Black Panther back

They are legends of Chinese rock ’n’ roll, and their first album in nine years boasts a new singer and a new energy. Members of Black Panther tell Chen Nan why they just can’t stop rockin’ out.

With a new singer and new energy, legends of Chinese rock are set to take the country by storm again.

Coming back from rock-star oblivion is not easy, especially for a band who defined an era before having a revolving door of lead vocalists and releasing several poorly received albums. Black Panther, one of the most influential rock bands in China, has discovered a new singer, their 10th lead vocalist in 25 years, and released a new album following a nine-year hiatus.

They resurrected the band’s sleek and powerful sound for a packed room in Beijing recently, performing 10 tracks from their new album, Who We Are.

The band claims the new album is a sign Black Panther lives on. The title of the album is to remind their fans of their status as rock legends.

“This will definitely be an interesting time for the band. While making this album, we’ve realized that Black Panther is 25 years old. We have put new material into this album while maintaining our pop-rock style. We’re really excited about it,” says one of the founding members, guitarist Li Tong, 49.

Answering media questions after the show, the band was bombarded with queries about their new lead vocalist, 32-year-old Zhang Qi. Li simply responded: “We have found the right voice for Black Panther and we believe he is different from any vocalist we have had before.”

Will this new vocalist represent a new chapter for Black Panther?

Onstage, Zhang, who studied dance at university and became a pub singer in Beijing, performing as an independent singer-songwriter, displayed confidence with a wide vocal range and energy while singing the new songs, including We and Wave. Fans were obviously taken with the rock beats and Zhang’s good looks — he is said to resemble Japanese singer and actor Takuya Kimura.

With Zhang out front, the Black Panther sound has become younger, with drummer Zhao Mingyi, guitarist Li, bassist Wang Wenjie and keyboardist Hui Peng playing with new energy.

Many of the fan reviews from the recent show were positive, though some still miss former vocalist Dou Wei from the band’s heyday.

“We are glad that this young man has added fresh life to our band,” says Li. “Black Panther has never belonged to or focused on any single member. We are Black Panther as a whole.”

When the band members decided to reform and find a new lead vocalist, their first thought was Zhang.

“It’s definitely an honor to join the band. The band is significant in China’s rock history and being its vocalist is beyond my wildest dreams,” says Zhang.

Cui Jian, the godfather of Chinese rock ’n’ roll, burst onto the music scene 25 years ago with his song Nothing to My Name. Two Beijing-based rock bands, Tang Dynasty and Black Panther, appeared not long after.

Compared with Tang Dynasty’s heavy-metal rock, Black Panther’s pop rock tunes are much more popular among fans. With lead singer Dou Wei, the band achieved wide popularity. Their 1992 album, Black Panther, sold more than 1.5 million copies in the Chinese mainland alone.

Their most popular songs were Don’t Break My Heart and Shameful. Fans also copied the band’s fashion, mimicking their long hair, black leather pants and boots.

The success of the album was unexpected. According to Li, who wrote the two most popular songs, it took only 20 minutes to compose them. “I just had the tune in my head on the bus and played it on guitar when I got home,” recalls Li. “We were so young and restless. We were eager to express ourselves.”

Rapid success put the band in a strong position, but it failed to meet fans’ expectations. The fourth and fifth albums sold poorly. Li admits that having a revolving door of members is devastating for a band.

Having not released an album for nine years, Li says the worst thing for the band was losing its musical direction.

“We don’t want to be a band singing the old hits forever at commercial shows. It’s easy to make money but it’s meaningless,” says drummer Zhao Mingyi. “With this new album, we are looking forward to our tour around the country, just like we did 20 years ago.”

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn.