By Zhang Fang

Russian “whistle prince” Vitas

Singer Vitas is Russia's award winning, critically acclaimed and internationally successful golden-boy. The singer forever changed China's perception of traditional Russian music with his beautiful voice and engaging stage performance. This year the Russian singer makes his third trip to China, where he plans to visit seven cities over thirty days.

Known as the “whistle prince” to many Chinese listeners for his unique high-pitched voice, the artist has helped to introduce China to the world of Russian pop, a musical genre that was previously not well-known.

Vitas is one of Russia's most popular musicians and one of the country's global stars, having held more than 1,000 solo concerts in 16 countries.

Born on February 19, 1981 in Latvia, the Russian gained prominence as the youngest artist to perform at the Kremlin Palace, where he performed his hit song Opera 2 in 2002.

China's love-affair with Vitas' began in 2006, when Vitas was invited by CCTV to take part in the “The Year of Russia in China”. Vitas' first concert in China came five years later in 2007, when the energetic singer entertained Shanghai residents with his famous high-pitched vocals.

Vitas then represented Russia as the only foreign artist to sing at the Olympic kickoff concert on July 29, 2008. The artist's most recent appearance in China was at the Opening Ceremony of the 24th World University Winter Games held in Harbin this February.

Vitas' upcoming China tour will kick off in Xi'an on April 24, with planned stops in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Kunming along the way.

Unlike previous tours, Vitas' will not be journeying to Beijing alone. Vitas' will enjoy the support of a 20-member string orchestra and plans to incorporate different musical styles including jazz, classical and electronic into his concerts.

The Russian star aspires to be more than just a singer, composing all of his own music and designing all of his stage costumes. The artist held his first fashion show “Autumn Dreams” in Kremlin Palace on September 29, 2002.

Chinese audiences will get further chance to see Vitas with a planned guest appearance in the upcoming blockbuster Hua Mulan, which is being produced by China's Hong Kong director Jingle Ma in April.