Singer Zheng Jun bouncing back in Beijing By Tan Rui (Beijing Weekend) Updated: 2005-11-21 09:16
After 10 years in dedicated pursuit of his own music style, sentimental rock
singer Zheng Jun, who has always kept a low profile, will finally hold his first
concert in Beijing at the Workers' Gymnasium on December 3.
Entitled "Warm Whoop,"
the concert is being held to quench the thirst of Zheng's fans, who have been
waiting for this day for a long time. Zheng will take this opportunity as a
chance to review his musical creations while revelling in the romantic reveries
of his songs with fans.
Zheng soared to fame in 1994, thanks to his hit singles like Back to Lhasa,
Nakedness and Cinderella, which swept him to fame across the Chinese music
scene, winning various awards. His first album, Nakedness, has become one of the
milestones in the development of Chinese rock music. His popularity has showed
no sign of decline, as the following four albums became bestsellers, too.
In 2002, Zheng set a new record to become the first Chinese singer to win
MTV's Video Music Awards with his hit single, One Third Ideal.
Born into an intellectual family in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province in 1967, Zheng
grew up with his mother and elder brother after his father passed away when he
was only seven years old. Failing his first college entrance examination, Zheng
entered Hangzhou Electronic Institute in Zhejiang Province in 1987, where he was
exposed to outside cultural influences, among which western music touched him
the most.
Fascinated by western music, Zheng spent much of his time practising with a
guitar he bought with his savings. He later set up a band named Powder, which
enjoyed some popularity in colleges in Hangzhou, where they covered works by Bob
Dylan, Chinese rock guru Cui Jian and many others.
In 1999, Zheng staged his first solo gig in Shanghai amid people's worries
about market acceptance. The concert proved to be a massive success, selling out
the 80,000-seater People's Stadium, where excited fans stood throughout the
concert despite it rained.
However, the singer surprised the public again in 2001 when he decided to
retreat from city life for a secluded life near Zhongnanshan Mountain back in
his hometown. Later he bounced back with two more albums and the release of a
novel.
Zheng has now grown confident enough to stage his first solo gig in Beijing
after keeping it on ice for 10 years.
Tel: 800-810-1887, 84085551 or visit www.228.com.cn.
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