GAI (Zhou Yan)

Biography

GAI, born on March 22, 1987 in Neijiang, Sichuan province, China. He got his stage name from the word "gai" in the Sichuan dialect. During his teenage years, he moved to Weiyuan, Neijiang for schooling, where he had unpleasant experiences that influenced the social themes in his later music. After graduation, he participated in singing competitions and began performing in bars in Sichuan and later Chongqing. He joined the local hip-hop label GO$S. In 2015, he released his first single "Daydreamer" (白日梦想家), officially entering the Chinese entertainment industry and hip-hop scene. In 2016, he participated in "Sing! China" under his real name Zhou Yan but failed to impress the judges. In 2017, he joined the iQiyi program "The Rap of China" and produced hit songs like "Hotpot Base" (火锅底料) and "Dry Weather" (天干物燥). That same year, he won first place in "The Rap of China" alongside PG One. In 2018, he participated as a main singer in "Singer" on Hunan TV, where his cover of "A Laughter in the Blue Sea" (沧海一声笑) was highly praised, earning third place in the first episode, though he later withdrew from the competition. GAI is known for integrating traditional Chinese elements and local dialects into his music, with a signature social and local style.