Young rockers put talent to the test

The stage was set, the lights dimmed, and the audience was ready to rock.

They had gathered to listen to Xiao Gui Dang Jia, or Kid Rock Star, a band from Sanya, Hainan province, that has made a distinctly early start in the music business.

The group comprises 10-year-old lead singer Wang Congrui, lead guitarist Luan Ruiyifan, also 10, bassist Wei Lai, 9, and drummer Lei Yuyang, 8.

Wearing black self-designed T-shirts and jeans, along with smokey eye makeup, the band was cheered by the audience when it completed the heavy metal song, Hey! Kids!.

"Hi everyone, we are Xiao Gui Dang Jia," announced Wang, who performed the song, which was written by the band members and based on their everyday lives.

The lyrics included: The alarm clock woke me up in the morning. I have to think about explaining unfinished homework to my teacher on the way to school… The sunshine is great and my head is full of ideas about having fun after school.

The group, which was performing at this year's Midi Kids Band Competition in Yantai, Shandong province, on July 26, won third place in the children's section, open to competitors in the 6 to 12 age group.

Now in its fifth year, the competition, which was launched and organized by Beijing Midi Art Communication Co, saw more than 400 bands compete from May last year to July this year. In addition, it attracted more than 1,300 applicants in categories for individual instrumentalists.

The company also organizes the Beijing Midi Music Festival, one of the oldest and largest events of its kind in China.

The festival was launched in 2000 by the Midi School of Music in Beijing, which was founded in 1993 and is the first contemporary music school in China. The school plays an important role in the nation's music industry by training young talent.

Bing Yang, the founder of Xiao Gui Dang Jia, which will celebrate its third anniversary on Dec 16, said: "It was the first time the band had competed in the Midi Kids Band Competition. I am proud that I have taken part with groups at the festival and that my music students carry the rock spirit on by performing in the competition. It feels as though a tradition has been passed down."

Since 1999, Bing has performed with numerous rock bands in China in roles such as lead singer, drummer, lead guitarist and bassist.

In 2007, he jointly founded his band The Great Scientists, in which he was lead singer. Bing has also toured nationwide and performed at major outdoor music festivals.

He said he long wanted to found a children's rock band. After sensing the members of Xiao Gui Dang Jia's passion for performing, and getting permission from their parents, Bing brought the four together to inspire them to write original material and rehearse.

The band's name was inspired by the movie Home Alone, which features an 8-year-old troublemaker who protects his house from a pair of burglars when he is accidentally left at home by his family during the Christmas vacation.

"These children are just like the boy in that movie played by Macaulay Culkin, as they are smart, brave and good at making trouble," Bing said.

By "brave", Bing is referring to the musical genre the band is known for — heavy metal, which is also played by his group, The Great Scientists.

"We try different music styles and we worked together on Xiao Gui Dang Jia's first song, Hey! Kids!, which is totally heavy metal. Their lyrics are like a diary — simple, real and opening doors to their world, which I love," Bing said. "When they performed the song during the final round of the competition, the audience was amazed and cheered, as they had seldom seen a children's rock band play heavy metal."

Guitarist Luan knew from the age of 4 that music would be a huge part of his life, and for the past seven years he has been learning to play piano, African percussion and guitar.

His parents are both music lovers, especially of rock music. In 2019 and 2020 Luan spent the summer vacation with his parents watching the popular reality show The Big Band, produced by online streaming platform iQiyi. The show features some of China's best-known indie rock bands, such as New Pants and Queen Sea Big Shark.

"What really mattered to us was how the bands performed, not the results. I enjoyed each of their performances and I asked my parents to take me to outdoor music festivals to watch live shows," Luan said.

Xiao Gui Dang Jia gained popularity after appearing in the competition, with its performances enjoyed by veteran Chinese rock musicians.

One of the band's videos, in which it performs We Come From Underground, a hit song by established Chinese rock band Twisted Machine, won praise from the latter group's bassist Laodao, who shared the video on his social media platform.

Wang, the lead singer, said: "It takes lots of time to practice. When we play together, we have to learn to cooperate. We enjoy performing onstage, singing loudly, and being confident." He added that the band's rehearsals are arranged after school.

Extremely nervous

Lin Ziran, 9, was full of excitement when he traveled to Chongqing this summer with four of his best friends to compete in the Midi Kids Band Competition.

