Renowned mainland Chinese singer Luo Lang, also known as Daolang, who rose to fame once again with his album “Mountain Songs Whispering” and the hit song “Rakshasa Seaport,” has recently faced consecutive defeats in major music charts released during the award season. This has sparked attention and discussions among fans. Netizens describe Daolang’s situation as a reflection of a real-life version of “Rakshasa Seaport” in the Chinese entertainment industry.
According to reports from mainland Chinese media, during the recent year-end award season, Daolang failed to win awards at the China Pop Music Awards, Asian Pop Music Awards, Kugou Top 10, NetEase Cloud Music Annual Awards, and other Chinese music award ceremonies.
As a leader in the domestic music app industry, Kugou and NetEase Cloud Music boast a huge user base, but Daolang’s music seems to not be well-received on these platforms. He first missed out on the Kugou Top 10, followed by not winning at the NetEase Cloud 2024 Annual Music Awards. Prior to that, Daolang had also missed out on the China Pop Music Awards and Asian Pop Music Awards, failing to even secure a nomination.
Reports indicate that Daolang’s series of setbacks have made him a subject of ridicule in the music industry once again. Netizens describe this chaotic situation as a real-life version of “Rakshasa Seaport” in the Chinese entertainment industry.
Similarly to Daolang’s experience, veteran entertainer Chen Peisi has never received significant awards in his 45-year-long career in the entertainment industry. However, he has not been discouraged by this and instead sees this blank space as an honor. Chen Peisi once said, “I am clean, never won any awards, and years later people still remember me, which is a tragedy for future generations.” These words are not meant to curse future generations but to emphasize the vitality of art.
It is worth noting that on August 30, 2024, Daolang held an online concert titled “Where the Mountain Songs Resound” in Zizhong, Sichuan Province, China. The concert was watched by 54 million people online, receiving 7.1 billion likes. Following that, he held concert tours across the country, all of which were sold out, showing remarkable popularity. Many mainland Chinese media outlets have commented that the 53-year-old Daolang is undoubtedly the hottest singer in the current Chinese entertainment industry.
In fact, Daolang’s release of the new album “Mountain Songs Whispering” in July 2023, particularly the hit song “Rakshasa Seaport,” gained immense popularity on the internet. Many metaphors within the song, drawing inspiration from the classical short story “Rakshasa Seaport” in Pu Songling’s “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio,” were interpreted by fans as a satirical critique of contemporary society, highlighting the world where ugliness is praised, and black and white are reversed, exposing societal absurdities and sparking strong resonance and public attention.
Shortly after its release, “Rakshasa Seaport” surpassed 8 billion plays globally within a few days. Moreover, various adaptations of “Rakshasa Seaport” emerged, including versions in Henan opera, Shandong bangzi opera, Peking opera, Sichuan opera, Shanxi opera, Yunnan opera, Huangmei opera, as well as versions featuring guqin, pipa, and suona, all of which became a spectacle in music history.
Daolang gained widespread popularity in the past with his original song “The First Snow of 2002” sweeping across the nation, earning him the Best Mandarin Male Singer at the 5th Chinese Music Media Awards. However, at the height of his success, he reportedly faced exclusion from what the Chinese music industry considers big-name artists, with his work being mocked by influential judges as “too rustic,” leading him to quietly retreat.
After a decade of silence, Daolang made a comeback in 2023 and has been embroiled in controversies, especially after announcing in October 2024 that he had terminated the contract with his apprentice, Yunduo (real name Xie Chunfang), ten years ago. Reports of a fallout between the two have constantly made headlines. Although senior media figure Du Enhu later clarified that the rumors of “Yunduo suing mentor Daolang five times over song copyrights” were “completely fabricated false news,” Yunduo’s reputation continued to decline, with endorsement brands distancing themselves, impacting her career significantly, and dragging Daolang into a whirlwind of public opinion.