Indie bands seize the opportunity to excel on different stage

It was something of a surprise when the children’s song Little White Boat went viral on the internet, with netizens adapting different versions.

The song’s popularity was triggered by the success of online drama The Bad Kids, broadcast on the iQiyi video platform last month. Considered a nursery song, Little White Boat was sung as a requiem in the show.

Written in 1924 and translated into Chinese in 1950, the song appears in the drama when three children witness a murderous event before several families experience other tragic incidents.

In addition to Little White Boat, all the songs and music in The Bad Kids have triggered widespread discussion among viewers. In the show, the music matches the atmosphere, which is full of darkness, mystery and fear.

The show’s director, Xin Shuang, a former member of Beijing rock band Joyside, chose a different song to end each of the 12 episodes, including Little White Boat, which is performed by a folk group.

Instead of having pop stars perform the songs — usually a selling point for Chinese TV dramas and movies — Xin picked indie musicians for the task.

The bands, including Queen Sea Big Shark, Mu Ma and P.K.14, are well-known among indie music lovers and appear frequently at outdoor festivals.

Joyside, founded in 2001, comprised Xin, Bian Yuan and Liu Hao. It disbanded in 2009. Last year, the band reunited and released two singles.

Xin, who left the group in 2006, decided on the 12 main songs for

The Bad Kids before shooting started. He also wrote a number, titled

White Boat, which features in the last episode of the series.

Music critic Liu Shuiji posted on Sina Weibo: “The show is a celebration of China’s indie music, as all the bands and musicians have been on the scene for a long time. Their songs appear at the right time to portray the characters, and also help to develop the story. The music makes this drama different from others on TV.”

Two songs in the show, Descent and Dark Trap, were written by “Anti-general”, an electronic musician and disc jockey.

“When I was asked by the show’s creative team for permission to use my songs, I wondered why they wanted them,” he said.

“After watching the show, I liked how the songs and music worked in the production. My songs are usually enjoyed by a limited audience, but thanks to the show, more people are now listening to them.”

Ding Ke, a musician based in Paris, was asked by Xin, the director, to compose for the show. He spent about six months working on more than 50 songs.

After The Bad Kids premiered and received warm audience feedback, 35 pieces composed for it by Ding were released as a compilation by the online streaming platform NetEase Cloud Music last month.

Ding said: “It’s a new musical experience for TV drama audiences in China. The music plays a major role in representing the story. It’s always been my dream to introduce this type of music — which might not appeal to most audiences — through TV dramas and movies.”

Born in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Ding has released albums composed for stage productions and movies.

In 2015, he wrote and performed songs for the Hong Kong crime thriller Port of Call, directed by Philip Yung Chi-kwong. One of them,

Dark Sea, was nominated as best original movie soundtrack at the Hong Kong Film Awards and Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards.

“It was the first time I had composed for a TV drama. I saw it as a super-long movie, developing as a whole, not divided by episodes,” Ding said.