Songwriter's younger brother records his own tunes

Chinese singer-songwriter Liu Huan (R) and his younger brother Liu Xiao. Zou Hong / For China Daily

Liu Xiao has been watching his elder brother, Liu Huan, one of the most established Chinese pop singer-songwriters, writing and producing music of the past two decades.

Those tunes seem to have inspired Liu Xiao, who began to write his own songs.

Recently, the 41-year-old Liu Xiao has released his debut album, titled Fleeting Time, which gathered 11 songs he wrote about 20 years ago.

"I started to think about making the album four years ago and the process was like reviewing my youth days," says Liu Xiao, whose music style ranging from punk, jazz rock to pop. "I don't think I have a certain music style, just like my versatile brother."

One of the songs, titled Libra's Love, was among his earliest efforts, which he began to write in 1995 and finished last May. The title song, Fleeting Time, has been made in two versions, a big-band version and jazz version, the latter dedicated to Liu Xiao's idol, Billy Joel.

Other songs, including Getting Old and Love Song, are nostalgic and poetic, which remind fans of the golden years of China's music scene in the 1990s.