Liu Huan, a household name in China for his hit songs from various TV series, leads a low-profile life teaching history of Western music at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. Feng Yongbin / China Daily

Self-taught singer-songwriter Liu Huan remains China's king of Mandopop at 49. He tells Chen Nan about his music, upcoming concert and his life as a university lecturer.

Veteran musician Liu in concert

Underground voices

One day 30 years ago, Lu Jiankang's busy schedule was interrupted by a student who came knocking on his office door to ask for a ticket to Japanese conductor Ozawa Seiji's concert.

Lu, who was then Haidian Theater's manager, was surprised by the boldness of the student. But he was also impressed by the boy's courage, which prompted him to add a seat in the theater.

That student was Liu Huan, the established singer-songwriter of You and Me, a piece he performed with English actress and singer Sarah Brightman at Beijing's Olympic Opening Ceremony. Liu was then a sophomore at the University of International Relations in Beijing.

Decades later, the two meet again.

This time, Lu, a veteran producer behind many national galas, is working with Liu on the latter's upcoming concert, Our Days, which will be held on Jan 1.

"I have always wanted to have a concert for Chinese mainland musicians," says Lu, who is the show's producer. "As the performance market booms in China, our audiences need to be treated to a high-quality concert from an iconic mainland figure. Liu is a great choice."

Although the 49-year-old Liu has only released three albums and two concerts, he is regarded as a celebrated figure in China's music industry for his wide vocal range and songwriting talent.

"He is a household name in China, and his songs are widely enjoyed by audiences of different generations," Lu adds. "He is not only a pop star but also a crossover musician who is good at other music genres, such as classical music and jazz."