“Sa Dingding deserves to be the first Chinese singer-songwriter to become a celebrity in the west”
**** GUARDIAN
With her unmistakable unique voice and distinctive musical vision, SA DINGDING represents an original creative passion affected by ethnic diversity and shaped by a modern China. As the first artist in her country to sing in Sanskrit and even in an entirely self-created language - otherwise its in Mandarin or Tibetan - she beautifully combines traditional Chinese folk music with Western electronica and influences of classical and soul. The result is a richly layered tapestry of the ethereal, escapist, eclectic and simply unforgettable.
As a singer, musician, composer and choreographer, Dingding owes her original style to an intriguing background and array of diverse interests. Born in Mongolia to a Mongolian mother and Chinese father, she was fascinated by ethnic-minority music styles from a young age. "Before we start to talk," she says with philosophical ponder, "we know how to sing." She is a multi-instrumentalist, playing the zheng (a Chinese zither with 25 strings), Chinese drum, Chinese gong and horse-head fiddle (a bow-stringed instrument with a scroll carved like a horse's head). Her musical mentors include the famous Chinese music producers Zhang Hong Guang and He Xun Tian.
At age 18, she released her debut album, and quickly earned repute as the "Best Dance Music Singer" in China. By 1998, her curiosity in Buddhism, Dyana Yoga and Sanskrit unleashed her creative spirit and pushed her musical boundaries. Buddhism taught her to express with her heart and connect with nature, the meditations of yoga built up her inner peace and spiritual being, and learning Sanskrit encouraged her to create her own language, where new words formed from emotions evoked by music. She is also well versed in Tibetan chanting and chorus singing in the near-extinct Lagu language. Her secret to honing so many disciplines is solemnity. "Loneliness is the best way for me to become more creative," she says.
Dingding's talents have been recognized with the most prestigious invitations and collaborations on offer in her country. She's a regular performer at CCTV and MTV events, including the 2006 MTV Style Gala and 8th CCTV-MTV Video Music Awards. In 2005, after meeting the highly respected American musician Eric T. Johnson of the Recording Academy (that presents the Grammy Awards), she was invited to visit the US, representing China for an exchange trip in "culture and music communication."
Having won best artist for Asia/Pacific at the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards in the UK and countless plaudits through the UK press and media, Dingding is set to tour Europe.
Signed to Universal Music in 2006, she is a very special choice to lead China onto the world stage. With engaging beauty and graceful reverence, Dingding makes getting "lost in translation" a wonderful experience in unexpected pleasure.
