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Tencent Music Entertainment Group, the leading online music and audio entertainment platform in China, announced that its QQ Music has launched the global original music competition THE ONE, and global music media brand Billboard China will be the exclusive media partner for this competition.

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The competition has invited talented singers, songwriters and musicians around the world including TIA RAY, Lenka and Greyson Chance to act as THE ONE ambassadors for the competition, together auditioning new original celebrities. THE ONE aims to continue to help talented Chinese musicians and high-quality original songs to go abroad and convey the voice of China to the world.

Based on this cooperation, TME will integrate its leading technology, profound industrial and user insights, comprehensive service systems in the Chinese music industry with global resources, influence and international high standards to provide talented musicians with a full range of services from the first demo recordings to the release of songs, as well as global promotion and customized performances, which will support Chinese stars on the world stage in all aspects.

THE ONE competition will be segmented into three major competition units — “Musical Work,” “Fresh Face” and “Label,” for songwriters, emerging musicians and quality labels, respectively — to provide a fair stage for competition and communication among different types of players with different audition mechanisms. Among them, the “Musical Work” unit will gather works from all over the world through TME’s Qimingxing Music Assistant, while at the same time invite famous Chinese original musicians such as Bird Zhang, L.T. and Ma SiWei, Mikey Jiao and Chen Zhuoxuan to participate. The “Fresh Face” unit will be strategically combined with Tencent Musician Platform’s New Forces project to identify excellent artists in the new generation, while the “Label” unit will collect original music works from high-quality labels globally, introducing independent labels valuing the quality of music creation and the diversity of music styles into the world’s spotlight, and bringing more “Chinese treasures” to global music fans.

The competition will eventually select and produce a conceptual music collection of THE ONE. The collection will be distributed globally through TME Music Cloud, including but not limited to overseas channels such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others. The collection will also receive massive promotional traffic support and core resources from TME’s various platforms including QQ Music, Kugou Music, Kuwo Music and Tencent Musician Platform, as well as being featured on the Billboard China master song list Golden Ears. In addition, honorees will also have the opportunity to participate in a special collaborative performance with Billboard Live in Shanghai, representing China’s high-quality original force on the global stage to bring exciting performances to music fans around the world.

With this partnership, TME will continue to strengthen its in-depth collaboration with more music industry partners, bringing more quality original works and exciting performances to music lovers around the world. TME will continue the exploration of value patterns for the construction of Chinese music’s global influence, supporting and accompanying the birth and bloom of high-quality original Chinese music.

There are many singers with golden voices, but a select few who sing with real passion. Jam Hsiao Ching-Teng has been beloved by audiences for over a decade due to his willingness to put himself out in the open and share his life experiences freely.
After a conversation with Hsiao, Billboard China came to the conclusion that his innate enthusiasm derives from his voice, his passion, and his clear and precise understanding of the music and entertainment industry, as well as the evolution of media itself. All of these facets have helped give his seemingly wild growth a sense of direction to concentrate upon.

Different Colors in the Era of Big Data

Nowadays, hit songs, including those by Hsiao, often undergo a kind of transformation when uploaded to Internet platforms. He admitted that he had mixed feelings when he first heard the DJ dance version of “A-Fei’s Butterflies” on the street. On one hand, he was happy that such an old song was still being sung. On the other hand, he was frustrated that all of the rich emotions conveyed in this dense piece of music were being “dumbed down” in order to fit into a formulaic musical genre.

“Data has gotten a stranglehold over us in recent years,” Hsiao says. “Tens of millions of pieces of music by different musicians have been molded into the same generic shape in order to conform to whatever is en vogue at the time in order to guarantee as many views as possible. How can quality work be heard when any trace of personality is hidden? It’s like putting the same exact frame over every single painting. For music, it’s incredibly important to have some different colors in the mix.”

Looking at his career, it is clear he has put a lot of effort into pursuing these “different colors,” and equally clear that he has occasionally paid the price.

