Mao Buyi

Wang Weijia (Chinese: 王維家; pinyin: Wáng wéijiā; born October 1994),[1] better known by his stage name Mao Bu Yi (Chinese: 毛不易; pinyin: Máo bùyì) is a Chinese singer-songwriter from Heilongjiang who rose to prominence for winning the all-male singing competition The Coming One (明日之子) in 2017.[2] He released his debut album Perfect Day (平凡的一天) in 2018, and achieved two number ones on the Billboard China singles chart in 2019.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Mao.
Mao Buyi
毛不易
Birth name王維家; Wang Weijia
Born (1994-10-01) October 1, 1994
Tailai County, Heilongjiang, China
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Years active2017–present

Early life

Mao, whose real name is Wang Weijia, was born in October 1994 in Tailai County, Qiqihar, in Heilongjiang province of Northeast China.[1] He studied nursing at Hangzhou Normal University and began his internship at a hospital in Hangzhou in 2016, his last year in university.[3][4] To "ease the pressure" from work, which he found stressful, he played the guitar and began writing songs in his dormitory prior to appearing on The Coming One.[3]

Career

2017: The Coming One

Mao first came to attention after appearing as a contestant on the Tencent Video singing competition The Coming One (明日之子). He was noted for standing out from the other contestants, who wore costumes and makeup, for his "normality" and "round face, large glasses, and slightly crooked teeth". He also had very little prior experience in music.[4] He had to record his introduction three times due to technical glitches, broke a guitar string as he began playing, and "gawked" at the celebrity judges when he first saw them, which was considered to contribute to his appeal amongst the public.[4] The media began referring to him as "cute sang", a nod to the apparent lack of ambition and apathy of Chinese youth, and the Mandarin slang word for "frightened".[4] In contrast to the "typical" songs about romance, Mao sang songs about "hopelessness, frustrated ambition, and his dreams of getting rich"; the title of his first song in the competition translates to "If I Become Very Rich One Day",[2] which he wrote when he was working as a nursing intern and short of money.[4]

He won the competition on September 23, 2017, and "Xiao Chou" (消愁; Drown Your Sorrows), his song debuted during the competition, later stayed at the top of the QQ Music chart for 11 days,[4] and was streamed over 500 million times.[2] He then embarked on a three-date tour of Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu from September 22 to November 17, which was attended by 300,000 people.[3]

2018: Perfect Day

On May 31, 2018, Mao released his debut album Perfect Day (平凡的一天), produced by the singer Li Jian, which was streamed and downloaded over one million times on its first day of release.[5] The album was also a critical success in China, with several critics noting its natural and "warm" qualities,[5] as well as Mao's "poetic lyrics and melancholy melodies".[3]

2019: Billboard China chart success

In 2019, Billboard China launched the Billboard China Top 100, which is compiled based on radio play, streaming and digital sales in mainland China.[6] Mao has spent five weeks of the year so far at number one with his 2017 songs "People Like Me" (像我这样的人), and "Get Rid of Blues" (消愁).[7]

2020

He ranked 79th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list.[8]

Discography

Albums

  • Perfect Day (2018)
  • Xiao Wang 小王 (2020)

References
  1. Chen, Nan (October 31, 2018). "Mao Buyi has Perfect Day with smash debut album". China Daily. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  2. Daugelaite, Tautvile (November 16, 2017). "Chinese Pop Culture Primer: Andrew Moore Gives Behind-the-Scenes Glimpse of 'The Coming One'". The Beijinger. Archived from the original on November 22, 2017.
  3. Chen, Nan (December 26, 2018). "Young singer-songwriters making their mark". China Daily. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  4. Davis, Kendrick (October 17, 2017). "The Accidental Megastar". The Sixth Tone. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018.
  5. "毛不易《平凡的一天》首发销量破百万，制作人李健称其无可取代起点高|毛不易_凤凰音乐" [Mao is not easy to "Original Day", the first sales volume has broken millions, and producer Li Jian said that it has no substitute for high starting point.]. Ifeng (in Chinese). June 1, 2018. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018.
  6. 中国公告牌音乐单曲榜即将揭开神秘面纱 [Billboard China Music Singles Chart is about to unveil the mystery]. Billboard China (in Chinese). January 5, 2019. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019.
  7. 中国公告牌音乐单曲榜_Billboard中国. Billboard China. February 15, 2019. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019.
  8. "福布斯中国发布2020名人榜，00后少年易烊千玺荣登榜首". Forbes China (in Chinese). August 27, 2020.
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