Though West was born in Atlanta, he accompanied his mother to China in 1987 when he was 10 years old and she secured a one-year teaching job in Nanjing.

According to the singer, he became proficient enough in Chinese to interpret for his mother at restaurants and stores.

“I think that got me ready to be a celebrity because, at that time, a lot of Chinese had never seen a black person and I was in the spotlight everywhere,” he told the Shanghai Daily.

He also said that he may perform martial arts at his concert and even sing a Chinese song.