When Hsiao made his debut, he was considered a strong vocal performer. He embarked on a world tour after just two albums. Refusing to be just a pop star, Hsiao quickly mastered different styles, including Western jazz and “one take.” Eventually, he decided to start a band, where his love for rock music led to him playing the role of both lyricist and composer. Meanwhile, his talent agency positioned him as a “singer who occasionally writes songs.” Later, it became evident that the era of rock ‘n’ roll has come and gone.

Set in his ways, Hsiao’s music has become more uniquely his with every subsequent album over the past two years, culminating in last year’s Quarantine Hotel Room 2827. Featuring minimalist compositions that utilize a combination of synth-pop and retro elements, this album may have had a divisive reception from Hsiao’s fanbase, but it quenched a desire that was residing in Hsiao’s heart at the time.

He wrote, composed, sang and recorded the entire album. An unprecedented creative experience for him, this allowed him to create an auditory and visual feast infused with his own personal stamp. Speaking on the album, Hsiao states, “What can you do? Perhaps Quarantine Hotel Room 2827 really was a failed attempt at something. The creative process for it was far from painless. Nevertheless, I didn’t want to give up on the ideas that I had, even if they wouldn’t be received warmly by audiences, because I found them to be a source of personal catharsis. I regard life as a process of constant self-discovery.”

By his own admission, Hsiao is a bit “crazy.” He refuses to remain stationary and yield to the overwhelming force that is the data age, even though he knows very well that his love songs would be popular with the public. The most tangible manifestation of this outlook is his paucity of hit songs in recent years.

If you ask Hsiao, however, this is the wrong takeaway. He is merely being honest with himself, refusing to blindly pursue any so-called experiments in a half-hearted way. He proclaims, “How can we present something to the public when we’re not satisfied with it ourselves? I’ll always stand behind any new song that I release, but at the end of the day, you can never tell what will or won’t be welcomed by the public and become a hit.”

One song on the album he is particularly satisfied with is “Nowhere to Hide.” His eyes light up when the song is mentioned. After a moment’s pause, however, he goes on to say, “In this age of data, I’m sure it’s not anyone’s favorite. I doubt it’s been heard by that many people.”

Musical variety shows should be fun.

With the previous generation of singers, Taiwan’s well-established record industry was the “midstream pillar” of Chinese music circles. Even during Jam Hsiao’s time, his style and voice were often covered and imitated by many China singers. However, not long into Hsiao’s career, things began to shift focus, and the entertainment industry continued moving northward. Nowadays, the only way musicians from Hong Kong and Taiwan can ensure long-term popularity is by securing a spot on a variety show in China. An extensive knowledge into the workings of Chinese television channels and Internet platforms is a must. For them, this is both the trend and a trial to overcome.

With solid singing skills and an endearing personality, Hsiao has been making waves on various variety shows, making him an outstanding musician among his peers who is “moving northward.” Hsiao even has a say in how musical variety shows in China are put on, as he has participated in them almost every year for the past decade.

As a singer who got his start from musical variety shows, he does not feel that coming on these shows is a sign of “going downhill,” as these shows have been a major influence in the pop music industry going all the way back to Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. While the number of musical variety shows produced in the past two years is not large, there has always been a steady demand for them among music fans. Thanks to a more powerful online entertainment system and more efficient resource mobilization, the quality of musical variety shows in China will only continue to improve.

As an artist, Hsiao has pondered this topic in some detail. Certain directors will alter the structure, schedule, and program of the show according to Hsiao’s personal suggestions based on what he experiences, sees and hears. This often results in singers having an increased sense of “performance” during the show. Nothing is more frustrating for singers than when a director has the song selection and arrangement perfectly lined up in advance in order to avoid copyright concerns and chase after whatever the latest hits are.

Hsiao said, “Sometimes I’m also confused. Do users really like what the algorithms think they should like? Can we really predict what will become the next big hit? The entertainment industry is supposed to be a place full of joy and surprises. I think we should keep things light and carefree and stay true to ourselves. That way, we can create more natural, innovative products that have a different flavor to them, and finally give the audience the right to choose.”

Among all of the musical variety shows he has participated in, Duets (aka The Most Beautiful Harmonies) impressed him the most, and he has played the role of a “mentor” on the show for three seasons With this show, Hsiao has full autonomy in regard to the music selection, and also has a say in how the stage is set up, including lighting and positions. It is a lot of work, but he has never been anything but pleased when a performance goes off.

“Do you know what I am most proud of? I made a lot of bold choices on this show, really out-there stuff, and not only did the audience accept it, they liked it. They’ve got great taste. Why can’t we make these shows more fun when it’s now possible for us to reconcile the exploration of commercial value and artistic pursuits in a better way?” In Hsiao’s eyes, fun is one of the words most closely connected with music. He is always on the lookout for more fun-filled stages.

He also hopes that musical variety shows can “look at the big picture and be more detailed.” During his time in Las Vegas, Hsiao was astonished by the O and KÀ shows put on by Cirque du Soleil. He had never imagined that the stage could be used in such a splendid fashion. Using what was on hand, he began to explore how to alter his concerts in a way that would provide the optimal marriage between visuals and music.

Nowadays, musical variety shows are usually quite ornate and visually striking, but the entire production team must first consider whether such visual splendor is a good fit for the spirit of the song being performed, and whether the stage space is being utilized to its fullest extent.

Hsiao feels that cover songs are just as legitimate as the original. For him, there is no golden rule dictating which will garner more praise in the competition, and exquisitely crafted vertical programs can be more “universal” than universal ones. The key is that all musical productions should be meticulously refined. Previous experience and vision are the most important traits to possess, as no ready-made model can serve as the key to universal success, especially when modern audiences are arguably more experienced and knowledgeable than industry insider.

So long as we are alive, we need to fight for ourselves.

As an Aries, Hsiao possesses an innate enthusiasm and stellar work ethic.

Hsiao is the self-proclaimed “King of Self-study.” He taught himself magic tricks when performing with Jay Chou in Paris, learned sophisticated calligraphy that earned him praise from professional calligraphers, and has paintings on exhibit in Shibuya. Most of his musical skills are even self-taught.

Inspired by the Bon Jovi album Crush as well as other artists such as Mr. Big, Skid Row, Prince, and Michael Jackson, Hsiao first embarked on his musical journey as a rebellious teenager. To realize his rock dream, he learned to play keyboard and jazz drums so well that he was capable of teaching others.

As a guitar aficionado, he has become exceptionally proficient over the past two or three years. Once he sets his mind to something, he will not rest until he reaches a level that he is satisfied with.

When asked why he still wanted to learn guitar in his thirties, he responds, “I just couldn’t resist the allure of mastering the guitar, as it’s an instrument I’ve loved for so many years. It can also help broaden my horizons by providing me with an additional musical tool to use whenever I hit a creative roadblock.”

Before challenging other stars in One Million Star, he was a resident singer in restaurants. It was a gig that he relished, as it allowed him to be around music all day. When a colleague signed him up for the singing competition and he was “forced” into the spotlight, his ambition took over automatically, and he found himself gunning for first place.

As someone reluctant to change, Hsiao found the music industry baffling long after he had entered it and started releasing albums. Despite this, he put on a brave face and was a consummate professional in his work, learning various non-singing related skills in order to open up new prospects in his life. Going from the camera-shy person he was in the beginning of his career to the gregarious, effervescent, and effortlessly cool presence he gives off now was a long and painful psychological process. “I always say that I have two faces. Sometimes I can be very quiet. For newcomers, they may find it difficult to act animated in front of people, even though they know it’s necessary.” He said.

