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Record label sows the seeds for children's music festival
2019-05-28 
Grammy Award-winning American musician Tim Kubart (second from left) and his band.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Modern Sky is one of the largest indie record companies in China. Founded in 1997 by former rock singer-songwriter, Shen Lihui, as a way to distribute both his own and his friends' music, the company is now home to over 100 indie bands, and also promotes one of the country's most popular outdoor music events-the Strawberry Music Festival, which was launched in Beijing by the company in 2009 and has since expanded into dozens of Chinese cities.

This year, however, the company made its first attempt to target children by launching a new label, Modern Sky Kids, in January, and will hold its first child-oriented outdoor music festival-the Strawberry Seeds Music Festival-on Saturday and Sunday.

Marking Children's Day 2019, which falls on Saturday, the festival will be held at Aranya, a resort in Qinhuangdao, a coastal city in North China's Hebei province.

The two-day festival offers two music stages. The Strawberry Seeds Stage will host a lineup of adult stars that include American actor and musician Tim Kubart, who won the Grammy Award for Best Children's Album for Home in 2016, and Chinese folk singer-songwriter, Ma Di.

Meanwhile, the Future Stage will host younger bands and musicians, including teenage Chinese hip-hop group, Boy Story, who will perform hits like Enough, which has garnered nearly 3 million views on YouTube since being released in September 2017. As well as the music, there will be a variety of activities and programs that will cater to the children such as art and drama workshops.

Former model and actress Chang Chunxiao is seen with her rock musician husband Peng Tan and their 3-year-old daughter.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"It started with what Modern Sky prides itself most: music. We can provide musical content that will appeal to children and the whole family," says Wuli, vice-president of Modern Sky, who is the co-founder of Modern Sky Kids. "We've been talking about launching a label for kids for about two years and we believe that music festivals shouldn't be reserved for just grown-ups."

What helped develop the idea further was when a number of female artists became mothers.

The main hosts of Modern Sky Kids, for instance, include four famous moms. Former model, actress and the wife of rock musician Peng Tan, Chang Chunxiao, Chinese-American singer-songwriter, Kelly Cha, lead vocalist of Beijing-based rock band, Pet Conspiracy, Yun Yun, and lead vocalist of rock band DH & Chinese Hellcats, Wang Hui.

The four mothers will perform with their children on the Strawberry Seeds Stage.

Kelly Cha has just released her latest single, titled Koochi Koochi Beep Beep, on Friday, on which she collaborates with her 3-and-a-half-year-old son.

According to Wuli, once the idea took shape that it was possible to stage a festival centered around kids, there was the idea of a family-friendly weekend happening near a beach.

"The DNA of the music festival is still quintessentially Modern Sky, so, as we did with Strawberry Music Festival, where the audience could discover new music and communicate with real fans, Strawberry Seeds Music Festival will expose the children to fun music and activities," says Wuli.

"As for the parents, it's an opportunity to enjoy music with their kids."

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