New way to stardom

Talent shows are not new to Chinese television and video platforms. Love them or hate them, the genre which brings young Chinese wannabe singers into the spotlight is not in any danger of fading away.

Last summer, when a talent show, titled The Coming One, was released on the streaming platform, Tencent Video, it achieved phenomenal success.

The 15-episode series, which targeted 12- to 24-year-olds, featured young male Chinese singer-songwriters. Each of the episodes attracted about 300 million viewers online.

For three months, the singer-songwriters competed, with the top nine people getting the opportunity to launch their own music.

The champion of the first season Mao Buyi was one of the most successful young musicians of 2017.