Rock icon Xie Tianxiao will hold a nationwide tour starting in June this year. (Photo : twitter.com/xietianxiao)
Xie Tianxiao, China’s renowned rock singer-songwriter, recently announced that he will be holding a national tour this year staring in June upon inking a contract with a Beijing-based indie music production, Tree Music.
Jiang Shu, the founder and CEO of Tree Music, said that his friendship with the rock icon has already spanned for more than a decade. Back in 2004, Xie borrowed a guitar from him.
Xie used the guitar to record "X.T.X," his second album, where he also employed other traditional Chinese instruments such as guqin, a string instrument belonging to the zither family.
"For years, he has become an iconic rock star in China, especially for his original rock music. He is also one of the few rock musicians in China whose concerts sell out quickly," Jiang said, lauding Xie's third album.
On the album, the rock star used his genre as well as guzheng "to interpret Jamaican reggae music."
"I knew that many record companies have been eyeing Xie, but thanks to my old guitar, I won the contract with him," the music production CEO remarked.
Meanwhile, Xie shared how he has always loved to entertain.
"Performing at live shows is always an exciting experience for me, though I have been doing it for nearly 20 years. I never get tired of it," he enthused.
The 43-year-old artist made headlines on the Chinese rock music scene in the '90s after writing his own songs and moving from his hometown, Shandong Province, to Chinese capital Beijing.
Through "Cold Blooded Animal," Xie's first album released in 2000, he was able to perform in hundreds of gigs in China, Japan, U.S. and Europe.
Apart from the nationwide tour, Xie is also eyeing to release a new album.
"I have experimented with many different styles in my music. I want to go back to my early impression of rock with the new album, something raw and authentic," Xie hinted.
