Kris Wu says his music is solely based on hip-hop music, which is his major influence. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Kris Wu's star continues to rise with the release of his latest album Anteres

After signing an international recording agreement with Universal Music Group in April, Chinese-Canadian singer-songwriter Kris Wu is hoping to define himself as one of the top stars of his age with the debut full-lengthy album Antares.

During a recent afternoon in Beijing, he shows up at recording studio to preview songs from the album to a limited audience.

"I want the music to be louder, and maybe turn down the lights," says the 28-year-old singer-songwriter. "I like listening to music at night. I enjoy the atmosphere."

The album, which was scheduled for release on Nov 2, four days before Wu's birthday, features 14 songs written by Wu - 12 in English and 2 in Mandarin - which were selected from material he had written over the past two years.

The title song, Antares, portrays a galaxy of music, which Wu defines as his style.

"As a kid, I liked imagining the universe so the song is about the space, stars and universe, which I imagined in my head," says Wu.

He adds that the title of the new album, Antares, means the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius, which is the Latin for scorpion, his zodiac sign.

"The song opens the album and it unveils the whole concept of the album," Wu says. "I don't want to write songs with a diversity of music styles. My music is solely based on hip-hop music, which is my major influence."