Blending Travel Experiences with Music: Zhang Zhehan Creates *Lost in London* to Accompany Fans During the New Year

By Playmusic News team
Jan. 23, 2025

In 2024, Zhang Zhehan achieved remarkable results in his performing arts career. In music, he released the album Datura and multiple singles, successfully becoming a regular on major streaming platform charts. He recently won the “Most Popular New Artist Award” at the 2024 Hito Music Awards Ceremony and was also named one of the “Top 100 Artists of the Year” at the 20th KKBOX Music Awards, earning dual honors.

At his Primordial Theater 2.0 concert in Seoul, Zhang Zhehan made a powerful declaration:
“I am a native-born Chinese. I have never visited, nor will I ever visit or worship at the Yasukuni Shrine. I deeply love my country. It is your trust and support that have carried me to where I am today. Thank you.”
After saying this, he bowed deeply to the audience in gratitude and led them in a rendition of “Chinese People.”

Zhang Zhehan has continued the momentum from last year. At the beginning of 2025, he held a New Year’s beach concert to celebrate with fans. Today (January 23), he released his first single of the year, Lost in London, accompanying fans into the new year with its warm and lyrical melody.

Zhang Zhehan has not only achieved outstanding results in music but also excelled in his directorial debut. His documentary August won four major awards at the Mindfield Film Festival Albuquerque WINNERS – BI-MONTHLY COMPETITION – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024, including Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing.

The inspiration for Lost in London came from Zhang Zhehan’s trip to London in May last year. Strolling through the streets of this city where ancient and modern coexist, Zhang Zhehan deeply felt the warmth and excitement derived from the fusion of culture and history. Upon returning to his apartment, he took out a blank piece of paper and a pencil, listening to the wind outside, and began writing about this day’s wandering in the city, which became the original draft of the lyrics:
“One day, we’ll meet at the corner café;
One day, the prelude of joys and sorrows will echo in an ancient theater;
One day, I’ll read a book as sunlight falls on a chipped red window ledge.”

After returning to China, Zhang Zhehan and his music team finalized the song’s style and creative concept. During the arrangement process, they worked with the producer to experiment with drums, bagpipes, organs, and other instrumentation. The repeated adjustments were like revisiting London in depth, transplanting the experiences and emotions of life abroad into the music and laying his reflections and wanderings into the lyrics.

Zhang Zhehan emotionally expressed:
“It wasn’t about being lost in London from the beginning. It started with anticipation, then discovery, and as I went deeper, I gradually became immersed, lost in the grandeur.”
He added, “I never thought that what began as a simple exploration of the city’s stories would result in being lost amidst the shifting silhouettes and glowing streetlights, wandering through the river of history. Every meeting may be a passing moment or a stranger never encountered, but every step is a flowing feast.”

The song took more than six months to complete, from its creation to recording, before finally being shared with fans on January 23.

In 2024, Zhang Zhehan found time to reflect and experience life during his travels, often sharing travel vlogs on social media, taking fans to explore different places through his lens. These journeys may serve as inspiration for Zhang Zhehan’s future creations, as he continues to find threads of music and creativity through repeated travels, bringing more surprising new works to his fans.

In 2025, Zhang Zhehan will continue his musical journey with the new album “Scavenger”, and on February 3, he will release his second photobook “Yeah”. Interested readers are encouraged to follow Zhang Zhehan’s social media platforms for his latest updates, and don’t forget to stream his new single Lost in London on your favorite digital platforms.