New shades of Eason Chan

Photo by Zou Hong / China Daily

The pop artist's busy career is usually packed with tours, recordings and acting, and is often unchanging and even boring.

"I've been in this circle for a long time and have become numb. Most of the songs I have received sound similar. The duo (Radio Mars) sent me more than 20 songs within a short time. The songs were unconventional and full of energy," he says.

Songs such as Entertainment Sky and Four Seasons Circle - on the new album - mark a departure from Chan's usual style of irony and black humor, and instead, take a more light-hearted and folksy approach.

According to Huang Shaofeng, one of Radio Mars two members, Chan's magical voice lends immense depth to their songs.

"Because we come from Beijing, Eason (Chan) interprets the songs by imitating the Beijing dialect intentionally. That is very interesting," says Huang.

Lin, who earlier collaborated with Chan, says, he had three months to write five songs. Known for his love of ballads, Lin also tried to break his own style by writings songs such as Time Tunnel, which combines classical music with soft rock.