Hitting the right note with children

Planting a seed

"Everyone is equal before music and music is like a seed. We want to plant this seed in their hearts as early as possible," said Liu.

Hailing from a small town in Central China's Henan province, Liu said he first heard rock music at age 16 and wished he could have heard it earlier.

Liu's success has attracted the attention of bigger players in the industry. The country's record companies and indie music labels have been trying to inject energy into the children's music industry since 2018, launching family-friendly music carnivals and projects to create new children's music.

Modern Sky, one of China's largest indie music labels, launched its parent-child label Modern Sky Kids, which in June 2019 hosted the first Strawberry Seeds Music Festival, featuring a weekend of family-friendly live rock and indie acts, a kids' play zone and art workshops.