Mao Buyi

Mao Buyi (; born October 1, 1994; birth name Wang Weijia; ) is a Chinese singer and songwriter. Mao rose to prominence for winning the all-male singing competition The Coming One in 2017. Mao is a self-taught pop artist known for works depicting the subtle nuances of everyday life. He has released four studio albums to which he authored all lyrics and compositions. Mao's discography also includes over a dozen theme songs from original soundtracks for television dramas, movies, and video games.

Early life and education Mao is a native of Tailai County, Qiqihar, in the Heilongjiang province of Northeast China. In the same year, he started songwriting to alleviate work-related stress. He learned to play the guitar, and wrote a few songs informally before appearing on The Coming One.

Career 2017-2019: Debut and Perfect Day In 2017, Mao gained recognition as a contestant on the Tencent Video singing competition "The Coming One" (明日之子). His appearance, characterized by "round faces, large glasses, and some slightly crooked teeth", contrasted with the more elaborate costumes and makeup of his fellow contestants. Mao's lack of extensive performing experience and awkward demeanor set him apart, which his fans found endearing. His musical repertoire, diverging from traditional themes of romance, focused on topics like hopelessness, frustrated ambition, and aspirations for financial success.

In 2018, Mao won the New Music Power Award of Weibo Awards Ceremony on January 18. On May 31, Mao released his debut album, Perfect Day , produced by singer and songwriter Li Jian. The lead single, "Perfect Day", hit one million downloads and streams on the first day of its release. The album was acclaimed by critics for its natural, warm lyrics and "melancholy melodies". On November 29, Mao won the Most Promising Male Singer Award and the Best Singer-Songwriter of the Year Award at the Asian Music Awards. In the same year, Mao embarked on his first solo concert tour, "Someone Like Me National Solo Concert Tour" (像我这样的人个人全国巡回演唱会) from September 22 to November 17. Mao stayed number one during five weeks of 2019 with his 2017 songs "Someone Like Me" and "Drink Sorrow Down".

2020-2023: Xiao Wang and Lonely Planet In January 2020, Mao participated in Hunan TV's music competition program Singer as a debut singer. On January 22, Mao released his second music album, Xiao Wang (小王). In August, Mao ranked 79th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list. In December, Mao performed in the CCTV New Year's Gala "Sailing 2021" and the "2020 Most Beautiful Night bilibili Gala", jointly presented by CCTV and Bilibili.

In 2021, Mao released his third album Lonely Planet (幼鸟指南), produced by Arai Soichiro, on June 26. It ranked first on TME Physical Album Sales Chart's January 2022 monthly chart. On July 16 and 23, Mao appeared in the lifestyle reality show "Back To Field" for the fourth time and sang "In This Mountain", a track from the album Lonely Planet, at the concert of the final episode of season 5. On December 14, Mao released a theme song for the movie "I Am What I Am", "Nobody" (无名的人).

In 2023, Mao embarked on his second concert tour "Lonely Planet Solo National Concert Tour" (幼鸟指南个人全国巡回演唱会) with stops in nine cities and marking the first time Mao performed in venues that can seat more than 10,000 attendees. The tour kicked off in Hangzhou, where Mao started his music career as a nursing student.

2024: The Inner Venture On August 9, Mao announced on his personal Weibo that his fourth album, The Inner Venture (冒险精神) was coming soon with the lead single "The Inner Venture" being released online on August 16. This album was released on September 23, 2024.

Artistry

Style and lyricism Mao has been likened to the younger Li Zongsheng and the "Chinese version of Bob Dylan". His lyricism is noted for its blend of parallelism and simplicity. Listeners believe that his songs capture a certain sentiment of the era, some comments refer to him as a "voice of the youth," while others call him the "spokesperson for the ordinary people". His works often shed lights to everyday life events, exploring the subtleties of human emotions. In "Mom's Cooking", he reminiscently chanted about the little dining table and mom's cooking, in memory of his late mother who died with terminal cancer. As a fourth-year nursing intern at university, he penned the song "If One Day I Became Rich" in his modest rental apartment, as a response to the financial struggles he was facing at the time.

Discography Albums Perfect Day 平凡的一天 (2018) Xiao Wang 小王 (2020) Lonely Planet 幼鸟指南 (2021) The Inner Venture 冒险精神 (2024)

OST

Concert tours

2017-2018 The Coming One National Tour Year DateCity VenueRef.2017 November 3 Nanjing Wutaishan Sports Center Arena October 13 Beijing Workers Indoor Arena Wu Qing-feng November 17 Chengdu Chengdu Financial City Performing Arts Center Good Meimei

2023 Lonely Planet Solo National Concert Tour DateCityVenueSpecial Guest Ref. March 25 Hangzhou Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Arena April 1 Shenzhen Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Arena April 8 Suzhou Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre Arena April 22 Chengdu Phoenix Hill Sports Park Arena May 20 Changsha Hunan International Conference & Exhibition Center May 27 Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai) July 15 Ningbo Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Arena July 22 Wuhan Wuhan Sports Center Arena July 29 Beijing Wukesong Arena Rene Liu September 15 National Indoor Stadium Li Jian

2024–2025 The Inner Venture National Concert Tour Year DateCity VenueSpecial Guest Ref.2024 December 7 Chengdu Phoenix Hill Sports Park Arena December 21 Guangzhou Guangzhou Baoneng International Sports Arena 2025 February 15 Suzhou Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre Arena March 1 Shenzhen Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre Arena March 8 Xiamen Xiamen Sports Center Phoenix Arena March 14 Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai) March 15 March 22 Qingdao Qingdao Citizen Fitness Center Arena March 29 Xi'an Xi'an Olympic Sports Center Arena April 13 Tianjin Tianjin Olympic Center Arena April 19 Harbin Harbin International Conference Exhibition and Sports Center Arena May 10 Ningbo Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Arena Wang Sulong May 17 Wuhan Wuhan Optics Valley International Tennis Center May 24 Zhengzhou Zhengzhou Olympic Sports Center Arena June 1 Hangzhou Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Arena June 14 Nanchang Nanchang International Sports Center Arena June 21 Hefei Hefei Shaoquan Sports Center Arena June 28 Chongqing Huaxi LIVE·Yudong Arena July 5 Taiyuan Shanxi Sports Centre Arena July 19 Nanjing Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park Gymnasium July 26 Beijing National Indoor Stadium Xu Jiaying July 27

Philanthropy On September 11, 2018, Mao attended the 6th season of the Charity Stars-To Dream Designer ceremony and Luohu Fashion Night as a public welfare ambassador. At the event, he hand-painted an "art dream bag" with Han Geng and Shen Mengchen to raise awareness about children's art education in economically disadvantaged regions. On November 2, Mao received an invitation to serve as the "EU-China Tourism Year Ambassador".

On May 5, 2020, Mao took part in the "Believe in the Future" charity show, where he performed "Perfect Day"(平凡的一天).

In July 2021, Mao participated in CCTV's "Together with You" charity show and sang "Perfect Day"(平凡的一天) in tribute to the heroes among ordinary people.

In July 2021, Mao donated 500,000 RMB to the flood-stricken areas in Henan Province.