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Double-Edged Sword’

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Double-Edged Sword’ 2 | Wednesday, August 25, 2021 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY PAGE TWO Music: Internet a ‘double-edged sword’ Supporters attend a pop concert in Jianghan Road in downtown Wuhan, Hubei province, on Oct 31. Online reality shows play a key role in advancing a singer’s career. ZHAO JUN / FOR CHINA DAILY From page 1 theme song for the popular drama A Beijing Native in New York, in 1993, and Heroes’ Although the internet helps showcase Song for the 1997 TV series Shui Hu Zhuan new talent, which connects with fans (The Water Margin). through social media platforms, such plat- He also wrote and performed Asian forms can be a double-edged sword. Mighty Winds, the official theme song for Liu said figures suggest the music scene in the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, and You China is booming. The 2021 International and Me, the theme song for the 2008 Bei- Federation of the Phonographic Industry jing Olympics, which he performed with annual Global Music Report ranked the British singer Sarah Brightman. nation as the seventh-largest music market It is not the first time that Liu has voiced last year. his concerns about the music scene. In 2019, According to the year-end report on Chi- when he appeared on Hunan Satellite TV’s na’s music market released by domestic reality show Singer, he said the pop music online music entertainment platform Ten- industry in China was in crisis and he called cent Music Entertainment Group, or TME, for domestic singer-songwriters to produce more than 748,000 new songs were written “good original music”. in China in 2020, surpassing the total num- That year, he also said he planned to sup- ber written from 2017 to 2019. Some port young original Chinese singer-song- 133,000 Chinese singer-songwriters writers by donating 20 million yuan ($3.08 released new songs last year, a year-on-year million) to launch the Liu Huan Original rise of 82 percent. Music Foundation. The Tencent report also said that in the Music industry veterans, including song- fourth quarter of last year, the number of writers Zhang Yadong and Gao Xiaosong, active monthly users of QQ Music, Kugou along with recording company heads such and Kuwo — online streaming services run as Shen Lihui, founder and CEO of Modern by TME — reached 622 million. Some 56 Sky, which has more than 100 rock bands on million users paid to listen to music its books, act as judges for an annual com- through these services. petition staged by the foundation. The win- Liu said: “It’s great to enjoy music from ner receives 1 million yuan, which is used to around the world by just clicking the ‘play’ produce songs. Liu also trains the winner in button on your phone. The money people songwriting. pay to listen to music online for a whole On Jan 11 last year, 24-year-old singer- year may only have bought one or two CDs songwriter Qin Fanqi became the first win- 20 years ago. However, without a tradition- ner of the competition. This year, the al ‘engine’ such as a recording company, the contest was won by Qiu De. music industry doesn’t work in an orderly “I was attracted by these two winners’ way. creativity. Their lyrics are realistic and “After a singer-songwriter shares his or reflect their lives. They have something to her songs on the internet, what’s next? If say through their music, rather than follow- the song goes viral, will the artist receive ing a trend,” Liu said. sufficient reimbursement to invest in the next song?” Fan base gained Liu added that the quality of songs Graduating from the Sichuan Conserva- appearing on the market is also a problem. tory of Music with a major in pop music “Music is amazing. The songs you listen to performance, Qin said, “Liu shares his can inspire you and even change your life. experience as a singer-songwriter, which Inspiring lyrics or melodies can motivate gives me inspiration.” you or remind you to appreciate the beauty Qin gained a fan base after performing of the world you live in. This is one of the best on popular reality shows such as Chuang, things about songwriting and enjoying produced by TME and Youku. Such shows music,” he said. are aimed at promoting young Chinese “However, if you try to appeal to every- Top left: Liu Huan is one of China’s best-known pop stars and songwriters. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Top right and above right: original singer-songwriters. body in the world, then you become lost. I’m Qiu De (top) and Qin Fanqi, winners of an annual music competition launched by the Liu Huan Original Music Foundation, Taking part in the foundation’s competi- just trying to produce music that makes perform after their respective victories this year and last year. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Above: Fans attend the Strawberry tion after being recommended by produc- sense to me, and I’m lucky there are people Music Festival in Fuxin, Liaoning province, on July 17. CAI XIANGXIN / XINHUA ers of reality shows she appeared on, Qin with whom I can share the music I create. said: “I am very lucky and grateful. It’s excit- “From my experience of songwriting, you ing to share my songs with other people.” can never predict the next big thing, because the music charts and sweeping awards. ent, created singer-songwriters’ images She said she enjoyed singing during her you don’t know what the listeners want. I Homeland Love, a mellow ballad written and released cassettes or CDs, which were childhood and started to play guitar at uni- just express myself and stay true to my by Ma Jinghua and Zhang Peiji, is consid- their major source of income,” Liu said. versity, adding that songwriting is “like music, which has really taken on a life of its ered the first original pop song from the Chi- I just express myself Born in Tianjin, Liu graduated in doing jigsaw puzzles”. own.” nese mainland. It was first performed by Li and stay true to my French at the Institute of International “It’s a very mysterious process and my Guyi in 1980, when she was 36. Relations in Beijing. Self-taught, he only rule is I have to love the song or be Changing culture In contrast to the solid singing style and music, which has showed his talent for music at university moved by it,” she said. Online TV reality shows have become key wide vocal range that dominated the coun- really taken on a life of — writing songs in his dormitory after She takes her guitar wherever she goes. to advancing a new singer’s career. The try’s music scene at the time, Li performed classes. “I try to write down my feelings about life music industry creates pop idols, and lead- the song sweetly, softly and romantically. its own.” In 1985, he won first prize in a French and use my guitar to tell my stories ing songwriters are flocking to write for Pop soon won a large fan base among Liu Huan, pop star and songwriter songwriting competition, which included through melodies,” Qin said. them. Music drives a show, and the show in music lovers on the mainland, and more a free trip to Paris, during which he first Qiu, this year’s winner, stood out from turn propels music sales. singer-songwriters emerged, such as Faye heard foreign music, which broadened his the competition with his original songs, However, the industry hasn’t always Wong, Na Ying and Han Hong. Millions of In 1994, the Chinese Rock Power concert horizons and inspired him. especially a new number he wrote about worked in this way, and pop is often consid- their cassettes sold during the golden years was held in Hong Kong. Bringing together A year later, Liu was sent to work as a COVID-19 — the only material in the con- ered a reflection of changing culture. for Chinese recording companies. He Yong, former Black Panther lead vocal- teacher in Ningxia Hui autonomous test to center on the pandemic. The concept of original Chinese music, In addition to pop, other forms of music, ist Dou Wei, Zhang Chu and rock band region, where he listened to and became A graduate of Guiyang Normal Universi- including pop and rock, emerged in the late including rock, hip-hop and folk, started to Tang Dynasty, it was the first time main- absorbed in local folk music. ty’s Music School in Guizhou province, he 1980s, largely influenced by pop from Hong appear. land musicians had performed in the city. He has won numerous awards in China plays guitar and piano. Since university, Kong and Taiwan. Stars such as Taiwan sing- In 1986, Cui Jian, a then-25-year-old Local audiences were stunned by the acts, and has experimented with a range of Qiu has written more than 200 songs and er Teresa Teng and Hong Kong singer-actor trumpet player with the Beijing Symphony and the momentum was created for a music, including classical, jazz, reggae and shared them online. Alan Tam won a large and solid fan base with Orchestra, took part in a concert at the wave of rock to music to wash across Chi- pop. “Liu is like a mentor, telling me to be cre- their songs, especially love ballads. In the Workers’ Stadium in Beijing, performing his na. Liu wrote and performed the theme ative and learn to incorporate new ele- 1990s, Hong Kong stars Andy Lau, Leon Lai, original song Nothing to My Name.
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