Hsiao still maintains the momentum of someone new to the business, even though some would say he has had a wildly successful career after ten years of endeavors. He professes, “Perhaps not too many people understand this, but I think that so long as we’re alive, we should always work hard and fight for ourselves. Having a job, especially at the moment, is a cause for celebration, so I can’t slack off.”

Not long ago, he announced that he would temporarily relocate to Chengdu due to the pandemic. At first he was just quarantined in a hotel in Chengdu for seven days in accordance with regulations. During this period, he fell in love with the cityscape, the food, and the climate of Chengdu and decided to reside there for some time.

In terms of music, Hsiao has more bold ideas that he has yet to act on. As his Beijing opera-inspired song in Wu Jia Po 2021 was extremely popular on the Internet, we asked Hsiao whether he was interested in further integrating classical and popular musical art forms in the future.

He said that he has tried many times to achieve this integration of musical styles, and that he wanted to further explore this relationship in order to create more unique musical combinations, “The works of Yngwie Malmsteen, my favorite guitarist, combines a lot of classical music elements. His songs are remarkable, as they are these intricate compositions embodying the elegance, order, and sense of ritual behind classical music, yet at the same time also feature dynamic metal progressions. So I am particularly looking forward to exploring this intermingling dynamic further.”

He also checks Billboard every week to learn about the latest trends in the international music scene trends of international music circles, something which he considers “homework” for singers.

He is very familiar with chart-topping songs from Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Drake, and other musicians. He also knows the individual evolutions international celebrities have undergone with their musical images and styles. He said, “How is it that, in the international music scene, both newcomers and industry veterans always manage to come up with songs that leave an impression? By comparison, our music circle is a bit dull. What is the problem? I know we have a bright future ahead of us, but as for now, I am eager to work with my peers to make our music environment better.”

As a “music player” who has earned his spot in pop music circles through ten years of hard work, Hsiao said that he will never give up his appetite for music, and that he will continue to better himself in the pursuit of what he loves. This does not mean that he feels he should rush forward blindly in the days to come. Instead, he wishes to spend more energy listening, “For me, it’s important to figure out how my fans and the general public perceives me, as well as all the expectations they have for me.”

From West Hunan to Beijing, and from Beijing to New York, Tia Ray has been singing soul music for more than a decade. For 10 years, Ray has been on the path to international fame, while working to bring Chinese music to the world. In her latest album, The Moon Cannot Sleep, Ray showcases Chinese soul music.
Ray hopes to introduce more music from around the world to China over the next decade. In an interview with Billboard China, she talked about her decade in the industry, how she became the first soul musician in mainland China and her future plans for music.

Born and raised in Huaihua, West Hunan, about an hour’s drive from the ancient city of Fenghuang (phoenix), Ray inherited the musical gene from her great-grandmother, who was Hmong. She likes singing, and was a bold child who loudly sang the Cantonese theme song of Great Hero Huo Yuanjia on the streets. She is also a romantic girl who likes Hmong folk songs. The Hmong people express their love through songs. The unrestrained, cheerful and sweet music was her first impression of music.

At age 16, Ray came to Beijing to study and saw her classmate’s DVD of Michael Jackson’s world tour. That was her first contact with Western music, and she was shocked by how cool pop music could be. That night, she sat on the field and watched the DVD countless times. As she looked at the stars, a seed was planted in her heart. She wanted to learn about other music styles and explore the world to see the places that had nurtured such music.

That exploration eventually led her to soul music. It was love at first “beat,” and her soul resonated with it. She fell in love with the music instinctively and it became her most important music style. At the end of 2022, the story came full-circle. Ray gave a performance at the New York MetaMoon Music Festival. She had not only come to Michael Jackson’s country, but had, as the soul diva, also let the world hear her voice.

Hmong folk songs and soul music, homeland and the world — they may seem like polar opposites. However, in Ray’s view, they are rooted in life, passionate and unrestrained, free like the wind, and have a lot in common.

Music has no national boundaries, but musicians have a nationality. It was from her fourth album, Once Upon a Moon, that she began to combine her own experiences, feelings and thoughts with Chinese features and Western singing style. She finally created a unique Chinese soul style and brought its impact to the world stage.

Deciding on a Style and Freeing the Mind

When I first met Tia at a tea house near the China World Trade Center in Beijing, she was dressed like a cool girl. She wore a glossy black short-down jacket and her hair was tied up in a high ponytail. Her black eyeliner and earrings were especially eye-catching. The blue cartoon sweater under her jacket, her bright smile and her passionate answers revealed her relaxed and confident nature.

She still remembers her first encounter with soul music. In a live house in Chaoyang Park, Cui Jian, the first rock star in mainland China, was drinking downstairs. Tia ordered a glass of orange juice at the door when she suddenly heard a loud voice coming from upstairs. A black woman with a wireless microphone walked up to the stage while singing, and the musicians improvised the performance.

After the performance, Ray and a guitarist ran to the Hi-Fi shop in Dongsi Alley in Beijing to find relevant CDs. There, they saw the albums of popular Western female singers such as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. They also found many imported CDs in the warehouse. Ray scrimped on food and bought a CD player. Every weekend, she would go to Dongsi to buy CDs, and this lasted for several years. She broke three CD players and listened to a lot of music by musicians like Stevie Wonder and India.Arie who were not well-known in China at that time. She still has a collection of more than 200 CDs.

“I was very lucky to have come into contact with these things and experience what feels like true love,” she says. The Western music led her to embark on the path of soul music.

“I am a sentimental person. I am a girl from West Hunan who grew up eating chili peppers,” Ray says. “I yearn for freedom, and I pursue passion and things that allow me to imagine. The flexibility, openness, tension and diversity of soul music make me feel free.”

Ray formed a band with her friends immediately, just like how she could not wait to get to a hairdresser and cut her hair when she wanted a haircut. At the end of 2007, she set up the first original composition band, Soul Side. The band brought together many professionals. The drummer was Cui Jian’s drummer; famous musician Chang Shilei was the second keyboard player; Zhao Zhao, the music director of Sister Who Make Waves, was the main keyboard player; and Han Yang, the bass player of Radio Mars, was the bass player. They have been teachers and friends on the road of music and became Ray’s soulmates as she explored music. During those years, Ray learned from her bandmates, absorbing knowledge like a sponge.

Later, Ray joined a second original composition band ThaKnutZ, and she grew to have a deeper understanding of music without borders. The drummer of ThaKnutZ had studied abroad in London, the bassist was from the Dominican Republic, and the keyboard player was from Atlanta. In 2010, the band released a CD. The experience trained Ray in many skills. She bought her first computer and designed the CD’s cover in Photoshop.

She still remembers a show at Jiangjinjiu. She had designed the poster and the tickets were RMB 50 (about $7 U.S.) each. In the end, they only sold 12 tickets. She remembers clearly that she was wearing a black-and-white striped long-sleeve shirt, navy high-waisted jeans and a pair of sneakers. She sang with her hair loose behind her shoulders. The whole band felt that they owned the world.

In 2012, a bigger opportunity came her way. Ray became a sensation on The Voice of China and came under the spotlight. She gained a wider audience and a larger market. Two years later, she released her first solo album T.I.A and positioned herself as a neo-soul singer. From then on, she became known as a soul music singer-songwriter.

Soul music is rare in the Chinese pop music market. It is indeed difficult to become popular singing in the Western style. Zhang Yadong, a famous producer, once said that Ray was too aggressive. Many people expect her to continue singing fresh and quiet folk songs like “A-Chu.”

Ray wavered once. In 2017, on her first appearance on Singer, she sang “A-Chu” and was eliminated immediately.Fortunately, she had a chance to return onstage. She no longer tried to please the audience, but chose what she was best at — soul music. The song “Golden” won the highest score given by the audience in the history of the show.

