A new voice in the Chinese music scene: the rise of the three kings
In the late 80s and early 90s of the last century, the Chinese pop music industry ushered in a new wave. Three talented male singers, Liu Huan, Han Lei and Tu Honggang, are like rising stars, shining in this vast music sky.
In 1987, Liu Huan officially entered the music scene with the song "The Sun in My Heart". This young man studying French at the School of International Relations has a great love for music.
From classical to pop, from piano to singing, Liu Huan has laid a solid foundation of music skills on campus. His singing voice is warm and powerful, as if it can soothe people's hearts. In the same year, Liu Huan sang "Young Ambition Without Sorrow" for the TV series "Plainclothes Police", and the popularity of this song made him a popular male singer in the mainland music scene.
In 1990, the Organizing Committee of the Beijing Asian Games made an exception and invited 27-year-old Liu Huan, who had only debuted for 3 years, to sing the theme song "Asian Heroes" with Wei Wei. When Liu Huan's passionate singing voice resounded throughout Asia, people seemed to see the vigorous vitality of Chinese youth.
This experience also laid the foundation for Liu Huan to become a "national brand" singer in the future. At the same time, Han Lei is also working silently for his music dream. In 1991, he graduated from the High School Affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music with a major in trombone performance, and resolutely devoted himself to the field of pop music.
The following year, Han Lei sang the theme song "Walking in All Directions" for the TV series "All the Way Dusk", and his deep and magnetic voice immediately attracted the attention of countless audiences. Immediately afterwards, he presented the ending song "Is there a Great Northern Wilderness in the Sky" for the TV series "Year Ring", which further consolidated his position in the music world.
And Tu Honggang, a teenager who has studied Peking Opera since childhood, also has a unique encounter on the road of music. At the age of 11, he was sent to the China Academy of Drama to learn the "Bronze Hammer Flower Face" in Peking Opera performances, where he practiced hard for 7 years and developed a good voice.
However, Tu Honggang "didn't do his job" and fell in love with the more popular pop music. In 1988, he participated in the Youth Song Contest and won the "Outstanding Singer Award", and in the same year, he was also named one of China's top ten gold stars, and became a popular singer.
These three talented singers, with their own unique musical styles and profound skills, have injected new vitality into Chinese pop music. Their appearance heralds the dawn of a passionate and innovative era of music.
In the following years, Liu Huan, Han Lei and Tu Honggang will compose their own gorgeous movements with their unique voices and talents, and become the three most powerful male singers in the mainland music scene.
Rise to fame: The road to fame for the three kings
Over time, Liu Huan, Han Lei and Tu Honggang gradually gained a foothold in the Chinese music scene, each winning the love of a wide audience in a unique way.
The year 1996 was an important turning point for Tu Honggang. After experiencing splendor and silence, he came across a song that shocked him - "Farewell My Concubine".
Tu Honggang has always believed that the pop songs on the market are soft and lack masculinity. He hopes to have a "man's song" similar to the heroic story in Peking Opera.
When "Farewell My Concubine" was tailor-made in front of him, Tu Honggang immediately formed his own company and began to plan and produce this song. During the recording, Tu Honggang almost sang down, but he felt very refreshed, saying that "after singing for ten years, I used dantian qi for the first time."
When this song was released in 1996, it immediately caused a sensation and won Tu Honggang an award, and his name really entered thousands of households. This song not only established Tu Honggang's status as the "overlord of the music world", but also created his unique "Tu-style" style.
Subsequently, he took advantage of the victory and pursued it, launching "Chinese Kung Fu" and "Peacock Flying Southeast" in 1997, and "Jing Zhong Serving the Country" in 1999, bringing the "Tu style" style to the extreme.
Although Han Lei became famous as early as 1992 for "Walking in All Directions", what really made him famous was the Spring Festival Gala in 1998. When he sang "Walking in All Directions" again, that deep and magnetic voice was transmitted throughout the country through television signals, and countless viewers fell in love with it.
Since then, Han Lei has become a voice singer sought after by many TV series producers. It is said that in the more than ten years before the release of his second record, he had contributed to hundreds of TV dramas, especially historical biographies.
Liu Huan, on the other hand, has continued to consolidate his position in the music industry at a steady pace. After singing the theme song for the Beijing Asian Games in 1990, he was selected as the designated singer for major national events many times.
In addition to the Asian Games, there are also the East Asian Games, the National Games and the Beijing Olympics many years later, Liu Huan is a hand-picked singer, and he can be called the first national singer in the pop music world. He has written and sung many popular works, such as "The Crooked Moon", "Thousands of Questions", "Start Again", etc., showing a variety of musical styles and profound musical skills.
Each of these three singers has climbed the heights on the road to music in their own unique way. Their success is not only a reflection of individual talent, but also a microcosm of the musical trends of the era.
Their singing has become an indispensable part of the youth memory of a generation, and has also won them the reputation of "the three most powerful male singers in the mainland music scene".
Each shows its strengths: the peak period of the three kings
Stepping into the 21st century, the music styles of the three singers Tu Honggang, Han Lei and Liu Huan have become more and more mature, and they have shown amazing talent and charm in different fields, and have truly become the three most powerful male singers in the mainland music scene.
Tu Honggang continued the majestic momentum he showed in "Farewell My Concubine", and successively launched works affectionately known as the "Tu Style Trilogy" by fans: "Farewell My Concubine", "Chinese Kung Fu" and "Loyal to the Country".
