Among other things, I've decided to blog about some of the Chinese music that I've discovered that I find appealing, interesting or amusing. So, first up, is an eclectic Chinese singer musician that mixes Chinese folk rock with additional influences such as Uyghur music and Sichuan opera.
Dāo Láng (刀郎) is a Chinese singer who became popular after the release of his 2003 album The First Snows of 2002 (年的第一場雪). The album became a surprise blockbuster, reportedly selling 2.7 million copies, an exceptionally high sales figure in a country where far more pirated than legal copies are sold and considering that his previous album sold only about 2000 copies. First Snows also had almost no planned marketing or promotion to generate sales. Instead, it was played initially in record stores (which still existed in 2003) largely through the efforts of a Chinese record producer, Song Ke. From record/video stores, the CD spead to clothing stores, beauty salons, etc. throughout China.
"Many people say my voice is unique. The fact is that I have combined the bold and rough Uygur music with the high pitch of Sichuan opera. The result is I have created something different."
Like most musicians, Dao Lang wasn't an overnight success. He has stated in interviews that in the early years of his music career, like most Chinese musicians, found it virtually impossible to make a living and sometimes earned only 20 RMB (about U.S. $3.00) a night.
Since achieving commercial success, Dao Lang has remained a bit elusive, preferring to live a relatively private life out of the limelight. For the past several years, he has been quiet, not releasing new music or touring much. However, earlier this year, Dao Lang started touring again in major Chinese cities, beginning in Beijing in May.
Dao Lang has received some criticism in China for being a Han Chinese (China's majority ethnicity) stereotyping ethnic minorities such as the Uyghurs. Personally, I often tend to like musicians who mix different styles of music in some original way and Dao Lang has successfully done that. To my knowledge, Dao Lang hasn't pretended to be a member any Chinese ethnic minorities . Instead, he's simply incorporated elements from several of these minorities music into his own. By doing so, he's probably brought Uyghur music to the attention of a much greater audience than it would have otherwise had.
Posts
