Pop idol wins new fans in China

Adecade ago, Hawaiian teen Mika Hashizume's mornings often began with predawn hikes to volcanic summits to watch the sun ignite the Pacific in liquid gold, followed by breakfast, surfing sessions and then soccer matches with friends under swaying palms in the afternoon.

"I never really thought about my future," says Hashizume, now 26, recalling the care-free adolescence.

Now, half a world away, the same person who measured time in sunrises counts it in sold-out theaters across China. Fluent in Mandarin, he headlines nationwide concerts, releases bilingual albums, represents fashion powerhouses like Burberry and Tiffany & Co., and commands runways at fashion weeks in Paris, New York, Milan and London.

It was his decision to compete in the Chinese talent show Chuang 2021 four years ago that propelled Hashizume to stardom in a country so distant from his island home.

At 18, Hashizume, an American Japanese, moved to Tokyo after being scouted by a Japanese entertainment agency, where he balanced his studies with vocal and stage performance training. The next year, he debuted as a member of the Japanese boy band Intersection.

In 2021, when Tencent Video launched Chuang 2021, a talent show aimed at forming a multinational boy group, Hashizume — along with two of his bandmates, Caelan Moriarty and Kazuma Mitchell — decided to take the chance.

"It was a real big opportunity for me because I think, at that point, I never had that much recognition in my career," Hashizume recalls.

Though he spoke no Chinese at the time, his heartthrob looks, islander ease, and sultry voice won over fans, ultimately securing him a spot in the final lineup of the 11-member boy group INTO1.