Blast from the past

Some of the songs on the album are Xie's old works that have never been released before, such as Dancing With My Voice and Blacken the Night. He gave them new arrangements, simple but elegant.

A father of two, Xie also wrote a song titled It Won't Change for his children, which displays his soft side.

"Before having children, my world was rock. I rocked like there was no tomorrow. For me, my band is the best on the planet and I feared nothing. But now I have become tolerant and peaceful," he says.

In conjunction with the new album, he will perform at Beijing Workers' Gymnasium on March 30, seeking to reclaim his King of Live title.

"I feel anxious before a show. But as soon as I step onto the stage, everything is fine. I never design any plot for my show. The emotion is right there, I lose myself and I just go with it," says Xie.

His reputation for being volcanic on stage came from early influences during the years that he, together with his band Cold Blooded Animals, developed during his career in the United States.

Formed in 1994 by Xie, the band released its first self-titled album in 2000. It sold about 150,000 tapes and 40,000 CDs in China. The grunge music and Xie's guzheng fusion carried the band to rock festivals in Japan and the US.

As a rock singer, he couldn't make ends meet in China then. But each band member could get paid $300 to $500 by performing at a music festival in the US.

Then the band went to New York in 2001, where he gained a fresh perspective about rock music.

For two years, Xie worked in restaurants and sang in subways to support himself. The rest of the time he was busy watching live shows by local bands.

He was impressed by a show from a band comprised of people in wheelchairs. During the performance, the frontman lit fireworks on his belly while lying on the floor. The visual impact was overwhelming for Xie.

He also watched a blues band, featuring a musician who played the guitar so naturally it was like an extension of his body.

"The music came from his blood. It was also that moment that I realized I should find my own personality onstage," he says.

"The Western audience didn't know that China has rock bands. People came to our show out of curiosity and they would compare us with Western bands," he adds.