A star is reborn

Zheng Jun. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Zheng Jun achieved instant fame in 1994 with his debut album, Naked. With his rebellious voice, frank and thought-provoking lyrics and his rugged good looks, Zheng has stood out from other Chinese rockers of his generation who emerged in the early 1990s.

With his best-selling albums and popular hits such as Cinderella, Return to Lhasa and Chinese-language cover of Coldplay's Yellow, he had become ubiquitous.

However, after giving his last tour in 2006, Zheng slowed down and withdrew from the limelight, focusing on fatherhood, yoga and meditation, and a book project.

Recently, however, the rock singer-songwriter appeared at one of the capital's most popular live-house venues, Yugong Yishan, to announce an upcoming national tour, which starts in June from Beijing.

"I never intended to become a rock star and I don't make plans. When my team reminded me that it's been more than 10 years since I last gave a tour and discussed having another tour, I realized how time flies and that it may be a good timing to tour again," says Zheng.

The tour will include several Chinese cities and one of the most significant stops for Zheng is Xi'an, Shaanxi province, which is his hometown.

He will perform there in November, when he turns 50. Other cities on the tour have not been announced yet.

Fans can expect to hear the rocker's past hits. He has titled the tour Eloping, which is also the name of a song on his sixth full-length album, Chang'an Chang'an. Released in 2008, the album was Zheng's last studio album.

In the song Eloping, Zheng sings: "What I dream about is freedom and true love."

The lyrics also mirror what the rocker longs for in real life.

"The fast pace of life gets us stressed. We all want to run away from our lives. Things have changed a lot but that's still what I want," Zheng says.