Striking a chord
Online music program gathers nation’s top indie acts on one stage
The gods of fortune, prosperity and longevity have been smiling on the band Fulushou this summer. Considering that is exactly what the group’s name means, it’s perhaps no surprise.
The group, whose English name is Floruit Show, made its debut on the second season of the popular reality show, The Big Band, which premiered its first two episodes on streaming platform iQiyi on July 25. It was a huge breakthrough for the triplets, Du Bing’er (with stage name Doudou), Du Xue’er (Nienie) and Du Fei’er (Mimi), who, of the post-1990 generation, formed the band a year ago. It received lots of acclaim for its original song, Yuzhen, which the trio performed during the show.
Inspired by their late grandmother, whose given name is Yuzhen, the song, a combination of folk and electronic music, sparked lots of discussion online.
Nienie deftly plucks the strings of her beautifully crafted harp, while the lead vocalist and keyboard player, Doudou, sings the melancholy lyrics with the accompaniment of electronic sounds produced by Mimi.
“It reminds me of my late grandmother. I cried the moment when the band members sang together onstage,” says Wang Zi, a viewer of the first episode of the reality show. “It’s a pleasant surprise to watch their performance, even though I didn’t know the band.”
Wang, who enjoyed the first season very much, watched the second season of the show with four friends, all music lovers. They gathered together at Wang’s home when the show premiered, which Wang describes as like “watching the World Cup together”.
“They are so young and talented. The song brings a touch of grief,” Chinese pianist Li Yundi posted to his nearly 20 million followers on microblogging platform Sina Weibo.
“One day, we walked on the street and saw an old man sitting on a bench. His hair blowing in the wind, which reminded us of our grandmother,” Doudou explains on the show.
In the song, they sing: “Her hair was blown by the wind and her shadow was dispersed into nothingness. The wind is up, it’s time to go. The big world is waiting for me but you are not here anymore”.
When the three sisters discussed the idea of the song, Nienie was practicing on her harp. The melody came naturally and it didn’t take long to finish the whole thing.
“We wanted to create a song as a way to ensure our grandmother ‘stays’ with us. We sing, but we also sing loudly during our performance, so hopefully she can hear us,” says Doudou.
She also admits that, unlike the other bands, which usually consist of a guitarist, drummer and bassist who produce powerful and rhythmic music, Fulushou delivers a softer sound to a slower beat.
“I didn’t have the courage to read reviews online after the reality show’s premiere. I am glad that many people like our music, which gives us lots of confidence,” Doudou says.
Born in Beijing, all three learned to play piano at the age of 4. At 10, Doudou and Mimi began learning composition with composer Xu Zhitong from the Central Conservatory of Music, while Nienie learned to play harp — subjects they would major in when they graduated from the middle school affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music and were enrolled to study at the university.
“We enjoy a wide diversity of music styles,” says Mimi.
Before forming their band, the trio would occasionally perform together. They kept writing original material and were eventually signed by Pollux, a music label launched by Modern Sky, one of China’s biggest music production companies.
In August 2019, they made their debut as Fulushou with a performance at Tango Club in Beijing along with several other new bands under the record label, Modern Sky.
“We had never performed so close to the audience. We were both very nervous and excited,” recalls Doudou.
After the show was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer was in full swing by the time the latest season of The Big Band arrived. Like the July weather, it didn’t take long for discussion about the show online to heat up, becoming a trending topic right after the first two episodes.
With some of the first group of 33 Chinese bands, both established acts and newcomers, taking turns to perform, the show introduces the audience to “indie band culture”, which engenders passion and zeal among many young music lovers.
“The ultimate mission of the show is to foster a love of bands. It’s hardly surprising that many young bands receive lots of attention after appearing on the show, ” says Zhang Yadong, a veteran producer and songwriter and one of the show’s four celebrity guests, alongside singer-songwriter Da Zhang Wei, actress Zhou Xun and TV host Ma Dong.
The band that opened the show was Mosaic. Formed in 2008, the group features the vocal stylings of Xia Ying and the guitar work of Zhuo Yue over the rhythmic power of bassist Lin Yufeng and drummer Gao Xin. It performed Neon Sweetheart, a song that is a mash-up of the disco and rock genres.
“Being in a band is certainly one of the most exciting and memorable experiences of my life,” says Xia, who joined Mosaic after he had failed on the reality show, Happy Boy, created and broadcast by Hunan TV in 2007.
Its guitarist Zhuo points out that the band’s strength comes from the unity of its members. He says: “It’s hard for bands to stay together, because there are always different individuals and strong personalities. But we are like family members, who will not be torn apart by disagreements or fights.”
The highest score in the first round of the contest was gained by Re-TROS (which stands for Rebuilding the Rights of Statues) with the song, Pigs in the River.
“We came to the show hoping to showcase music on a higher level,” says Hua Dong, the band’s lead singer. Re-TROS was founded in 2003 and also includes bassist Liu Min and drummer Ma Hui.
They are known for their melodic and mysterious sounds, and all of their songs are written and performed in English. They have toured the world and opened for seminal English electronic rock band, Depeche Mode, on its 2017 European tour.
“We entertain ourselves by making music,” Hua says, who’s been based in Germany.
“Structure and logic are important to our music. I’d like to compare our band to a piece of architecture, which is timeless and solid. We hope that more people will get to know us through the show and learn about new music styles.”
The other highlights of the initial rounds of the competition include Queen Sea Big Shark, Carsick Cars, and Joyside, all popular groups in the indie music genre.
The bands will compete for votes in the hope of reaching the top five positions. A new episode is aired every week, meaning that the show is set to provide a hot soundtrack to the whole summer.