Crossover king

Zhang Yixing didn't sleep well the previous night. Although you can detect his lack of rest, the 27-year-old pop singer-songwriter, clad in a white T-shirt and a pair of loose pants, vibrates with energy and cheer as he talks about his third studio album, Namanana, which was released on Oct 19.

In less than 12 hours, the album sold more than 550,000 copies on the online streaming service, QQ Music.

"I sleep three to four hours every day. When I made the album, I practically lived in the recording studio," says Zhang.

One of the most promising and talented musicians to emerge from China's pop music scene in recent years, Zhang is poised to make his first foray into the American market with his third album, which includes both an English and a Mandarin version of each of his 11 new songs.

By working with an international team, including US singer-songwriter Andrew Bazzi and Los Angeles-based Grammy-nominated producer duo Rice 'n' Peas, Zhang composed, arranged and produced every song on the album.