Xu Song | |
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许嵩 | |
| Born | (1986-05-14)14 May 1986 (age 39) |
| Other names | Vae |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Xu Song | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 許嵩 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 许嵩 | ||||||
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Xu Song (Chinese:许嵩; born 14 May 1986), also known as"Vae" in English, is a Chinese singer, songwriter, producer, writer, and music director. He has released 8 albums.
Xu was born inHefei,Anhui,China, on 14 May 1986. His father was once a dulcimer, so Xu Song had early exposure to music, after the influence of his father, Xu Song more interested in folk music.[1] He started pursuing music while attendingAnhui Medical University, where he studied management and graduated from in 2008.[2]
In the early days before his style was established, Xu uploaded covers ofJay Chou's songs. Because of the similarity in tone and singing style, he was once called "Little Jay Chou".[3] He began uploading original songs online in 2006 under the pseudonym Vae.[4] "Moth" (飞蛾) was downloaded more than 70,000 times after its release.[5] "Funeral for Roses" (玫瑰花的葬礼) was particularly well received by critics and listeners.[6] In December 2006, he was invited byLenovo to create a song ahead of the release of their new cell phone and wrote "Pink Letterhead" (粉色信笺) as a result.[7] In 2007, he released "Andersen Has No Regrets" (安徒生不后悔) following a swath of malicious comments online.[8]
After graduating from college in 2008,[2] Xu spent about half a year creating his first albumPersonalize (自定义) which was released on January 10, 2009, with Xu credited as the composer, lyricist, and producer on all nine songs.[9] The album, with songs such as "Why Not" (有何不可), "Bad Kid" (坏孩子), "Shrewdness" (城府), "Excessive Explanations" (多余的解释), ranked 6th among QQ Music's 2009 top ten albums by mainland China artists.[10][11][12]
Xu released his second albumSought and Got (寻雾启示) on January 6, 2010, and was credited as the composer, lyricist, and producer on all songs.[13] The song "Luzhou Moon" (庐州月) was ranked 2nd on the Internet Original Music Popularity Chart.[14]
In March 2011, Xu signed withOcean Butterflies.[15] Xu releasedSocra Without Tes (苏格拉没有底) on April 1, 2011; the single "In Imagination" (想象之中) earned more than 1 million listens on the first day of release.[16] The album was ranked first on the 9th Asia Pacific Music Chart awards.[17] That same year, he held his first concert on October 25 atBeijing Exhibition Center.[18]
In July 2012, Xu releasedWonderland (梦游计), the concept for the album came from a dream.[19] In January 2013, Xu served as the image ambassador of the first Shanghai University Student Original Music Competition, sponsored byShanghai Municipal Government andShanghai Municipal Education Commission. March 30, Xu won the award for Best Singer-Songwriter at the 20thChinese Top Ten Music Awards[20] In August, Xu published his first book, a photography essay collectionSea Spiritual Light (海上灵光) with nearly 200 photos documenting Xu's travels in Greece, interspersed with his personal reflections.[21]
From April 2012 to October 2013, Xu embarked on his first concert tour "Xu Song and His Friends" with 3 shows in Nanjing,[22] Beijing,[23] and Wuhan.[24] The Hefei show, scheduled for September 29, was cancelled due to various environmental factors.[25]
On August 23, 2014, Xu released his fifth albumGo Drink Tea (不如吃茶去). The title is a reference to theZenkoan "空持百千偈，不如吃茶去" meaning it's better to return to simplicity; instead of studying the art of Zen, why not go drink some tea. It's the way Xu lives his life.[26] Musically, it features many traditional Chinese instruments such asguzheng,guqin, anderhu.
In January 2015, Xu wrote and composed the song "Swallows Return to Their Nests" (燕归巢), performed byJane Zhang andJason Zhang.[27] It won Best Duet at the 15th Global Chinese Songs Ranking and Xu won Best Composer at the 23rd Chinese Top Ten Music Awards.[28][29]
On June 28, 2016, Xu released his sixth albumYouth Evening Paper (青年晚报). The song, "Appreciation of Both Refined and Popular Tastes" (雅俗共赏) was praised by critics and earned Xu the awards for Best Songwriter and Top 10 Songs of the Year at the 24th Chinese Top Ten Music Awards.[30] In July, Xu supported the charity event "Moji 35 °C Project" (墨迹35 °C计划), to raise awareness aboutglobal warming.[31]
In 2017, Xu embarked on his second tour,Youth Evening Paper, from March to October. The tour had four shows, starting inShanghai (special guest:BY2), then Beijing (special guests:Stephy Qi andLuo Tianyi), thenNanjing (special guest: Dai Quan), and concluding inGuangzhou.[32][33][34][35]
In 2018, Xu released his 7th albumTreasure Hunting (寻宝游戏) on July 12. At the album release press conference, Xu announced that he has renewed his contract with Taihe Music Group.[36]
In 2019, Xu embarked on his third tour, titled after the album, for a total of five shows from June to July.[37] In 2020, Xu composed "A Warm Heart Equals the World" (心暖心等于世界), which was jointly produced and released by Taihe Music Group,Xinhua News Agency's "Voice in China", Beijing Municipal Press and Publication Bureau, Cultural Investment Holdings, andDouyin. It pays tribute to medical staff fighting theCOVID-19 pandemic on the front line.[38]
In 2021, Xu released his eighth albumBreathing Wilderness (呼吸之野) on May 14, with "Raven" (乌鸦) as the lead single.[39] In August, Xu made his first variety show appearance on the music-orientedThe Next Banger (我的音樂你聽嗎) along withPenny Tai andJoker Xue.[40] In December, Xu won Best Singer-Songwriter award and "Raven" was named one of the Top 10 Hits of the Year at Migu Music Awards.
In 2022, Xu collaborated withVincent Fang on the song "Snow on Paper" (纸上雪) which was part of the cultural program "Poetry and Painting of China" jointly launched byChina Media Group, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, thePalace Museum,Beijing Normal University, theCentral Academy of Fine Arts, theNational Art Museum of China.[41] On January 21, 2023, Xu made his first appearance atCMG New Year's Gala and performed "In Tune" (合拍) with Jilin Singing & Dancing Troupe.[42]
In 2024, Xu embarked on his four tour titled after his eighth album. The Breathing Wilderness Tour began in Wuhan on April 13.[43] On October 26, Xu performed for the first time at theBeijing National Stadium to a crowd of 60,000 people.[44] On December 31, Xu performed "Heart to Heart" (心有所向) at the CCTV New Year's Eve Gala, titled "Set Sail for 2025."[45]
In 2025, Xu plans to continued the Breathing Wilderness Tour in Changsha on April 12 and more shows to come in Nanjing, Shenzhen, Huzhou, Xiamen, and Luoyang.[46]
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