Grassroots musician takes social media by storm, using song and graciousness to bring people together, Wang Xin reports.

Luo Xiaoluo, a grassroots singer from Guilin in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, found his roots in Shanghai's streets to become a music sensation particularly popular among middle-aged and elderly audiences.

Making his journey to Shanghai in 2005, the 41-year-old busker, who uses a stage name, is dedicated to presenting live music shows on streets and in parks and other public spaces to share the beauty of music with his clear, healing voice.

Luo has garnered nearly 3 million followers on social media, drawing massive crowds nationwide in each of his offline performances.

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Luo has been fascinated by music since childhood and began playing guitar in 1999. However, over the past two decades, he had many career setbacks as a bar singer, graphic designer, wedding photographer, and e-commerce worker. It wasn't until 2011, when he made a trip to an ancient town, that he revisited his musical aspirations.

In 2019, he became a certified street singer in Shanghai by the Shanghai Performance Trade Association. He began performing in public parks and squares, where he sat and interacted with his audiences.

"Some musicians can be a bit too conceited to sing on the streets. They look down on buskers for 'selling' their talent cheap, but I disagree. Instead, I sometimes feel such an ordinary form of performance is the superlative form of musical expression. The core lies in how the music is presented, which you need to sing into others' hearts," says Luo.

Dubbed the "grassroots singer" by his fans, Luo is particularly good at performing classic pop songs from the 1980s and 90s. Among his followers, the middle-aged and elderly audiences stand out as the most active group, which is not the common stereotype of younger star-struck fans.

Luo loves the title bestowed by his fans. He views it as recognition of a gracious, accessible and grounded singer, which echoes his goal of serving the mass public with good music and helping people enjoy daily life.

"People in Shanghai are living good material lives, but I see higher expectations and cultural demands from them. For those without the time or opportunity to go to concerts or music festivals, street singing is a fantastic way to offer good live music. I feel honored to be in this role. It fills me with confidence, happiness, motivation and a sense of belonging," he says.

Luo tells China Daily that his fans are like family members. Many of them follow Luo and travel across the city, and sometimes even the nation. After the performances, they often stay to greet each other, casually chat, and take photos together, always showing kindness.

A loyal fan nicknamed Xiu says Luo's singing changed her life and made it more vibrant: "Because of Xiaoluo, I tried to learn how to sing and expanded my friend circle. I can't get enough of listening to his songs. They always accompany me while running and doing housework. He makes my lives fulfilled and happy."

With increasing exposure on social media and more performances across the nation, Luo is attracting more followers. Last month, Luo was invited to the Fudan University campus in Shanghai, where he shared his stories and transformed the charm of street art into academic lessons.

Luo has over 44,700 followers on an international social media platform, enabling them to catch a glimpse of China's street art and people's daily lives while enjoying beautiful melodies.

"Music is a universal language. I hope to present Chinese music and Chinese people's harmonious daily lives to the whole world. Foreign audiences may not understand the lyrics, but the melodies can transcend boundaries," says Luo. "When we perform at the (gate of) Jing'an Park, many foreign visitors will stop and listen."

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Despite becoming a sensation on Shanghai's streets and on social media platforms, Luo remains humble. He tells China Daily that he cares little about the number of followers and has no big ambitions. Instead, he is happy to continue giving his best and sticking to his purpose of sharing good songs with more audiences.

"I do not see myself as an 'artist' and am not aiming to be one. I simply hope to enjoy music and life and, hopefully, better serve the public with good songs. Music is meaningless without an audience. My roots are in Shanghai's streets. The audience is the soil," he says.

Contact the writer at wangxin2@chinadaily.com.cn