A poster for Wakin Chou's upcoming Beijing concert on November 21 and 22.

Hello, and welcome to another edition of  China Beat here on 'China Radio International'. I'm your host Zhong Qiu. 

The artist featured on today's show is Zhou Huajian, also known as Wakin Chou. From 1985 Wakin has released more than 40 recordings in Mandarin, Cantonese and English and has held several international concert tours. He has become a prominent name in the Mando-pop scene and has fans of all ages, not only around Asia, but elsewhere around the world.　On November 21st, Wakin will appear on stage again in Beijing with his solo concert, 'I Wakin'. So on today's 'China Beat', we will enjoy the music of Wakin Chou and look back together at his musical journey.

Born in Hong Kong, Wakin began to learn Guitar at the age of 13. During his college days in Taiwan, he sang and played folk songs in local coffee shops. Although he had high hopes to establish a career as a recording artist, it was very hard for him to sign a record contract with record companies back in the 1980s.

"Now there are many opportunities for musicians to pursue their musical dreams. However, at that time, it was really risky for a record company to release an album for a fresh name. I tried many times and finally I gave up. But I loved music so much that I thought I'd like to work in a recording studio. So I ended up joining 'Rock Records' as an assistant producer. "

It was a happy time for Wakin at 'Rock Records'. However he didn't forget his musical dreams and aspirations. Wakin sang some jingles for several commercial advertising spots. One of these tunes happened to catch the attention of Wakin's boss at 'Rock', who realized it was the voice of his own assistant producer. In that moment in 1987, the door opened for Wakin to record and release his first Mandarin album under the 'Rock Records' label. For a man who had dreamed of performing professionally but had settled on being a record producer, this was a period of particular good fortune and a succession of chart-topping records soon followed. The song you are listening now is 'When I Needed You Most', from Wakin's previous English language album.

Besides the good fortune in his music career, Wakin has also found happiness in his personal life. He was married in 1987 and soon had a son, who inspired his famous song, 'Kiss My Baby'. When talking about this song, Wakin's voice is filled of happiness and pride.

"The composing process is quite interesting. There is a part in the refrain that I couldn't think of proper lyrics for, so I just sang lalala. However it turned out to be very beautiful and heartfelt, so we kept that part. I know this song is very popular with many parents who like to sing it for their babies. "

After releasing several albums, Wakin has finally established his own singing style with distinguished vocal transition in high notes.

"Before the age of 18, my only wish is to release a popular album and place it on my desk, besides those classic albums from my favourite singers. That's all I thought I wanted. However after releasing several albums, I gained a lot of experience and realized that singing is not a simple thing. I started to figure out what kind of song suited me most, what kind of vocal presentation I should adopt according to different song themes and gradually I formed my own style. "

During this period, Wakin released many top-charting albums, from which many songs have become Karaoke favourites, even to this day. One of these songs is called 'You Make Me Happy and Sad'.

Wakin was dubbed by the media a 'national singer', as his songs are popular among all ages. This is quite evident in his song 'Friends', which is dedicated to those farewell moments everyone experiences at some point in their lives.　Wakin's passionate presentation touched millions of people's hearts and this song brought him numerous music awards.

"This song expresses the feeling when good friends have to separate. But we didn't expect it would become so popular. It has become the first choice song for many farewell occasions. This song is particular suitable for me to sing as my self tresure friendship very much."

Having made music for the past 20 years, Wakin's songs have also accompanied his fans throughout the many changes in their lives. Wakin says he is very proud that his music has grown alongside his fans.

"I believe that a durable song can really influence several generations. My fans may find connections with my songs, and I also have my memories of songs that I adored before I was a singer. So I'd like to remember those memorable songs with them, and it's also the inspiration for the track, 'Is There a Song'."

Alongside his singing career, Wakin has also appeared in a number of films and is always active in international charitable causes. He also joined the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as a volunteer, and his song 'I Am the Star' was selected as the theme song for the volunteers during the game. Talking about this experience, Wakin still gets very excited.

"When I heard about the selection of the theme song I was very excited. I had participated in many volunteering works since high school, so I understand that proud feeling of being the person in the background who selflessly gives their support to the whole event."

With this song, we come to the end of this edition of 'China Beat' on 'China Radio International'. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. You can email us at Chinabeat@cri.com.cn; or log on to our website at crienglish.com, find  China Beat, and leave your message. This is Zhong Qiu from Beijing. Bye for now.