The last time Adam Young, under his Owl City alias, performed in Beijing's live house venue in 2009, he entertained nearly a thousand screaming fans at Yugong Yishan.

The reaction of the fans "was definitely a culture shock. I couldn't wait to come back after that trip".

Since then his career has skyrocketed and Young is coming back to China with major concerts scheduled in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong this August.

He promises that even though electronic pop is his trademark, the concerts will be much more like rock 'n' roll.

His career started far from mega-venues and adoring fans. His parents' basement in Owatonna, Minnesota five years ago, was his training ground.

Young, 27, launched his career by uploading songs he recorded to the Internet and this led to a major label contract.

His debut album Ocean Eyes, including the hit single Fireflies, sold more than a million copies in 2009. The follow up All Things Bright and Beautiful garnered wide critical acclaim.

"I think they saw Owl City as representing the future of our business. A kid in a tiny town in rural US being able to make songs in his basement that sounded like Top 40 radio could never have happened 10 years ago," his manager Steve Bursky said in an interview.

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