Ever since his parents gave him a book about The Beatles during his childhood, Maximilian Hecker has been hooked on the musical life.
“The Beatles live looked like a total dream to me,” he recalls. “I was hell-bent to make the same experience as them one day myself.”
Now 39 years old, the German singersongwriter returns to China for a nine-city tour, celebrating one of the biggest milestones a musician can achieve: the greatest hits album.
With a set list that will delve into the bestknown songs of his eight albums, Hecker’s return to Shanghai (Shanghai Centre Theatre on April 13), Guangzhou (Xinghai Concert Hall on April 15), Shenzhen (Nanshan Culture Sports Theatre on April 16) and Beijing (Century Theatre on April 24) will be with his full band.
He promises the show “will be more like a rock concert than the introverted classical concerts I’ve given in China recently.
“It’s going to be a much richer and fuller sound. The songs will be arranged and sound like people know them from my albums.”
A Hecker concert is becoming an annual tradition. He first performed on the mainland in 2004 and this tour will be his 16th of Asia. Although he admits to a budding interest in creating short films, Hecker cracks that the biggest change in his life since his last Middle Kingdom visit “is my new hair-do.”
“Shortly after returning from China last year, I realized I could no longer torment myself and others with my Brit pop haircut,” he deadpans. “I experimented around and came up with this styling gel disco look.”
Despite the new ‘do, Hecker assures fans that the sound remains the same. His self-described “melancholy pop hymns” have drawn comparisons to indie icons like Radiohead, Sigur Rós and Nick Drake.
“I’ve never been interested in variety or changing my style,” he admits. “I write songs because I need to unblock the channel to my soul with the help of music to emotionally survive.”
He credits his parents’ record collection, full of classic rock greats like The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Cat Stevens and Leonard Cohen, for setting his early tastes. A drummer since he was 9 years old, Hecker picked up the guitar shortly after Kurt Cobain’s death “because I wanted to cover Nirvana songs.”
“Me and my friends busked on the streets of our small hometown,” he recalls. “Around that time I wrote my first songs, and I was the drummer in several school bands. Later, I gave up the idea of being a professional drummer when my band mates and I realized we would simply never find a record label. I started then concentrating on writing and singing songs.”
Hecker’s big break came in 2000 when a demo of his song ‘Cold Wind Blowing’ was used by German director Esther Gronenborn’s film Alaska.de. His 2001 debut disc, Infinite Love Songs, was named by the New York Times as one of the top 10 albums of the year.
He’s since toured the world with acclaimed acts like Cat Power, Bill Callahan and The Walkabouts, while Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant has been a vocal proponent.
Since 2003, his tracks have been released across Asia through distribution deals with indie labels in South Korea and China. Hecker credits word of mouth from his frequent tours, praising social media platforms like Weibo for fanning the flames.
“I think I return to China so often because there seems to be a demand from the part of my fans,” he says.
It’s not just a one-way relationship. Hecker has penned songs for Golden Melody Award-winning singer Faith Yang and cowrote Wei Ruxuan’s 2010 single ‘Kun Zai’ with Sodagreen singer Wu Qingfeng.
While he admits this tour will only provide one day off, which he will use to rest, Hecker doesn’t think that will hamper his life philosophy: “Trying to be creative. Trying to write. Trying to change my life. And trying to find a girlfriend.”.
Maximilian Hecker China Tour
Shanghai: Apr 13, 7.30pm, RMB180-580. Shanghai Centre Theater, tickets.
Guangzhou: Apr 15, 8pm, RMB100-380. Xinghai Concert Hall, tickets.
Shenzhen: Apr 16, 8pm, RMB100-380. Nanshan Culture Sports Theatre, tickets.
Kunming: Apr 17, 8pm, RMB100-380. Anti War Victory Hall, tickets.
Chongqing: Apr 20, 7.30pm, RMB100-380. Chongqing Grand Theatre, tickets.
Chengdu: Apr 21, 8pm, RMB80-380. Jiaozi Concert Hall, tickets.
Changsha: Apr 22, 8pm, RMB100-380. Hunan Grand Theatre, tickets.
Wuhan: Apr 23, 7.30pm, RMB100-380. Wuhan Qintai Grand Theatre, tickets.
Beijing: Apr 24, 7.30pm, RMB80-580. Century Theatre, 40 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区亮马桥路40号. Tickets.
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