Li Deru, known online as @Auntie Ru, has attracted around 800,000 followers and millions of likes on Chinese and international social media platforms. Besides English, she performs songs in Italian, Hindi, Thai, Japanese and Korean.

Her repertoire includes hits such as "Poker Face," "Jar of Love," Justin Bieber's "Baby" and Taylor Swift's "Love Story." Her cover of "APT.," the global hit by Rosé and Bruno Mars, received 1.6 million likes and even earned praise from Rosé herself.

Li lives in a village in Shantou, Guangdong Province, where she mainly speaks the local Teochew dialect rather than standard Mandarin, according to Baidu.

Li Deru performs at an event. Photo from Douyin

She left school after the fourth grade and never received formal foreign-language training, but developed a lasting interest in Western films and English-language music.

Li married at 21 and later set up a factory with her husband in their hometown. As her son and daughter grew up and started families of their own, she devoted much of her time to caring for her grandchildren.

After retiring six years ago and handing the factory over to her son, Li finally had more time to pursue her passion for music. She enrolled in singing lessons and has since maintained a schedule of two classes a week.

Her decision initially met resistance from most of her family, who believed singing was an unsuitable pursuit for someone her age. Her son was the exception, encouraging her to follow her passion.

Li began studying with Cai Xiuqin, a local singer who runs a music school and specializes in Western songs. Cai said Li initially struggled to pronounce English words correctly.

Unable to read the Roman alphabet, Li developed her own method: writing Teochew characters beneath foreign-language lyrics as phonetic guides to help her reproduce the sounds.

Cai described Li as her "most diligent and hardworking student."

Li made her first public appearance at a local festival in January 2023. Encouraged by the positive response from the audience, she began sharing videos of her performances online.

This year, she made a cameo appearance in "Dear You," a popular film showcasing Chaoshan culture, and joined its promotional tour across several Chinese cities. She later performed before an audience of 10,000 at a festive event in Macau.

"I have more than realised my dream. I am happy and grateful," Li told the South China Morning Post. "My fans give me confidence. I will continue to work hard and pursue my passion for music."