During the height of the backlash against Chinese actress Fan Bingbing last year over her tax evasion, fans of her singer-brother Fan Chengcheng feared the worst for him.

Talk had it that he could not tour overseas with his bandmates and he himself said he did not know if he would still be on stage in years to come, even if he did not want to quit because show business is his passion.

Fan Bingbing, who topped Forbes' 2017 list of highest earners in China with 300 million yuan (S$60 million), has since taken steps to resuscitate her career after she was fined 883 million yuan by the authorities.

Fan Chengcheng, 19, has also found a second wind in his sails, with the announcement on Sept 4 of Rihanna's Fenty Beauty brand tapping him as the spokesman in China.

That high-profile endorsement has been lauded by his fans, with many going online to say that they would support the brand which, like all global big names, see China as a major market to boost their profits.

The Fenty Beauty feather in his cap comes in the wake of another prestigious endorsement from French fashion house Louis Vuitton.

In May, it ran a marketing campaign that featured celebrities, including Fan Chengcheng, to promote its bags.