AT 8 p.m. May 27, pop legend Lo Ta-yu sat in front of his piano and played a piece based on his hit song, “Red Dust,” which was featured in the popular Chinese movie of the same title in 1990.

This opened Lo’s first virtual concert.

“It’s been over two years since I performed live and I’ve been thinking about ways to meet you, talk to you and sing for you since then,” said the 68-year-old, whose tours have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Today, we are performing on this beautiful lawn in Hualien (Taiwan) under the starry sky. You can hear the sound of crickets chirping. It is so romantic.”

Along with his band members, Lo sang 20 of his songs for nearly two hours, including “Childhood,” “Dream,” “Love Song 1980” and “Love Song 1990.”

He named the concert after his song “Childhood,” which was released in 1982.

“Because of the pandemic, our lives have changed. I have slowed down and I realized that I could still remember many old songs that I listened to and sang as a child,” Lo said during the virtual concert. “‘Childhood’ was not written for children. It was for adults. When I grew up and shouldered responsibilities for my family and the society, I realized that the most beautiful thing was my childhood, when I was well-protected by my parents.”

The virtual concert, which was streamed on Chinese social media platform WeChat, attracted more than 40 million viewers. Nostalgic fans left comments while watching the concert.

“It reminds me of my college years when I listened to Lo’s songs with my friends over a beer. We shared our lives, dreams and all the things that brought us joy and sadness,” commented a fan.

Another fan said: “The best part of this concert is that I got in touch with my old friends. We haven’t seen each other for years and because of this concert, we decided to watch it together online. It was a reunion.”

Born in Taipei, Lo learned to play the piano at 5. He planned to become a doctor and studied in medical school. However, he launched his music career in 1972 while still a university student.

The veteran singer-songwriter has captured the hearts of Chinese music lovers for decades, gathering a large fan base especially among people born in the 1970s and ’80s.

He ended the virtual concert with his song “Tomorrow Will Be Better,” hoping to provide a sense of comfort and hope to people amid the pandemic. The song was originally released in 1985, sung by some 60 pop stars. Lo wrote it to highlight the International Year of Peace in 1986.

On the same night, Singaporean singer-songwriter Stefanie Sun also launched her online program via Douyin, a popular short-video platform.

During that concert, Sun asked the viewers to choose their favorite songs of hers and she performed them with a live band. She also talked to the viewers casually.

“I love painting, which heals me. I hope that all of you could find your ways to heal, especially during this particular time,” she said.

She performed her hits, such as “Believe,” “Kite” and “Encounter” in a rehearsal room.

The 44-year-old singer rose to fame after releasing her debut self-titled album in 2000. Her fans are mostly born in the 1980s and ’90s.

Sun has been engaging with her fans through online concerts since the pandemic started.

With major music festivals, tours and concerts canceled due to the pandemic, artists and their teams are finding new ways to move forward and engage with their fans. Popular Irish boy band Westlife held their first virtual concert through WeChat on Dec. 17 last year, which attracted 27.9 million viewers.

On April 15, when Chinese rock legend Cui Jian and his band performed online for the first time, more than 40 million tuned in, which set a record for online concerts on Chinese social media platforms. “It’s definitely a new frontier, which allowed me to interact with fans through a way I’ve never experienced before,” said the 60-year-old Cui, known for his original hit “Nothing to My Name.” His performance of the song at the Beijing Workers’ Stadium in 1986 is considered as the start of rock music on the Chinese mainland.

According to an online music industry report released in March by iResearch, a leading provider of online audience measurement and consumer insights in China, the number of online concert viewers in March 2020 rose by 30% to 150 million within six months. In December 2020, the figure rose further to 190 million.

“When the pandemic hit in 2020, livestreamed performances became a necessity, for music lovers were spending much more time at home,” says Si Si, an associate professor at China Conservatory of Music’s art management department. “Livestreamed concerts are a trend this year; today’s technology has made it possible to provide viewers with immersive experiences.”

Besides live performances newly produced for online viewers, past concerts of pop stars are also rescreened, receiving warm feedback from fans.

On April 1, Hong Kong pop legend Leslie Cheung’s last concert of his “Passion” tour in 2000 was remastered by using artificial intelligence and streamed online by Tencent Music Entertainment Group. The show attracted about 17 million viewers.

On May 20 and 21, two concerts by pop icon Jay Chou — from Chou’s 2012 “Ferris Wheel” tour and 2019 “Strongest on the Surface” tour — were rescreened through online platforms under TME, attracting over 70 million viewers in total.

“We hope we have some positive role to play in bridging the artists and their fans, and more importantly, also giving people an outlet to connect when they’re feeling increasingly isolated during the pandemic,” says Chen Mo, vice president of the marketing and publicity department of TME. The company launched project TME Live to produce online concerts two years ago; so far, it has brought about 120 online concerts to audiences.(China Daily)