In 2005, Jeffrey • G was known to the public as the 5th place of “Super Boy” in China and became a household singer. However, unlike other celebrities selected from talent shows, Jeffrey • G didn't stop at a short-lived success. He has continuously broken through boundaries in nearly 20 years of artistic career with Yi music as roots and innovation as wings, and become a benchmark figure integrating national culture and modern commerce.
The Road to Music: Let the Voice of Yi Nationality Go Global
Jeffrey • G was born in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, with the genes of Yi Nationality's thousand-year-old culture in his blood. The unique vastness and poetry of Yi music have become the sources of his creation. In 2011, Jeffrey • G released his first album “The Red & The Black”, boldly combining the traditional Yi mode with black soul music and jazz music. The single “Burning” won him the Golden Melody Award of the Chinese Top 10 Music Awards. Since then, his albums such as “YISOUL” and “YISCO” have further established his position as “the pioneer of Yi soul music”. Jeffrey • G sampled Yi classics “Sumudiwei” and “Happy Loso”, and created works such as “Yi Nationality Wine Song” and “Heart Stealer”, which not only retained the profundity of national music, but also won the favor of young listeners with international arrangements.
2014 was the highlight moment of Jeffrey • G's music career. With the album “YISOU” and the single “YISCO”, Jeffrey • G won many awards of the 14th Chinese Music Media Awards, including “Best Mandarin Male Singer”, “Best R&B/Soul Celebrity”, and “Best Producer”. He was praised by the media as “the first person to internationalize Chinese minority music”. Since then, he has been invited to serve as the final judge of the award for three consecutive years, transforming from an award winner to an industry standard setter.
Boundary Breaker: Development and Innovation of Art E-commerce
After reaching the top in the music field, Jeffrey • G focused on the emerging e-commerce live streaming. In 2019, he joined Taobao Live Streaming. However, he refused to “hawk” goods but created an “art e-commerce” mode, namely, taking vertical screen high-definition concerts as the core, attracting audiences with live bands and real singing performances, and allowing consumers to place orders voluntarily while enjoying music. This mode quickly triggered a shock in the industry. In 2024, the “Double Eleven Concert” achieved sales of 32 million yuan in three days, of which music live streaming drove more than 5 million yuan in transactions. In 2025, musicians from many countries played Yi Nationality jazz music at the Christmas Concert, achieving 2.98 million views and sales of 2 million yuan.
Jeffrey • G's innovation continues. From “9.9 yuan flash sale”, “window shopping festival” to “Jeffrey • G sale”, Jeffrey • G won Taobao's top live streamer of the year for sixth consecutive time, and was certified by the platform as “the only artist in China using music to drive consumption”. The brand side commented on Jeffrey • G, “He made selling goods an art and gave commerce cultural weight.”
Cultural Mission: Guarding the Roots and Soul of Liangshan
Despite his success, Jeffrey • G always remembers his identity as a Yi singer. He collects folk songs in Liangshan all the year round and funds intangible cultural heritage inheritance. He has devoted himself to AIDS prevention and control for more than ten years as a caring ambassador of China Red Ribbon Foundation (CRRF), visiting hundreds of villages to help orphans and patients. Qubi'awu, a national first-class actress in China, wrote in a letter of recommendation: “Jeffrey • G makes the world hear the Yi Nationality with music, and makes Liangshan see hope with actions.”
The Future: Singing on the World Stage
From a talent show singer to a Grammy broadcast host, from a folk song collector in mountains to a top e-commerce practitioner, Jeffrey • G took every step with “subversion”. Now, he is preparing to bring Yi music to the international stage, cooperate with European and American musicians on new albums, and plan to expand overseas markets in “art e-commerce” mode. “Culture won't be obsolete due to persistence, but live forever due to innovation,” Jeffrey • G said.
This Yi eagle is still soaring.
© OfficialAffairs
