Songwriter's younger brother records his own tunes

As for his brother's influence, Liu Xiao describes it as "life-changing". Liu Xiao has kept to this day a tape that Liu Huan gave him when Liu Xiao was in the university. There were only two recordings on the tape: Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor and Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major.

"I listened to the tape over and over again. My interest for music started from there," recalls Liu Xiao.

At a recent news conference in Beijing, Liu Huan came as a guest to support his young brother.

"When you have a brother who is 10 years younger than you, it means that you have a shadow following you everywhere — and the interesting thing is that you watch him grow," says Liu Huan.

"I was surprised to know that he wanted to release an album because I didn't realize that he wrote so many songs and was determined to fulfill a dream about music."

Liu Xiao has had a full-time job as a DJ at a Beijing radio station for 15 years, hosting a traffic-news program at rush hour. Music is his hobby and passion.

"I would never achieve a musical career like my brother. He is a musician and his heart is in performing," says Liu Xiao. "I know that this album is not catering to the market, which is heavily dominated by dance music and love ballads. But releasing an album of my own makes me happy, and commemorates my youth."

Related:

Shadows of history in Stan Lai's latest play

Yearender: The year in concert