Drums' beats pierce the air of a small village road in Beijing's Changping District. They flow from a brightly-painted dance studio where Cameroonian drummer Abbe Simon is hard at work.

"Music is a sound and a language. When we play, the drums are speaking. The performer is speaking with drums," he said and then delivered a fast scat beat with his voice. "Drummers are really playing and speaking."

The choreographer, dancer and musician features on "CGTN The Stage," which airs on May 31, where his African drum beats blend with the notes of the traditional Chinese guzheng instrument and the electric guitar. The drums he plays are the djembe, the kalangu, or talking drums, and the calabash drums.

Simon, who also goes by the stage name Abbe Shushu, balances a busy schedule of running a dance company at the Changping studio in the outer suburbs of Beijing, recording music at studios in the city, staging dance performances and touring music from his album "Perseverance". Since moving the Abbe Dance Company to China in 2018, he has been choreographing and staging performances for arts festivals, theater shows and cultural centers across China; among these was the honor of doing a Belt and Road-themed segment for the China Media Group Spring Festival Gala in 2020, believed to be the biggest and most watched TV show in the world. Thanks to a dance exchange partnership between Cameroon and China, he first came to China in 2008 on a tour with the Cameroon National Ballet. He performed at an Africa Night event that took place around the time of the Beijing Olympic Games.

"I don't have any problem making sure the dance and music move forward. You just need to have a clear vision. I work with managers and I focus more on the creative process and giving my ideas life. Both are my priorities. People are my priority too. I hope to touch people with something that is beautiful and powerful; when I see people vibing and dancing, and enjoying the music or dance performance, that is amazing."

"Perseverance" is a 13-track album that is now available on music streaming platforms. It features a wide variety of music influences, which Simon attributes to his heritage and travels.

"My background is culturally rich: I sing in French, English, Pidgin, Chinese and Bantu languages. The music has elements of rock, afrobeats, blues, soul and rap. This is quite a colorful mix… When I travel, perhaps in Cameroon or elsewhere, and I meet someone interesting, I will work with them and produce something. So on this album, I have collaborators from Cameroon, France, China, Ghana, the US and South Africa… If an arrangement is complex, I may send it to friends overseas for mixing. This helps me bring in different sounds from rock, funk, blues and soul to afrobeats and amapiano."

Collaboration is a driving force for him, something that adds the diversity of sound to his music. He highlights the electro track "Waka Waka," which features the beats of South Africa's gqom music. His single "Yao Bai" features the sounds of guzheng thanks to a collaboration with musician Lucy Luan, who is also seen playing alongside Simon on "CGTN The Stage".

"When Lucy (Luan) and I did that performance of guzheng, drums and electric guitar (on The Stage), the instruments were tools we used to create a special sound. What I like about Chinese culture are the sounds. I truly love the guzheng, I like its sound. I also like the similarities we have. You can find some sounds that Chinese traditional instruments have, that we also have in African instruments."

Cultural and music exchange is clearly a key to his success, as he hopes to continue on this path. A touching moment took place off-camera at The Stage, when percussion students approached him backstage for an impromptu jam session. The curiosity and shared passion in this moment was immense.

"I found young people from the China Conservatory of Music were interested in the African drums and wanted to understand them. There is an amazing opportunity here. I do play Chinese drums and I will take more time to learn about them. Seeing the interest of the young drummers from the conservatory was amazing."