Meet the erhu musician who covers popular tunes like Good 4 U and the Rick and Morty theme song on TikTok
PHOTO: Darrel Xin
PUBLISHED ONOctober 07, 2021 11:05 AMBYClaudia Tan
Most of us are familiar with Good 4 U, the catchy tune from famous American singer Olivia Rodrigo, but imagine if the song had a Chinese instrumental version?
That's exactly what this erhu musician is doing on TikTok, earning many compliments from those who appreciate his creative blend of pop and Chinese music.
He's not just any TikToker though.
Darrel Xin is a professional erhu musician and educator. The erhu is a traditional instrument also known as the two-stringed Chinese fiddle.
Also, he's a member of TENG Ensemble, a non-profit Singaporean arts company dedicated in growing the Chinese music scene through performances and research.
@darrelplayserhu breakup songs hit different ?##erhu ##music ##musician ##oliviarodrigo ##good4u ##sgtiktok ##fyp
♬ original sound - darrelxin - darrelplayserhu
Other than his cover of Good 4 U, the 38-year-old also takes song requests — usually from the comments section — and has covered tunes such as the Rick and Morty theme song, and even the instrumental from the English Language Comprehension Exam.
"I often play the latest pop songs to get my students more interested in erhu, or to attract more freshies to join," he tells AsiaOne, describing himself as someone who listens to all kinds of music, both old and new.
"TikTok is a perfect vehicle for me to reach out to people," he says, adding that the platform's generally shorter video length appeals to people who may not have the time or patience to watch longer videos.
Efforts on TikTok are paying off
Xin started posting on TikTok in April, and gaining almost 5,000 followers. He explains the amount of time required to make each video is dependent on the format.
"For songs where I play unaccompanied, these videos take the shortest [amount of] time. I could be done in the time it takes to record the song — longer if I want to do any retakes," he says.
Surprisingly, it isn't the playing and filming that takes up the most time — it's the editing he adds.
Nonetheless, Xin's efforts are paying off. Comments on his videos are positive with the occasional song request which he tries to fulfil, depending on his schedule.
The best part so far is gaining a few new students from TikTok. Expressing his desire for more students, he adds: "My schedule is far from full, however, so anyone who wants to learn [erhu], please come, don't be shy!"
Even though he's now teaching erhu, Darrel also remembers to pay tribute to his alma mater Chung Cheng High School, where he started learning the instrument in 1995.
@darrelplayserhu the lake was a nasty swim ??? ##erhu ##sgtiktok ##sgschool ##chungchenghighschool ##fyp
♬ original sound - darrelplayserhu
Moving away from a traditional tune
Having seen the growth of the erhu scene over 20 years, Xin can be said to be a veteran in the industry.
He says: "In the development of any scene, over time, some things are lost [while] some things are gained. One thing is for sure — the technical proficiency of the musicians [will] keep improving with every generation."
"However, there is a discernible fading away of the more traditional-sounding characteristics and techniques of Chinese folk music, and a trend towards a less country-specific sound," he adds.
He draws a parallel to public perception of the violin, an instrument with Italian roots that is regarded as more of an international instrument today.
"The erhu still has a long way to go before it becomes an international instrument, but you feel it is moving towards the same [direction]," he says.
Social media as a game-changer for musicians
With his expertise in playing the erhu, the Internet and social media platforms have become the medium for Xin to share his musical knowledge with others.
Other than responding to song cover requests, he also occasionally answers questions from younger erhu players on TikTok.
He tells AsiaOne that learning the erhu has become much easier with the plethora of resources available online but this same thing can make it more difficult for younger musicians to absorb the music.
When he started, he only had a couple of erhu CDs, which he described as his "treasures".
"I would listen to them on my way to school, on the way home, and [even] at home. As a result, I think I also managed to fully internalise what I was listening to," he says.
One positive thing from Chinese music crossing paths with social media is how it enhances a musician's creative process.
He says: "[Because of social media], there is an accelerated absorption of global influences, and thus [a musician's] repertoire. Nowadays, it's much more international, not just Chinese.
"Trends can become international as well, and Singaporean musicians fully embrace these trends in their creative processes."
claudiatan@asiaone.com