British musician takes Chinese music to heart

"It's also why I enjoy re-interpreting the Chinese songs I make a connection with," says Gibson, noting that his most recent video, If I Stay, was adapted from a hit titled The Brightest Star in the Night Sky from the Chinese rock band Escape Plan. " It gives me the chance to take the Asian elements and give them a Western twist, creating something new and different."

"Shaun is different from all the other Western singers, as he truly loves Chinese culture. He has stories about China, and he sings Chinese songs just like local singers although he doesn't speak Chinese," says Tina Zhang, operations director of Magic Sound Entertainment, which is managing Gibson's China tour. The first Chinese entertainment company launched and registered in the UK, in 2010, it has organized more than 300 concerts over the past five years with concerts of Chinese singers in the UK as well as bringing Western artists to the Chinese market.

"Compared to the UK, the Chinese music industry has developed extremely fast over recent years, with various new styles and many young singers and producers emerging, all making very good music," Zhang says. "I believe there is a place for Chinese music in the Western world, and more could be done to promote Chinese culture and Chinese music internationally."

For Gibson, his ultimate goal as a singer-songwriter is to create "a new genre of East meets West".

"On the surface, China and the UK may have little in common, whether politically, economically or socially, but I believe true art and true culture lies in the hearts of people. The world is smaller than it's ever been, and people from all kinds of backgrounds are coming together to share their experiences. I think it is about time music and art started to reflect that," he says.