Annie Lowdermilk sees herself as a citizen of the world. But the singer has chosen to settle down in China. Today she's invited us behind the scenes of her music video shoot to talk about her life in Beijing and the impact it's had on her career.

"I've been here for 22 years, but every day I have never felt like it was the same as another day," said Lowdermilk, "Every day you feel like you'll always find something or discover something new, whether it's the food, the people, the language, there will always be something that surprises you. I need that kind of inspiration every day and China just has never stopped giving me that."

China is the place where Lowdermilk has stayed the longest. By the time she was 18, China was the closest thing she knew to home. Her friends, memories, first love and school are here. They have all become part of her. Now in her 30s, Lowdermilk says she doesn't like to think about leaving. China is her home and the place that makes her happy.

As Lowdermilk's life in China flourished, she not only incorporated the Chinese language in her songs, but also chose Tang Bohu as a stage name, inspired by one of the great Ming Dynasty poets. 

"After learning more about Tang Bohu, he fought through so much. I think if it happened to a regular person, he or she would just be like, never mind. I'm not going to do this anymore. In this poem, he said, I would rather live my life penniless and die under a tree somewhere than to bow down in front of basically society or money. So, I decided to keep this name because I think it's a kind of like 'Jing Shen' (Attitude), it's a kind of attitude. And no matter what happens, no matter if the world recognizes you or not, always stick to what you feel, what you believe, your art, fight for it," Lowdermilk said.

Lowdermilk rose to fame in China after taking part in a popular talent competition in 2013. Since then, she has gained over three million followers on various Chinese social media thanks to her niche style of blending Eastern and Western music genres.  

"I started to sing in this mix of 'Min Ge' (Folk Song), 'Xi Qiang' (Opera), 'Jia Sheng' (Falsetto). It's my own style. But the thing that I always keep coming back to is "Yun Wei" (Lingering Charm). And one reason why I like Chinese opera so much is because it's very crucial to Chinese opera. I have a song called Qing Si, which is my favorite. It's actually very sad, but a lot of people think it's a happy song. It's not a love song. It's a very sad song. We put it to more electronic music and kept some of the singing like the Beijing opera styles, it works together very well. You can't actually tell that these are very conflicting styles," Annie Lowdermilk said. 

Working on a music video for the song, 'Yu Guang Qu,' Lowdermilk explained her understanding and innovation in the lyrics.

"It's about fishing. It's a very straightforward song, but the melody makes it timeless. It's a lot like inner Mongolian influences and some kinds of like 'Cao Yuan Ge Qu' (Grasslands Song) like music from the grasslands has similar similarities to Irish and like Scottish. We added a little bit like a touch of this kind of Chinese opera style of singing," Lowdermilk said.

Lowdermilk explains that it was her passion for music that helped her reach where she is today. "When I first started singing this kind of music, it wasn't an effort to become famous or to make other people like it, it was just I enjoyed it. If I have a new song, I will send it to my mum, and she will send it to my grandma. So, I think the most important thing is that I stick to doing it from the heart. That I respect music and I do my best to make it sound as beautiful as I can," said Lowdermilk.

Lowdermilk's worldly experiences have shaped her unique outlook that shines through in her music.