What does it take to make a celebrity in China. There are many elements, but I can one thing for sure, and that is good PR and Marketing. Upon doing the Artistry tour, one of the artists I had to contend with was Hu Yanbin (胡彦斌) as well as the band Hua er (花儿). Now, I am not going to say anything about what my opinion of his music is, but I can say that he seems to enjoy what he is doing and people (at least some) like what he is doing. In short, he is popular so people are happy. What I do wonder though, is how long does this popularity last, and how much of it comes from the singer/talent himself?

What I have seen, especially in the Asian celebrity scene is celebrity performers which seem to be controlled far too much by their respective managers and companies. It seems as if these companies see the talent as just another product to be packaged, and when this one is no longer interesting, cast it off and find some other new one. Unfortunately, I think this formula, while it does showcase some good talent, all too often burns out great talent.

Perhaps instead of focusing on churning out the temporary super-pop hits, focus on creating entertainment with more longevity, albeit perhaps without the immediate popularity and immediate money stream. Perhaps this all comes back to the culture I have experienced here in China, where the focus is on making as much as you can now, and not concerning yourself with long term gains.

China has some amazing talent out there. Let’s just hope some more make it through the giant marketing machine of the industry to create some new classic entertainment.

Here are some more of my pictures from the Hennessy Artistry tour: