Singer Dimash Kudaibergen became famous in China literally overnight after he debuted on the first episode of Hunan Television's hit singing competition show Singer on January 22.
Kudaibergen didn't just win first place that night, he also won the hearts of a great number of viewers throughout the Chinese mainland. Since then his incredible singing ability and handsome looks have made him the talk of the town.
Since he joined Sina Weibo in December 2016, he has accumulated more than 3.35 million followers on the social media platform. Many Chinese fans affectionately refer to him as "Jinkou Gege" or "imported older brother."
Over the 10 episodes of Singer's first season, Kudaibergen won first place three times, second place one time and third place four times. In the final competition, which aired live on Kazakhstan's Khabar Television and China's Hunan Television on Monday, he came in second place, only losing out to veteran Chinese singer Sandy Lam.
His current popularity in China has now propelled him beyond entertainment circles to become a symbol of cultural exchange between China and Kazakhstan.
Talent and training
The 23-year-old Kudaibergen was born into a musical family. His grandfather plays the dombra, a long-necked Turkic lute, his grandmother is a singer, while his parents are famous musicians in Kazakhstan. His upbringing was very international as well. He speaks German, Ukrainian, Turkish, English and Italian, and is currently learning to speak Putonghua (Standard Chinese).
Kudaibergen started performing on stage when he was 5. At the age of 16, he placed first at an international music competition. In 2015, he represented his country at the ABU TV Song Festival in Istanbul, Turkey.
His years of training have given him great range. Kudaibergen counts pop music, opera, bel canto and coloratura as part of his repertoire.
This has won him the respect of many in the industry. All the veteran and renowned singers who participated in Singer had nothing but good things to say about him.
"He has a very high register, and there's no gap at all when he switches to another register," music critic Deng Ke commented on Hall of Pro, a streaming show on Tencent Video that interviews experts in different professions.
"He is a natural talent that has trained hard. This has made him a very skillful singer," Deng said.
Creating connections
Kudaibergen's popularity has also skyrocketed back in his home country.
Singer has been airing two episodes a week on Khabar Television since March 27, the first time a Chinese variety show has entered Kazakhstan.
The show became so popular that the final competition was attended by Kazakh Ambassador to China Shakhrat Nuryshev and Kazakh Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports Aktoty Raimkulova.
In a report from chinanews.com, Arystanbek Mukhamediuly, Kazakhstan's minister of Culture and Sports, was quoted as saying, "Singer is helping Kazakhstan understand Chinese culture. The two countries are very closely linked together."
Looking to support their fellow countryman, many young people in Kazakstan opened accounts on Sina Weibo and WeChat in order to vote for Kudaibergen, according Beijing Evening News.
"His popularity is a great example of the cultural connections that have come about thanks to the Belt and Road initiative," Yu Yunquan, director of China's Center for International Communication Studies, told the Beijing Evening News.
As an important nation along the ancient Silk Road, Kazakhstan has had a long relationship with its Chinese neighbors.
In modern times, the two countries officially established diplomatic relations on January 3, 1992.
Since then the two nations have cooperated closely together on a number of projects, especially those involving the development of the energy industry in Kazakhstan.
