Internet propels the likes of Xu Weizhou to instant stardom

Xu Weizhou. [Photo provided to China Daily]

When singer Xu Weizhou (more popularly known as Timmy Xu) arrived at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, he was astonished to see a frenzied mob of local fans screaming his name in Mandarin.

The pandemonium occurred a couple of days before Xu's Thailand concert, part of his First Light Asia Tour 2016 in July last year.

"I felt a bit scared and confused. So many fans were waiting outside the airport. I only have two English songs. The rest are all in Chinese," Xu said in Beijing last week.

"But when I sang at the (Bangkok) concert, the fans followed me word by word. Despite their pronunciation, it was easy to sense that they did learn Chinese."

The singer is now promoting his first documentary Guang Zhi Ying (Shadow of Light), which was released online on March 21.

In the film, the 22-year-old star provides an interesting take on China's fast-evolving pop culture.

His father was a drummer. Xu began to learn Latin dance as a teenager. But he also learned guitar and began composing songs in high school.

His parents once hoped for him to excel in school and get a regular job. Xu says he had conflicts with his family and insisted on pursuing his musical dreams.

"When the children in neighborhood went to bed, I was practicing my instruments."

But he owes his stardom more to the internet than hard work.