From 'dive bar' to star

After completing his conservatory studies, he spent two months preparing for the Shanghai music festival where he hoped to kick-start his career. "I walked on stage to dead silence," he recalled. "Not even the waitstaff stayed."

Career salvation came from two unexpected quarters.

Director Zhou Xiaoqian of the Shanghai Drama Art Center became an unlikely mentor. "Your problem isn't the music — it's believing you are above the audience," he told the young performer.

Then came a game-changing encounter with pop doyen Jay Chou from Taiwan. Cao was performing in The Secret, a stage adaptation of Chou's film of the same name, when the superstar noticed him and offered him a contract.

Cao later infused classic songs from the show with pop music rhythms, appealing to millennial fans of the original performance. "They said fusion was sacrilege. Turns out it's salvation," he said.

The 2023 national tour of The Secret by Cao's troupe attracted audiences with a large number aged in their early 20s — far younger than the typical show-goers. Over 70 percent of the audience was aged under 34. Data from Jucheng, the production company, revealed the tour grossed over 80 million yuan ($11 million), with almost all the 59 shows in Shanghai sold out.

Meanwhile, his livestreaming on Douyin invited users to remix his video clips, enhancing his personal branding through his musicals. His livestreaming has generated over 1.2 billion views on Douyin.

His signature single Weiguang (glimmering lights) — a haunting blend of ballads and synth beats — also helped catapult him to stardom. Cao's music video of the song, featuring him livestreaming inside his room, has gained the performer 1.5 million followers on Douyin.