His EP ‘Ma Jia Xian’, produced with HWAN, is out on September 5th. In anticipation of our exclusive interview, here is the chronicle of a musical reinvention that shows us how to rewrite the rules of success.
Scrolling through Instagram or TikTok feeds in recent months has meant coming across a sound that is both familiar and new. Perhaps it was a velvety R&B cover of Magnetic by ILLIT, or the hypnotic choreography of Ma Jia Xian (Oppa Ver.), a melody that has become a global viral challenge.
The face behind these hits is Aaron Young (born Liu Guanxi), and on September 5th, alongside his friend and former colleague HWAN, he is ready to open his most important chapter with the release of his new EP, Ma Jia Xian. His is not the story of an emerging artist who appeared out of nowhere. It is the chronicle of a re-emergence, the meticulously prepared second act of an industry veteran who has learned to master the new rules of the game.
His journey, from a member of the pioneering group TimeZ to a self-sufficient and digitally savvy soloist, outlines a new model for success. It illustrates a fundamental transition: from being a “product” managed by a corporate system to becoming the architect of his own success by building an ecosystem of virality. It showcases his evolution from an industry product to a self-made entrepreneur.
The Idol, the Experiment: TimeZ
To understand Aaron Young’s trajectory, it’s essential to go back to 2012. TimeZ was an ambitious K-pop experiment, a strategic joint venture between the South Korean giant CJ E&M and the Chinese agency Super Jet Entertainment. They were a hybrid group, with four Chinese and two Korean members, designed to act as a bridge between the two markets.
For their debut on the prestigious M! Countdown stage, they performed their single Hurray for Idols entirely in Mandarin. It was a bold and unusual choice: a Mandarin debut on a top-tier Korean channel. Initially, the gamble paid off. The song received a positive reception, and the pinnacle of their recognition came just a month later. At the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), TimeZ won the award for Best New Asian Artist (Mandarin)—a huge success in a year dominated by giants like PSY, Super Junior, and BigBang.
However, after this peak, the group’s trajectory began to lose momentum. Their appearances grew sparse and eventually ceased, and they gradually faded away without an official announcement of disbandment: the story of an experiment that provided the industry with valuable data but failed to achieve long-term sustainability.
Cracking the Code: From Idol to Influencer
If success was once measured by TV appearances, today the primary arena is digital. And Aaron Young has conquered it. The numbers prove it: over 1.1 million followers on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), more than 15 million streams on Spotify, and 2 million on Apple Music.
The engine behind this rebirth is his ability to generate virality. With Ma Jia Xian, he first released an R&B version, then launched the Oppa Version with former groupmate HWAN. The latter, with its catchy choreography, exploded, generating over 30,000 user-created videos. His formula is precise: an irresistible musical hook, a simple yet distinctive choreography, and a “challenge” format that encourages participation.
Alongside this, his R&B covers of hits like Magnetic by ILLIT have allowed him to tap into huge, pre-existing fanbases while showcasing his unique style. The fact that the South Korean army noticed and used his version is a testament to a reach that has extended far beyond the boundaries of fandom.
Chapter Two: Ma Jia Xian, the EP
In the music world, a decade is a geological era—enough time to see entire scenes born and fade away. For TimeZ fans, it has been a time of patient waiting, fueled by the viral hits with which Aaron has skillfully rebuilt his identity. Now, that wait is over. On September 5th, alongside artistic partner HWAN, comes Ma Jia Xian: an EP that is by no means a nostalgic act, but rather the culmination of that journey of maturation. It features five tracks that blend R&B, pop, and soul, whose true strength lies in a finally intimate narrative.
In Aaron’s words, the album is like:
…opening my diary under the night sky, each song is a piece of who I was, who I am, and who I am still becoming.
This vision is shared by HWAN, who describes the creative process as writing:
…conversations, sometimes between two people, sometimes between us and the universe.
It’s no coincidence that the entire project is named after the track that served as the manifesto for this rebirth. September 5th, 2025, marks the beginning of the most authentic chapter in the careers of two artists ready to reclaim the stage.
The curtain is about to rise on what promises to be the most anticipated act. We will be in the front row to watch the show, and to mark this comeback, we spoke directly with Aaron Young. Stay tuned: the full interview will arrive right after the EP’s release.
