POP

Lang Lang

Pianist Lang Lang, 21, has stormed to the top of the classical charts with his No. 1 CD Tchaikovsky/ Mendelssohn: First Piano Concertos, and everyone from Jay Leno to The New York Times has gushed over his technical virtuosity and fresh-faced appeal. The native of Shenyang, China, is in the midst of a world tour.

WHIZ KID "When I was 5, I played my first recital and I won the competition," says Lang, who got hooked on classical music from watching cartoons. "Tom & Jerry had just come to China at the time, and all the music in the cartoon is classical. I would move with the music."

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON "My father plays the erhu, a two-string instrument that we call the Chinese violin. When I play Carnegie Hall in November, I'm going to bring him out to perform a duet."

POP FAN "I like Eminem, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. I watch MTV, because I think about how we can bring classical music to MTV."