Singer Chen Chusheng releases vinyl with 14 original paintings
The Chinese pop star commissioned contemporary artist Li Erpeng to create visual counterparts for his new album, which earned a Double Diamond certification on its first day of pre-orders.
By Samantha Reed ·
Chinese singer-songwriter Chen Chusheng has released a vinyl edition of his album Wasteland of Wonders featuring 14 original paintings by contemporary artist Li Erpeng.
Pre-orders for the physical record opened on June 9. On that same day, the music platform QQ Music awarded the vinyl edition a Double Diamond sales certification.
Chen, who won the Hunan TV competition Singer 2025, selected Li to translate the audio experience into visual art. Chen stated that he views music as something beyond just sound. He hopes listeners can see the emotions and fractures present in the album through the artwork. Chen described the collaboration as creating a piece of art he wants to keep forever.
Li, who is based in Hong Kong, worked alongside the music to develop the 14 canvases. Some of the pieces respond directly to specific tracks, while others emerged from stories imagined during the creative process. Li explained that strong music builds its own world and his role is to place that world on canvas. He hopes that when fans receive the physical LP, they will see the life and hope within the images alongside the songs.
The paintings are integrated into the vinyl package, linking the recordings to visual narratives. Winners Gallery represents Li for this collaboration. Li is known for creating collector pieces modeled on legendary figures, often pairing painting with elaborate sculptural frames. His recent work has expanded into film, where he is doing preparatory work on a computer-generated animated world for a project in pre-production. The Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum in Beijing and Sydney’s White Rabbit Gallery hold his work in their collections.
Chen first gained national recognition in 2007 after winning the Hunan TV show Super Boy. He later returned to the broadcaster to win the top prize on Singer 2025. In April 2026, Chen held a stadium concert in Nanchang that drew approximately 50,000 fans. According to Beijing Radio & Television, all 50,000 tickets sold out within 24 minutes. A report from Nanchang’s state-assets authority attributed close to RMB 1 billion, or $149 million, in local consumer spending to the event.
The visual album serves as a companion to the audio, offering listeners a second method for engaging with the moods of the record.
Source: Variety