Every song is like a magnificent historical picture, and Tu Honggang's masculine voice seems to be able to bring the audience into the battlefield of thousands of troops. In 1997, he took advantage of the victory and launched "Chinese Kung Fu" and "Peacock Flying Southeast", which were also rigid and soft, which became popular in China again.
In 1999, Tu Honggang launched the bloody masterpiece "Serving the Country with Loyalty", which successfully created the glorious image of the national hero Yue Fei with its atmospheric and tragic melody and magnificent momentum.
These works not only show Tu Honggang's unique image of "the overlord of the music world", but also push his "neoclassical" Chinese style to the peak. At the same time, with his profound musical skills and magnetic voice, Han Lei has become the best choice for many TV series producers.
His vocal range is wide, full of temperament, and his voice is deep and heroic, warm and thick, which has earned him the reputation of "the voice of the emperor". Han Lei has contributed his voice to many historical TV series, such as "Borrowing from the Sky for Another 500 Years" for "Kangxi Dynasty", "The Last Confession" for "Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty", and "Heroes Through the Ages" for "Han Liu Bang".
These works not only show Han Lei's unique musical style, but also add a strong artistic atmosphere to these historical dramas. Liu Huan is unique in the pop music industry with his diverse musical styles and profound musical attainments.
His masterpieces that are familiar to the public include "The Crooked Moon", "Thousands of Questions", "Start Again", "Song of a Good Man", etc., and the style of music is eclectic. This diversity allows Liu Huan to control many songs that others can't.
For example, "Song of a Good Man" was originally sung by another well-known folk singer, but the effect was not good. When Liu Huan auditioned, he immediately showed an unrestrained and heroic momentum, which perfectly fitted the theme of the song.
These three singers, although their styles are very different, all interpret the charm of Chinese pop music in their own unique ways. Tu Honggang's singing contains the pride and ambition of the Chinese nation, which makes people's blood boil;
Han Lei's singing voice seems to contain the bearing of an emperor and a general, not only the domineering spirit of dominating the world, but also the warmth of looking down on the people; Liu Huan's singing voice not only has a delicate understanding of life, but also has a deep insight into life.
Their singing, whether heroic, deep, or warm, together constitute a beautiful landscape of Chinese pop music. During this period, Tu Honggang, Han Lei and Liu Huan truly became the three most powerful male singers in the mainland music scene, and their achievements not only enriched the connotation of Chinese pop music, but also set an example for later singers.
Peak Showdown: The battle of kings on the stage of "I Am a Singer".
In recent years, with the rise of talent shows, Han Lei and Liu Huan have been invited to participate in the high-profile singing competition program "I Am a Singer".
This stage has become an excellent platform for them to showcase their musical skills honed over the years, and also gives the audience the opportunity to witness the peak duel between these two "kings". When Han Lei stood on the stage, his magnetic voice once again conquered the audience and the judges.
Whether it is a soulful lyrical song or a majestic epic song, Han Lei can perfectly control it and show extraordinary musical strength. His performance confirmed the reputation of "The Voice of the Emperor" and demonstrated the profound skills accumulated in the field of TV series theme songs over the years.
And Liu Huan's performance is even more amazing. With his rich musical experience and profound skills, he interprets every song to the fullest. Whether it is an original or a cover, Liu Huan can give new life to the song.
His singing once again proved his status as a "grandmaster", demonstrating his remarkable ability to master a variety of musical styles. The outstanding performance of the two singers in the show not only allowed them to win the crown of singers respectively, but also once again proved their status as kings in the Chinese pop music industry.
This pinnacle showdown has become a wonderful chapter in the history of Chinese pop music, and it has also made the audience once again feel their charm as "the most powerful male singer in the mainland music scene".
It is worth mentioning that although Tu Honggang did not participate in this show, his absence seems to highlight his unique position in the hearts of the audience. The talents and achievements of the three singers have left an indelible mark on the history of Chinese pop music.
Looking back and looking forward: the historical status and future possibilities of the three kings
Looking back on the music careers of Tu Honggang, Han Lei and Liu Huan, it is not difficult for us to find their important position in the history of Chinese pop music, truly interpreting the kingly momentum of "a thousand troops and horses as soon as they open their mouths".
With his "heroic" voice, Tu Honggang has created classic works such as "Farewell My Concubine", "Chinese Kung Fu" and "Loyal to the Country". His singing voice is domineering, and it seems that he can really rush out of his mouth, presenting a spectacular picture of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains facing the sky.
Tu Honggang's works inject a strong sense of heroism into Chinese pop music. With his "emperor"-like voice, Han Lei has shaped popular film and television songs such as "Borrow from the Sky for Another 500 Years" and "The Last Confession".
His vocal range is wide, full of neutrality, and his voice is deep and heroic, warm and thick, which not only has the domineering spirit of dominating the world, but also has the warmth of looking down on the people's feelings, enriching the expression of Chinese pop music.
Liu Huan, as a "grandmaster", created and performed works such as "The Crooked Moon" and "Song of a Good Man" that spanned pop and nationality. His singing not only has a delicate understanding of life, but also has a deep insight into life, expanding the artistic realm of Chinese pop music.
These three singers, with their unique musical styles and profound artistic attainments, jointly created a golden age of Chinese pop music. Their existence not only enriched the connotation of Chinese pop music, but also set an example for later singers.
Looking forward to the future, although it is difficult to find such a magnificent sound in today's music scene, we still expect the new generation of singers to inherit their spirit, write a new chapter for Chinese pop music, and create a new "one opening is a thousand troops" king style.