Chinese singer Sun Nan (right) poses with The Recording Academy's President/CEO Neil Portnow on February 11 (FILE)

Chinese singer Sun Nan--the winner of China Star , a large-scale pop music TV show authorized by The Recording Academy in China--has been honored with The Recording Academy's President's Merit Award on February 11.

Presented by Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow, the honor marks the successful partnership between The Recording Academy and the China Recording Association to build an effective channel for Sino-U.S. cultural exchange.

China Star  was produced by Starry Production in partnership with Dragon TV, the China Recording Association and The Recording Academy. The show provided an outlet to introduce outstanding Chinese musicians to the world by creating a platform for international music and cultural exchange. An international judging panel was formed with representatives from the China Recording Association and The Recording Academy, including Academy Trustees Mindi Abair, Peter Asher, Beth Cohen, and Harvey Mason Jr.

Sun became a professional singer at age 21 and released his debut album, The Moon , in 1990. In addition to winning China Star , his professional résumé includes performances at China's Spring Festival Gala and singing a main title song for the 1998 Chinese film Be There Or Be Square.

(Source: Grammy.com)