Finding a new voice

This year's CMIC Music Awards were more about restoring the credibility of China's music scene and recognizing the work of industry insiders than providing entertainment, Chen Nan reports.

At a recording studio in a remote corner Beijing on July 31, hundreds of music industry insiders-record company managers, critics, celebrities and other high-flyers-gathered for a banquet to celebrate the second China Music Industry Committee Music Awards.

At the end of the night, one of the main awards was announced by Wang Ju, secretary-general of China Audio-Video Association and Rob Schwartz, the Asia bureau chief of Billboard magazine. When Pu Shu's name was read out as winner of Album of the Year, the hall rang out to the cheers and applause from the audience.

The Chinese singer-songwriter picked up the award for his latest album, Orion, after receiving nominations in 9 other categories, including Song of the Year and Male Singer of the Year.

"You cannot imagine how much effort I put into this album. This award is a huge recognition of hardworking and honest people," he says in his acceptance speech.

"These days, the way we consume music is quite different. Many singers release singles rather than albums. But a full-length album is much more like a complete book, which speaks for the singer-songwriter," says Wang.

Pu, 45, is one of the most popular singer-songwriters in China. Born in Nanjing, he grew up in Beijing and rose to fame with his debut album, I Went to 2000, released in 1999. Before the release of Orion, he had produced only one other album, Life Like A Summer Flower, in 2003.

Released in April 2017, Orion took Pu seven years to finish. He wrote and performed all 12 of the songs on the album, including the title track, The Fear in My Heart and Baby Good Bye.

Pu coproduced the work with longtime friend, songwriter and producer Zhang Yadong. The album includes the song Ordinary Road, which was used in Chinese writer-director Han Han's 2014 movie, The Continent. The song soon became chart-topper and built up anticipation among Pu's fans about when his next album would be released.