Niu Niu

Niu Niu was only nine when he signed with EMI Classics, the youngest pianist ever to do so with an international classical label. Since then, he’s released nine albums and has also branched into composing; his two recent albums include his own compositions “Hope” and “Miss”.

In 2009, Niu Niu was also the youngest pianist to give solo recitals at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. In 2016, he completed a 25-day tour of 16 Chinese cities and the following year was invited to perform for the presidents of China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa at the BRICS summit evening gala. And in 2007 and 2022 he was invited to perform at galas commemorating the handover of Hong Kong.

If it sounds as if he’s boasting, he really isn’t. He’s just passionate about music – he’s been studying and performing since he was six – and though classical music remains niche, it’s Niu Niu’s dream to make it more popular. It’s something he’s managed to do by dabbling in composing and arranging, as well as releasing concept albums. “I recently released a new album called Lifetime, for which I chose 17 popular short pieces composed by 17 composers around the world to represent 17 different feelings or passages in our lives, including my own position and my own arrangements of some classic songs,” he says. “I believe this kind of concept album with diverse music styles is accessible to a larger group of listeners and can arouse a lot of memories while we listen to them.”

With a new interest in composing, Niu Niu hopes to record an album of his own compositions, “with various styles, including solo piano music, duets with other instruments as well as crossover styles”, he says. It may surprise readers, but he also listens to pop music and jazz in his downtime.

“I hope I can develop strong vocal skills and eventually also become a singer-songwriter,” he says. Persistence is key to any success – and as Niu Niu believes in living life to the fullest, why not?