Chinese composer Yupeng Chen does not produce the type of music that one would typically expect from a classical musician.
Instead, Chen creates music that is most likely to be recognised by gamers, such as the captivating soundtrack to the wildly popular Chinese video game Genshin Impact.
In a sign that the highbrow classical music world is more widely embracing accessibility and a younger demographic, German classical music record label Deutsche Grammophon announced on July 18 that Chen was joining its roster of artists, which includes traditional virtuosi such as Chinese superstar pianists Yuja Wang and Lang Lang. Chen is the first Chinese composer to sign with the label.
Deutsche Grammophonโs press release led with the fact that Chen has โ1.5 billion audio streams to his nameโ and, in a nod to his gamer fan base, described him as โArchonโ, a superior being in Genshin Impact.
In an interview with the Post, the 41-year-old, who was born in Chinaโs Hunan province in 1984, explains that what excites him the most is the idea of writing music for future generations.