“Don’t think about which is more popular, and don’t think about whether the audience will like it,” she says. “Instead, do what you love. We only have one lifetime. I want to be myself.”

Create Chinese Soul Music

Her second album TIARA was recorded in the U.S. Ray traveled to the U.S. twice to invite producers of the Grammy Awards to produce her third album 1212. They liked her music as soon as they heard it. Feeling accepted by the local culture, she grew even more confident.

At the same time, there were some male R&B and soul musicians in China, such as David Tao, Wang Leehom, Taiwanese singer Jay Chou and Fang Datong. But Ray was the only female soul musician at that time. This gave her a sense of mission, and she started to think about how to create soul music that truly belonged to her.

“I hope to bring Chinese soul music to the world, and show other countries that Chinese musicians can create soul music with Chinese characteristics,” Ray says.

This sense of mission has grown stronger since 2018. At the invitation of the Berklee College of Music, Ray performed abroad and realized the impact of her overseas influence for the first time. In the auditorium, one third of the audience was Chinese, and they sang along with her. When she stepped off the stage, many people told her that almost all the Chinese students auditioning to get into the school sang Love Can Fly. Ray was moved, and also became aware of the great responsibility she had.

This responsibility also seemed to have affected her music creation. She integrated the Chinese flute, guzheng, and folk music into her compositions. Music critic Er Di commented that the soft music of the guzheng, the style of the tune, and the distinct Chinese quality in the lyrics “Vermilion street, the Bell Tower, the blue dragon and the white tiger…” in the song “On the Clouds” in Tia’s third album 1212 was the soul music of China.

In 2019, Ray brought Chinese soul music to the international stage.

She was the first Chinese singer to be invited to sing at the Warner global headquarters summit meeting in Los Angeles. She sang an English song first, so that the senior executives could understand what she was singing. Then she asked how many of them were from Los Angeles. A few people raised their hands. “You must miss your home and family when you leave home to pursue your dreams,” she said. “Next, I will tell you what my hometown looks like.” Then, she sang “A-Chu.” “This is a folk song, but it is my soul music. Chu means Hunan, which is where I was born.” Then, she sang another Chinese song, Love Can Fly, and was met with thunderous applause. The Warner Global CEO told her that he wanted to visit her hometown because of A-Chu.

Perhaps this is the charm of music. Through simple scales and notes, we can cross geographical, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, connect cultures in minutes, and create emotional resonance. Two years later, with her fourth album, The Moon Cannot Sleep, Ray ushered in a new era. Compared with the direct presentation of Chinese elements in 1212, she integrated Chinese elements and soul music more naturally, seamlessly stitching together ethereal singing and oriental features, and building an international attitude that transcends national boundaries and cultural differences between the East and the West.

The album was inspired by the moon. Ray used traditional oriental features such as the moon and butterflies to start her creation. Instead of relying on international musicians, she produced the album herself, and also did the copywriting, poster design, her own styling, and other fine details, to create soul music that belonged entirely to herself.

The singing style in the album matches the oriental charm of the moon and the butterfly. It is reserved, clear, and gentle. The melody of each song connects to the next, giving the album a sense of wholeness. As for the singing style, Ray spent a lot of time thinking about how to pronounce the words. After the age of 30, “I don’t like singing loudly. It’s like I practiced ‘Iron Fist’ at the beginning, but now I want to practice ‘18 Dragon Subduing Palms’ or ‘Lightness Skill.”

The market reaction exceeded her expectations. The album won her several nominations for the Golden Melody Awards, and received a high Douban (a Chinese culture online community) score of 8 points. People commented that she is “romantic, complicated, noble, languid, full of soul, and deadly attractive.”

The great success of the Chinese soul music album made Ray think, “What do I want to do, what can I do, and what can I bring.”

At this stage, all music fans, regardless of national boundaries, are also her soulmates. “Music belongs to everyone,” she says. “There is no national boundary. It is a common language.”

