any corner of the globe.

Swedish pop-rock duo Roxette - comprising vocalist Marie Fredriksson, and singer and guitarist Per Gessle - easily penetrated the US market in the 1980s. The band's sound is contemporary and blends rock guitar flourishes with synthesizer-driven dance beats. But its sense of melody is what enabled it to usurp a top spot in the music world.

Roxette's vast popularity brought its music to China at a time when the country had scant inkling of the Western world's music.

The group became the second pop outfit after Wham! to perform in China with its 1995 Beijing show.

Decades later, Roxette is staging its grand return with appearances in Beijing and Shanghai, where they will perform classics and new singles, appealing to both nostalgia and the desire for fresh tunes.

These concerts provide an opportunity to witness firsthand how the group has changed in the past 20 years - and how it hasn't.

8 pm March 12. MasterCard Center, Fuxing Lu, Haidian district, Beijing.

8 pm, March 14. Shanghai Grand Theater (North of People's Square). 400-610-3721.