Zeng Yi and Ling Hua are members of the country's most popular pop duo. Photos Provided to China Daily

The hot Chinese pop duo Phoenix Legend has fans from all strata of society and is fast gaining recognition overseas. Chen Nan reports in Beijing.

The music of Phoenix Legend, one of China's hottest pop music groups, has also reached the NBA. Their hit song from three years ago, Most Dazzling Ethnic Trend, was used by cheerleaders during a NBA Houston Rockets game in April 2012. "We have no idea how the song reached the United States," 32-year-old Phoenix Legend member Ling Hua says. The duo's other half is 33-year-old Zeng Yi. "Maybe we should thank Yao Ming because the NBA wants to attract more Chinese fans," Ling says. The song also became an Internet sensation after being remixed by fans across the world during the past several months.

In fact, this is not the first time Phoenix Legend's songs have been heard internationally. Workout dance instructor Wang Guangcheng has been mixing the duo's songs to the beats of salsa, disco and hip-hop, and even took their songs to the US Zumba Convention in 2010 and 2011.

Riding the wave, the group is collaborating with Wang to release a new album in June, remixing their popular hits just for gyms.

Phoenix Legend has sold more than 6 million albums in China since 2005, and 10 songs from their four albums have recorded 1 billion online hits.

Tickets to their first concert in Beijing, which was held in October 2010, sold out within 15 days, prompting organizers to add a show. They repeated this success in 2011 with tickets gone within days.

The duo's songs are popular among migrant and white-collar workers, children and retirees. Their songs also rank high in the must-play list of KTVs, restaurants and supermarkets.

What's so special about Phoenix Legend? Fans say they like Zeng's rap and find Ling's high-pitched voice and folk style to be something special. Some have dubbed them "the saviors of the Chinese music industry".

But there are also naysayers, who consider their music out of date and meaningless.

"There are lots of people who listen to Phoenix Legend but are reluctant to admit it," Bi Hu, a fan of the duo, says.

"They feel ashamed to listen to the group because it is popular among the masses, and some people don't want to be associated with songs, which appeal to those in the lower social strata. But I notice that the young and trendy still sing their songs at KTVs."

The negative feedback does not bother the two singers. "Our goal is simple - to sing the songs well and have more people like them," Ling says.

Zeng says: "Our music contains a lot of Chinese folk music elements, from the rhythms to the instruments. That's our distinctive style. It's wrong to say that the music is not good just because a migrant worker or a street cleaner sings it."

Songwriter Zhang Chao is certain the group's success is sustainable. "That's because their music connects with the grassroots," the Guizhou province-based songwriter says.

Zhang wrote three popular songs for the group, including Most Dazzling Ethnic Trend and Moonlight over the Lotus Pond. Before writing the songs, he conducted research on the most popular songs in China over the past two decades and concluded songs with folk elements always top the charts.

"Moreover, unlike most pop songs which are about love and loss, the lyrics are refreshing and uplifting, while the rhythms are simple and easy to follow," Zhang says.

Blending folk music with rap and hip-hop elements comes naturally to Ling and Zeng.

Ling - who's from the Inner Mongolian autonomous region and whose full name is Yang Wei Ling Hua ("Clouds in the Sky") - grew up with folk songs and various traditional instruments.

Zeng, who was born and bred in Yiyang, Hunan province, listened to a variety of music thanks to his parents, who love singing and dancing.

When they met in 1998 in Guangdong's provincial capital Guangzhou, both had day jobs and sang at nightclubs after work. A year later, they formed a group called Cool Fire, singing mostly Korean and US pop songs.

Ling recalls dying her hair bright red, while Zeng shaved himself bald. Both wore colorful and offbeat clothes to attract attention.

Their rise to fame was almost accidental. Songwriter He Muyang heard Ling's voice on TV for the first time in 2003 and was determined to look her up.

"Her high pitch is really impressive and rare," He says. "It was also rare in China to see a girl/boy group then."

After He met the duo, he rewrote On the Moon, a sentimental song he penned in 1999. "It was tailor-made for them," He says. "I believe no one can sing it as well as the duo."

Ling says: "It was unbelievable to have our own song at last. We spent months in the recording studio to achieve the best result. He is such a genius. He told us combining folk with modern music elements would give us our big break. We trust him."

In 2004, the group signed a contract with Peacock Blue, one of the mainland's biggest record and music distribution companies.

But the song didn't become a hit until 2005, after the group toured more than 20 universities in China and attracted students' interest.

Timing was the key to success. It was about the same time that the craze to download cell phone ringtones escalated, giving the song another promotional avenue. By 2007, On the Moon had been downloaded more than 100 million times. Both Flying Freely and Moonlight over the Lotus Pond were equally well received.

When Phoenix Legend first started, there was no proper plan to promote their music.

Now, Ling's husband Xu Mingchao, a former music editor of a website, is in charge of promoting the duo's songs.

With this arrangement, Phoenix Legend's unique music is set to soar higher not only domestically but also internationally.

By Chen Nan