Revolutionary singer is red-hot

Stephen Uwechue says the more he learns about Chinese culture, the more comfortable he will feel here. Provided to China Daily

The Internet has made the term "overnight success" redundant. Now fame can come in minutes, not hours. Just ask Stephen Uwechue.

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The 29-year-old Nigerian singer's dream of a successful career in China took off in 2011 when his first attempt at singing a red song in praise of late Chairman Mao Zedong quickly attracted a million hits on the Internet.

Suddenly, the Nigerian was famous for singing classic Chinese revolutionary songs in what to him was still a strange language.

"He can sing about 50 Chinese red songs now, and that's more than most Chinese can sing," Yu Xin, Uwechue's manager, says.

Uwechue is now the lead singer of Wuzhou Zuhe, one of China's most popular bands. The Beijing-based pop group consists of five people from five continents.

Chinese red songs are about the Communist revolution that led to the formation of New China in 1949. The songs praise late Chairman Mao, the Communist Party of China and the soldiers and citizens of the revolution. They are classics of modern China that vividly depict the tragedies and triumphs of those revolutionary times.

Uwechue became aware of red songs by accident. In 2011, when the nation was celebrating the 90th anniversary of the formation of the CPC, millions of people all over China were singing those patriotic songs.

Yu saw a good opportunity for Uwechue and encouraged him to learn some of the songs. The young Nigerian soon fell in love with the songs as they helped him learn more about Chinese culture and history.