Jiwei Zou has been drawn to music composition since high school, when he formed his metal band Aranox in Beijing in 2014. Even before he could read music, he had already written a 60-minute metal song, "Wanderer," and performed live across the city.

In college, Zou studied music composition at the University of Rochester, where he developed a deep affinity for neo-romanticism — particularly under the influence of Finnish maestro Einojuhani Rautavaara. In 2022, his symphonic poem "Geng-Tsu" won the Mostly Modern Festival orchestra composition contest and earned one of only two premiere slots. His chamber work "Nebulae" for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano, performed by the American Modern Ensemble, was also premiered at the same festival.

Zou's music spans orchestra, chamber music, film, games, and metal — all unified by a neo-romantic voice characterized by rich harmonic language and profound emotional depth. His work has earned numerous international awards, including two Special Prizes at the Iseshima Popular Music Composition Competition, a Platinum Award at the Fenix International Music Competition, a Second Prize at the WCMA International Composition Competition, and two Platinum Prizes at the Debussy International Music Competition.