Ou Hao, a young singer from Pingtan county, missed the title of Happy Boys - an annual talent show in China - by a whisker on Sept 27.

Ou led the voting from judges after performing his last song, Goodbye, before Hua Chengyu, from Hubei province, received more votes from the audience and came up on top.

Hua finished with 1,606 points, while Ou received1376. Bai Jugang, from Sichuan province, claimed the third place.

With his distinctive rapping style and look, Ou remained one of the most popular contestants throughout the show, which lasted four months. And the number of his Weibo followers reached more than 720,000.

Opinion leaders also seemed to be in agreement that Ou is set for stardom, and Hong Kong actor and singer, Nicholas Tse, promised to invite Ou to sing the theme song for his next movie.

Though he did not win the top prize, Ou managed to put things in perspective.

"I was really exhausted after all these months of competition. But – on the bright side - I have gained much experience that would usually take someone years to get," he told the Pingtan Times the day after the final.

At the age of 21, Ou, unlike many of his peers, is already independent. He left his home in Pingtan to study in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. After graduating from an art school, he opened a store selling cakes, in partnership with his friends in Guangzhou, and he was usually too busy to return home.

During the show's final, the director played a clip of Ou's birthplace - a fishing village in suburban Pingtan. His family and friends brought local snacks – all of which reminded Ou of his childhood. He said that one day he may open a branch of his store in Pingtan and hold a meeting for fans or a small concert at the store.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Niva Whyman