Charlie Zhou

Birth

Born in a remote mountain village in Shaoyang, Hunan.

The Rise of “Kabule”

Began singing anonymously on the online voice platform YY under the pseudonym “Kabule” (卡布叻).

Academic Journey

After the college entrance examination, traveled to Ukraine to study vocal music at the Lviv National Musical Academy, where he was mentored by Ukrainian vocalist Vitosinsky.

Linguistic Talent

Released the video “Let It Go (9-Language Male Cover)” on Bilibili under the name “Kabule,” instantly climbing to No. 11 on the site-wide trending chart.

Official Debut

Participated in The Voice of China Season 3, turning three mentors’ chairs with the song “Joyful Face” (《欢颜》) and officially debuting.

First Solo Single

With the support of Gao Xiaosong, released his debut solo single “The Rose and the Deer,” which won him the Best New Artist award.

Signature Masterpiece

Sang the impression song “Big Fish” for the animated movie Big Fish & Begonia. It swept multiple awards upon release and became a career-defining masterpiece.

Debut Solo Album

Released his first solo album, featuring 10 songs including “The Rose and the Deer,” “Big Fish,” and “Shallow.”

Charlie’s Debut Album

Chinese: 《深的深》

“Deep Space”

The Deep Space Solo Tour kicked off in Shanghai. This was his first solo concert tour, spanning 6 cities: Shanghai, Wuhan, Chengdu, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou.

First Composing Attempt

Released “But It Loves This World” (《可它爱着这个世界》), the first song he composed himself. The track won him the Weibo 2019 Top 10 Influential Original Musician award.

“C-929 Planet”

His second solo tour “C-929 Planet” launched in Beijing, traveling through 7 stops including Beijing, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

Victory in Our Song

Joined Our Song Season 1 and formed the dynamic duo “Qin Shen Shen” (勤深深, pronounced similarly to “情深深” [Deep Affection]) with Hacken Lee. Their iconic duets like “Lovers of the World” (《天下有情人》) eventually won them the championship.

“Dalabengba”

Performed “Dalabengba” (《达拉崩吧》) using five different vocal personas on Singer 2020, sparking a massive viral craze and winning the episode’s championship with the official authorization of the original creator ilem.

Zhou Shen Studio

On his 6th debut anniversary, he published a heartfelt letter of gratitude, announced the establishment of his personal studio, and released its first self-produced single “A Lonely Whale Living Like an Island” (《化身孤岛的鲸》).

CCTV CNY Gala Debut

Performed “China in the Lights” with renowned vocalist Zhang Ye, generating an overwhelming response. The song was later selected for the 9th batch of the “China Dream” New Original Songs by the Central Propaganda Department and won the “Five-One Project” Award in Guangdong.

Splendid Opera Vocals

Released “The Light” (《光亮》), the theme song for the documentary The Forbidden City, stunning listeners with his high-quality traditional opera vocal techniques.

“My Answer” Wins Award

Collaborated with the Supreme People’s Procuratorate to release the concept song “My Answer” (《我的答案》). In December of the same year, the song won the prestigious “Five-One Project” Outstanding Work Award by the Central Propaganda Department.

With You, With Me

On the centenary of the Communist Youth League of China, he sang the theme song “With Me” (《有我》) for its promotional film.

Forget Me Not

“Worry-Free When Blossom” (《花开忘忧》) was released on the Mid-Autumn and Teachers’ Day, expressing gratitude to mentors. The multi-award-winning song has broken records by remaining at the top of the UNI Chart for years.

Second CNY Gala

Returned to the CCTV Spring Festival Gala stage with a solo performance of “Worry-Free When Blossom,” securing a peak viewership rating once again.

National Center for the Performing Arts

Attended the New Era Classical Works Concert at the NCPA, delivering a stunning solo performance of “China in the Lights.”

9th Anniversary Concert

Charlie’s “Deeply Grateful” 2023 Special Concert was held at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing. Tickets sold out in seconds, triggering a wide buzz.

Love with My Humbleness

Released the environmental charity single “Loving You in My Humble Way” (《我以渺小爱你》). A year and a half later, this song became the grand closing track for his 2025 Shenshen’s Concert Tour.

Third CNY Gala

Performed a solo of “Health Arrival Order” (《健康到到令》). He also led the performance of the traditional closing song “Unforgettable Tonight” (《难忘今宵》) for that year’s gala.

“Mirage”

Released “Mirage” (《蜃楼》), the lead single of his highly anticipated second solo album SHENSELF (《反深代词》).

Stepping onto the UN Stage

Invited to the UN Headquarters in New York for the 15th UN Chinese Language Day. He performed the custom-written symphonic poem “Ode to Peace” (《和平颂》), his masterpiece “Big Fish,” and joined the high-level roundtable panel.

9.29Hz 10th Anni. Tour

The 9.29Hz Concert Tour officially kicked off, marking his first-ever stadium-scale solo tour. With 20 shows announced across 13 cities including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Guiyang, it set a milestone in his career.

Second Solo Album SHENSELF

The full digital album SHENSELF went live. It sold over 2 million copies with sales exceeding CNY ¥80 million (approximately USD $12 million), topping the charts across all platforms and winning multiple honors including Album of the Year.

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), SHENSELF ranked 11th on the 2024 Global Album Sales Chart. He was the only artist on the list without a physical release at the time, and the only Chinese singer to make the 2024 global chart.

Fourth CNY Gala

Collaborated with legendary Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez on “Condor & Lan Huahua” (《山鹰和兰花花》), receiving widespread praise from global audiences.

First World Tour Launches

The 9.29Hz Tour expanded globally, with official stops in London, Las Vegas, Seattle, New York, Toronto, Melbourne, Sydney, and Kuala Lumpur, covering 8 cities in 5 countries across 4 continents.

Shenshen’s Concert Tour

A brand new concert theme tour, Shenshen’s Concert Tour, officially kicked off. It is scheduled for 44 shows across 22 cities, including Shanghai, Nanjing, Taiyuan, and Qingdao.

Solo EP Shen’s Love

Released his solo EP album Shen’s Love (《小深情》), with the lead single “Hi! World” (《嗨！人间》) going live simultaneously.

Shen’s Love

《小深情》

First New Year’s Eve Concert

The Hong Kong stop of the Shenshen’s Tour was held at the Kai Tak Stadium, making it the first solo New Year’s Eve countdown concert at the venue and marking Charlie as the first mainland singer to perform at Kai Tak Stadium.

Fifth CNY Gala

Performed a solo of “Jiliang” (《吉量》), sharing the stage with children representing 56 ethnic groups. The segment crowned the viewership ratings for the 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala.

The Diary Continues

The 2026 edition of the Shenshen’s Tour officially launched, expanding to multiple major cities including Guangzhou, Wuhan, Suzhou, Chongqing, Zhengzhou, Hohhot, Shenyang, and Guiyang.

Physical Release of SHENSELF

Pre-orders for the physical edition of SHENSELF officially opened, breaking CNY ¥50 million (approximately USD $7.4 million) in sales within 12 minutes and topping the daily, weekly, monthly, and annual physical album sales charts across all platforms.

To Be Continued...

More experiences, more adventures. As the river of time flows on, the pages of this life diary continue to be beautifully written…