The band members are lead vocalist-guitarist Along, trumpeter-vocalist Amai, drummer Chuimi, and bassist Wanli. [Photo by Zhou Chen/For China Daily]

They have not let fame go to their heads. They are still living and working in Lianping. Both Ouyang and Mai are teachers at local primary and middle schools. Ye runs a musical instrument store, which serves as the band's rehearsal studio. The drummer Li lives in Beijing. They travel back and forth at weekends to rehearse and perform.

They've been in Beijing since early last month for the album release and rehearsals for their upcoming nationwide tour that will kick off on Dec 26 in Beijing and take in 21 cities until March 2021.

"We look forward to the tour because of our fans. We enjoy the atmosphere of performing live-it is intimate and raw," says Ouyang.

The idea of releasing the debut album started a year ago. The 12 songs on the album tell the story of a young man, named Amin, from his teenage years to his adulthood. The band first introduced the character of Amin during the 2018 contest and the original plan was to release three songs about Amin as a trilogy.

However, they decided to develop the character into a full story.

"The ambitious young man represents all of us. We all experience similar emotions as we grow up, so the listeners will see themselves through the songs," Ouyang says.