Shao Hao is a singer-songwriter who has gone from being an unconfident music student who left China for studies in the UK, to having no.1 hit songs across South East Asia and on Netflix and anime shows. He chats to Headliner about how being a resident artist at London’s Roundhouse helped him sign his life-changing publishing deals, and the latest single from his Brit-pop meets mandopop solo project, Where Is My Home.
Upon moving to the UK, Hao was selected for a two-year artist residency at the iconic London venue, the Roundhouse. While there, he submitted a demo for a songwriting competition being run by HIM International Music Publishing Inc. Winning the competition, he was then able to pen a publishing deal in Taiwan, leading to a slew of hits as a co-writer for Taiwanese artists, as well as success in China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. And, with more success under his belt, writing songs for Netflix and anime programmes, he launched his solo artist project with the single White Horse. He even finds time to perform at schools and talk to students about his journey.
What are your earliest memories of music, and when did you start thinking this might be a career for you?
The earliest one will be when I was maybe only seven. My mom took me for piano lessons, and it was really fun. I was trying to copy melodies that I heard from TV or pop songs and played them on the piano. I entered a karaoke competition at primary school, where I came third. I thought, "Okay, not bad. Maybe one day I can do this as a career."
Deciding to move to the UK must have felt like a huge step. Did you feel you couldn't pursue music the way you wanted to in China?
In high school, it became really stressful learning all the subjects that they think are important, which are less important to me, because my passion was in music. In China, especially when entering university, you have to pass a lot of exams, where music is not that important. I didn't really have a choice but to focus on studying music at the time. I was inspired by classmates who were looking to study abroad. I said to my parents, "I really love British music. Is it possible for me to go to the UK and study music?" They found this amazing school in St Andrews. That's how I took music seriously and learned music theory and songwriting skills.
When you first arrived, your English was quite limited. Did music become your primary way of connecting with people?
My English was really, really bad, so I almost felt like music was my first language. That's how I had my first connections with people: through concerts. After the concert, people came up to me, and I could see that they were starting to get to know me a little bit more just through music.
After St Andrews, you became a resident artist at the Roundhouse in Camden. How was that experience for you?
That was an incredible opportunity that I never would have dreamed of. One of my classmates told me that this Roundhouse choir existed. I joined the choir and then found out there's this resident artist programme. I was very lucky to pass the audition. Through the resident artist project, I was able to record my first few original songs properly in their recording studios, with recording equipment that was donated from Abbey Road. I got to perform with artists like Imogen Heap and Jamie Cullum. I even supported Edwyn Collins at his concert. That was also my first time performing at the main stage at the Roundhouse. It was so surreal.
