Owl City comes to China for new gig

Adam Young will tour China in May. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Adam Young, better known by his stage name, Owl City, has swept the world with his electronic and melodic tunes ever since he emerged as a one-man band from the basement of his parents' house in a small town in Minnesota, the United States in 2007.

After two successful tours in China in 2009 and 2013, the singer-songwriter will return in May with performances in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

"Chinese fans were so rapt in the performance, I almost felt like they were able to take in more of the subtleties of the concert than other audiences I'd played for," says Young, recalling his shows in China in 2009.

As for the upcoming tour starting on Thursday, he says fans can expect that "new songs, old songs, deep cuts and B-sides will all make appearances throughout the show", including Fireflies from his debut album, Ocean Eyes, which shot to No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and went platinum four times over.

He also wrote music from some animated movies, such as The Croods, The Smurfs 2 and the newest Minions, which Young describes as a "rewarding challenge".

"I enjoy making music for motion pictures because I have to do my homework and make sure every word counts. I have to make sure every decision I make is for the good of the movie," says Young.

"Batman has always been my favorite super hero. There is something so dark and brooding about the character that I've always loved."

With four full-length albums released so far, Young has transformed from making music by himself to collaborating with other musicians.

In the summer, he will release his fifth studio album.

"When I began creating music, I did it entirely for fun and I had no formal training or any idea what I was doing to be honest," he says.

Over the years he taught himself to be a producer, writer and engineer, and his involvement with collaborators has taught him the value of learning from other people who are excellent at their craft, he says.

Describing himself as "introverted", Young says he has always preferred to be alone. But there is something that happens when he steps onto the stage.

"The crowd, the smoke, the lights, it's all very alluring, and I feel that I can almost hide behind the music I am playing. The music does all the hard work, and I can just kind of float there in a strange suspension of consciousness," he says.

"I still get butterflies before every show but it's not a bad thing. In fact, I have learned over the years to appreciate them because it is a good indicator that I indeed care very much about the performance, which is a feeling I hope I never lose."

If you go

7:30 pm, Thursday. MasterCard Center Huiyuan Space, 69 Fuxing Lu (Road), Haidian district, Beijing. 400-610-3721.