Han Hong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Han Hong | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ingdzinndroma |
| Born | September 26, 1971 Shigatse, Tibet |
Han Hong (Simplified Chinese:韩红; born September 26, 1971; Born Ingdzinndroma) is the stage name of an eminent Chinese singer with Tibetan origins, whose prominence came from her signature works Tibetan Plateau and more recently, Heaven's road (天路). She is also a songwriter who specializes in Chinese folk music.
Her singing has distinctive Tibetan characteristics. She's able to shift freely from piercing high pitches to soft low tones. She once said that if she hadn't become fascinated by pop music, she would have become a Tibetan folk singer.
[edit] Biography
Born in Shigatse, Tibet's second largest city after Lhasa, Han Hong inherited her mother's talent as a singer. When she was very young, she used to watch her mother, a renowned Tibetan singer, sing and dance on stage. She aspired to herself one day perform before great audiences.
On Christmas Eve 2003, Han staged her first ever solo concert at the Capital Gymnasium. More than twenty of her hits were presented in a luxurious treat for her fans. Her mum was also invited on stage to sing the song On the Gold Mountain in Beijing, together with Han. A popular folk song in China, the piece was first sung by Han's mother in the 1950s.
Quite a number of Han Hong's songs relate to her roots in Tibet. In her mind, her hometown hasn't changed in any way since the day she left at the age of nine. In the song Hometown, she sings an ode to the vast land, and recalls her carefree childhood. The song throws light on the mysterious and rich culture of Tibet, and swept various pop song billboards across China, collecting more than forty awards in three months.
In October last year, Han organized a charity concert in her hometown. With the plateau's thin air, singers endured a harsh time. All money earned from the concert was donated to a local disabled children's charity.
Although she mainly deals with Tibetan themes, as a pop singer in Beijing, Han Hong has had a lot of exposure to different styles of music. Her influences include Jazz, R-n-B, Rock-n-Roll, as well as Latin music, which are all reflected in her work.
Han Hong had neither the stunning looks nor the slim figure that are usually associated with successful pop singers, but she persevered despite low social expectations, and was unwavering in her pursuit of a career in music. Now she's acclaimed for being one of the few versatile female musicians in the country who not only sings well, but is also an accomplished songwriter.
Since she began composing in 1993, Han Hong has written a number of popular songs for other singers. Most of the songs on her own albums are her own. Daybreak is one that she wrote that is based on a true story, which moved her considerably.
At the moment that the cable car fell and crashed, the father tried his best to hold his son high. The two-year-old kid survived, while her parents both died. Deeply touched by the story, Han also adopted the kid. She said she feels empathy with the boy, more than others, since she herself lost her father at the age of six.
Han was also invited to write and sing the theme song for Hong Kong action star Michelle Yeoung's film The Touch. Combined elements of classical Tibetan folk music with pop music, the song was sung in Tibetan.
At the same time as embracing success, Han Hong also made many of her own dreams come true. She even established her own music label under the record company she signed. The thirty-something hopes to explore and train more talented Chinese singers, giving them a helping hand on the rocky road.
Singer-Songwriter Han Hong said, "I've experienced a hard time when I started singing. At that time, I was bothered that nobody appreciated me, and no one helped me. Now I've had a strong enough base, both financially and socially. I'm willing to help other real talented musicians fulfill their musical dreams, and become the top singers in China."
In 2006, after the completion of the Qingzang Railway, the railway link from Tibet to the rest of China, Han returned to prominence with the one of the biggest Chinese contemporary hits of the year, Heaven's Road, a song praising the railway as having a positive effect on the Tibetan people.