Greater Opportunities in the Next Decade

At the end of last year, at the New York MetaMoon Music Festival, Ray once again soared to even greater heights on the international stage.

This time she made adequate preparations. She told her agent from the beginning that she wanted to find musicians. Her agent told her that it was too expensive to bring musicians in from China. She thought of the music director of the Justin Bieber band she had worked with. She was a little worried before the call, “He is so busy. Would he answer my call? Would he be willing to join the show?”

It worked out. The music director remembered helping Ray to arrange music and agreed to form a band with her. He helped her to rent a temporary band, which included Bieber’s keyboard player. Even though there were only four of them, the four-man band performed as if it had 10 members.

On the stage, Ray found that there were many Chinese fans, but most of her audience was American. The first song she sang was her Chinese soul piece, “On the Clouds.” She taught the audience how to sing it and they sang the song together.

Tia was filled with emotions then and began to think about a bigger question. “What music do we Chinese musicians want to create, what kind of music should we create, and what should we bring back to China?”

The past decade marks Tia Ray’s self-recognition.

Looking back, “it seems like time has passed in a blink of an eye, but I feel like I have walked for a long time. There were many twists and turns, but the significance is far-reaching. This is the decade that laid the foundation for my understanding. It allowed me to understand who I am, and allowed me to believe more in myself, so it is precious to me.”

In the new decade, the artist hopes to introduce more overseas music to China.

“People have always asked me the question about popular and unconventional music,” she says. “I think the world is actually led by the minority, but embraced by the public. The minority is responsible for development, and the public for dissemination. If everyone follows the popular style, how can music develop? From music styles, singing styles to artistic presentations, I hope they can be personalized, and they must be individualized to stand out.”

Ray is willing to be the pathfinder who explores and opens up lesser known paths. She will also dig into her own growth experience and thoughts, explore more local music, and add it to her own music. At the same time, she hopes that music can include more topics that show a caring for the world, for example, environmental protection.

Aside from music, Ray hopes to do something different. “It is neither a brand, nor a production company,” she says. “It is definitely not a management company. I hope to build a ‘soulciety.’ It is a society with a soul, and I hope to build a larger world of music expression.”

She also plans to build a virtual partner TIVA in the metaverse. TIVA is not a singer, but a stylist. Ray and TIVA can collaboratebeyond the metaverse. “For example, when I sing, she can help me to design my outfit or the stage.”

The music environment is also changing. Short videos and AI have impacted it, but Ray is not worried. “On the contrary, heroes will emerge in troubled times. AI can compose, but I sing better,” she says. In fact, she has always embraced greater diversity in her compositions. Just like falling in love with soul music at the beginning, then having her own Chinese soul music, and now the blending of East and West, her music transcends national boundaries.

In the next 10 years, she also hopes to have more like-minded music partners, her music soulmates.

Her greatest reward over the past decade has been her teachers and friends. They are her fans, friends, and soulmates. Recently, 10 years after the debut of Amazing Timeless Vacation, a concert has been planned. Ray has prepared a surprise. She revealed there would be more than 10 musicians participating in the concert, and she would be singing over 20 rearranged tracks. They have chosen to hold the concert emulating a live house model, allowing them to get up close with their fans. The format of the concert would be based on a solo concert so that every fine detail would be taken care of. She hopes that everyone will have a good time and will leave behind the regrets they have about not meeting during the pandemic.

The ultimate meaning of music, Ray says, is a seed that allows people to feel beauty and energy. Music has allowed her to understand who she is and to feel more self-consistent. It has allowed her to find numerous soulmates, let her be herself and live in eternal romance. It has also allowed her to climb over mountains, travel the seas and cross national boundaries, giving her amazing power.

Her 2022 journey ended when she returned to Beijing from New York after performing, and then returned from Beijing to West Hunan for the New Year. She came back from the largest international stage to where music started for her. It was a journey across three completely different places, but there was no sense of boundary or distance.

Tia Ray

Billboard China

–Article by Xi Bu