Mao Buyi

Mao Buyi (born October 1, 1994; birth name Wang Weijia; ) is a Chinese singer and songwriter. Mao Buyi rose to prominence for winning the all-male singing competition The Coming One (明日之子) in 2017. Mao is a self-taught pop artist known for works depicting the subtle nuances of everyday life. He has released three 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.

Life and education
Mao Buyi is a native of Tailai County, Qiqihar, in the Heilongjiang province of Northeast China. He pursued a degree in nursing at Hangzhou Normal University and undertook an internship at a hospital in Hangzhou in 2016 during his last year in university. 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.

Throughout his nursing career, Mao frequently faced situations involving deceased patients. The first personal experience of death he encountered was the passing of his mother. In tribute to her memory, Mao maintained a practice of sending messages to her WeChat account after her death.

2017
Mao Buyi 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. During his introduction on the show, he encountered technical difficulties requiring three recordings; he broke a guitar string at the start of his performance and showed visible surprise upon seeing the celebrity judges. Media outlets began to describe him as "cute sang," referencing a lack of ambition and apathy among Chinese youth, with "sang" being Mandarin slang for "frightened." Mao's musical repertoire, diverging from traditional themes of romance, focused on topics like hopelessness, frustrated ambition, and aspirations for financial success.

He won the competition on September 23, 2017, and his song "Drink Sorrow Down" that debuted during the competition stayed at the top of the QQ Music chart for 11 days and was played over 500 million times.

2018
On January 18, Mao won the New Music Power Award of Weibo Awards Ceremony.

On May 31, 2018, Mao released his debut album, Perfect Day (平凡的一天), produced by singer and songwriter Li Jian. The lead single of the album, 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 August 29, Mao won the Chinese Song Music festival's most popular new artist of the year award and best new artist of the year award, while the song "Drink Sorrow Down" won the golden song of the year award.

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.

From September 22 to November 17, Mao held his first concert tour with performances in Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu, which was attended by nearly 300,000 people.

2019
In 2019, Billboard China launched the Billboard China Top 100, which is compiled based on radio play, streaming, and digital sales in mainland China. Mao stayed number one during five weeks of 2019 with his 2017 songs "Someone Like Me" (像我这样的人) and "Drink Sorrow Down".

2020
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 2020, 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.

2021
On June 26, 2021, Mao released his third album Lonely Planet (幼鸟指南), produced by Arai Soichiro.

On December 14, 2021, Mao released a theme song for the movie "I Am What I Am", "Nobody" (无名的人).

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.

2023
Five years apart from his first concert tour, Mao Buyi embarked on his second concert tour in nine cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, themed the "Lonely Planet". The tour kicked off in Hangzhou, where Mao started his music career as a nursing student. The live performances highlighted Mao's works from his third album Lonely Planet, along with several hit singles since his debut. Guest performers including Taiwanese singer, actress Rene Liu and the producer of Mao's first album Li Jian. The concerts were sparkled with interactive elements that engage or include fans as part of the programming. Audience's chorus of hit singles were also common. One of the attendees interviewed described the live performance as a "healing session," noting that her own sentiments as a typical member of the working class resonated well with Mao's music.

Style and lyricism
Mao Buyi is often perceived as an introvert and 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.

Reception
Different from the typical pop star, Mao considered himself an "ordinary individual" leading an unremarkable life. During his school years, he did not excel academically and lacked a specific ambition, preferring to enjoy a carefree childhood. He adopted the name "Buyi" (不易）as a teenager, translated to "not easily changed". He noted later that he wished to hold true to authenticity and simplicity. Although he was referred to as a "music genius" by senior songwriters Li Jian and Pu Shu, he attributes the supposed talents to his small-town upbringing and his laid-back lifestyle. He expressed a desire to withdraw from the public eye and be "forgotten" if his musical abilities ever diminished.

Discography
Albums
 * Perfect Day 平凡的一天 (2018)
 * Xiao Wang 小王 (2020)
 * Lonely Planet 幼鸟指南 (2021)

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.