She met Zhang Xiaogang in 1998 and started studying under him a year later.

His first lesson was to paint whatever she wanted, be it a coffee cup or a skull. Then Zhang Xiaogang told her to tell stories with her paintings. This suited Ai, since she'd been telling stories with her music.

Ai released her last album Dream Or Not, while practicing as an artist in 2003.

When she returned to China from New York to promote the album, she realized that the music scene had totally changed.

"Lip-synching, boring interviews and entertainment shows were very disappointing," Ai says.

She then decided to stop being a singer-songwriter.

Her biggest break as a contemporary artist came in November 2012, when she held an exhibition titled I Love Ai Jing at the National Museum of China, bringing such artworks as My Mom and My Hometown, a tapestry of woolen patches knit by Ai's mother and decorated with the English word "love".

"I was first impressed by Ai's lyrics, especially the song Wandering Swallow. Such poetic lyrics are rarely seen today, which is a pity," says Jin, who's also the Chinese Musicians Association's deputy secretary-general.

"We miss the music scene of the early 1990s because the songs were artworks. Today, most songs are just commercial products."

Jin says he and Ai have continued to occasionally meet since she became a full time artist.

"Good for her," Jin says.

"She has found a new outlet to express herself."