Named Hui Shou De Pang Zi, which translates as "little fatty to lose weight", their band comprises Lin as lead singer, bassist Zhu Chenyumo, 12, guitarists Lu Hongchi, 11, and Li Mingyang, 14, and 13-year-old drummer Yang Ziyi. It was founded about two years ago in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Xichang, Sichuan province.

It was the first time the band had taken part in a national competition, but midway through the performance of one song, Lin found his microphone wasn't working, as the wire had become accidentally unplugged, meaning that the audience could not hear him.

"I was extremely nervous when that incident happened. My mind went blank, my palms were sweaty, but I told myself to stay calm," Lin said.

"My music teacher once told me that it's perfectly normal to make mistakes onstage, but you should never stop the show, in order to show respect to the audience. I kept telling myself that."

The other band members quickly gave Lin signs of encouragement. The errant microphone's wire was soon plugged back in, and the group completed the song together.

"I was worried about our score in the competition, but my bandmates gave me big hugs after the performance. Luckily, we still won the opportunity to compete in the final round. The judges told us we did the right thing in finishing the song," Lin said.

It was not the only mistake the band experienced during the competition, as Lu dropped his guitar plectrum during the performance and had to pluck the strings with his fingers.

In July, the band made it to the final round of the competition in Yantai, where it performed two of its original songs — Colors of Youth and Snow Train — which won it third place in the competition's children's section.

Lin said: "We wrote the songs together, which were based on our lives. We've done lots of rehearsals together, but I still felt very excited and couldn't help jumping high when I performed the songs onstage."

The band's founder and coach, Pan Yi, lives in Xichang, from where he promotes children's rock bands. He used to be a drummer before launching a music studio to teach young people, especially children, to play contemporary instruments.

He said he lets Hui Shou De Pang Zi play a range of musical genres, which allows the band members to develop their own style.

Pan said: "Like any other children learning to play instruments, such as piano and violin, they need to work extremely hard on practicing. Doing rehearsals enables them to listen to one another, just like chamber musicians. They may not be professional rockers when they grow up, as they have their own dreams and plans, but we want them to be happy with rock music. That's all."

Hui Shou De Pang Zi is just one of the children's rock bands founded and coached by Pan.

He also coaches Cloud, a group comprising six teenagers from Xichang, who won first place in the competition's teenage section, which is open to competitors in the 13 to 17 age group.

Cloud, China's first children's reggae band, made a name for itself in 2018 by performing at the Midi Music Festival and Wild Mint, one of the biggest festivals in Russia.

The band has also landed a record deal as part of Taihe Music Group's Red Star Youth project, which promotes young musicians and bands.

Pan said, "It's always rewarding to see my students grow up and continue their school work while enjoying music."

Music critic Deng Ke, one of the judges for this year's Midi Kids Band Competition, said, "When I watch children playing in rock bands, they remind me of my childhood and my first experience of performing onstage.

"I joined my first band when I was in high school. The first time we performed onstage, I was so nervous that I couldn't sing. It was an embarrassing moment, but was also exciting and unforgettable.

"Now, children play professionally. Their parents take it seriously. The children practice extremely hard, and even though they might pursue other dreams as adults, playing in a band will definitely be one of their most memorable experiences."

In China, tens of thousands of children learning not only Chinese but Western musical instruments are playing classical and contemporary works.

Li Hongyu, a veteran musician and founder of the music education company Nine Beats, which is based in Tianjin, said parents, especially those born after 1980 or even later, are willing for their children to learn instruments such as lead and bass guitar and drums, because the parents grew up listening to rock music.

He launched his company in 2003, and is now focusing on teaching children to play contemporary instruments. The company has expanded to cities in some 30 provinces.

On Aug 5, Nine Beats launched an online event, with 14 children's rock bands from around the country taking part.

The young groups performed 23 original songs in the 100-minute show, which attracted some 50,000 views.

In 2006, Li founded the children's rock band, 20088 — regarded as the first of its kind in the country.

With an average age of 6, the band comprised four members who learned to play electronic instruments when they were 3 or 4. The group has appeared on television shows and has performed at music galas in China and overseas. In 2020, Li was reunited with the band members, an occasion warmly welcomed by fans.

"There are rock bands everywhere and our children watch and listen to them. Unlike classical music, they can produce their own sounds without any limitations," said Li, who was 19 when he started his own band.

"I hope they can feel the excitement that comes from being around instruments such as lead and bass guitars, and that more parents allow their children to experience the thrill of playing in a rock band with their contemporaries."

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn