Halin is flying high
Updated: 2011-11-18 11:00
By Chen Nan (China Daily)
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Halin's voice sounds like "something between heaven and Earth". Zou Hong / China Daily |
Known as the "Mongolia Enya" and a real-life princess, the singer is about to make her debut on the Beijing stage. Chen Nan reports.
Singer Halin recalls a spring day school outing when she was 6 in her hometown of Ejina, in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. A nomad passed by, bowed and addressed her as "dear princess" -startling her classmates. She is from one of the four major subgroups of the Four Qirats of Mongolia, and her mother's father was prince of the 13th generation of the Torghut clan.
The clan moved west to Volga in 1630 after the Four Qirat Alliance collapsed and returned to Mongolia in 1771.
The group of about 300,000 people and 6 million animals suffered from raids and starvation, and was reduced to just 85,000 survivors after eight months, before settling near the Ejin River.
"I have been called 'princess' since I was born," says Halin, whose name in Mongolian means "flying high".
"My mother told me never to forget my identity. It's my faith," the 27-year-old, who now lives in Beijing, says.
"I grew up with the family legends and received a lot of respect because of my blood line. Though the times have changed and we live ordinary lives now, the spirit of our family still remains."
When she was growing up there was no TV or other distractions, she says, just folksongs and stories about her family and clan. She adds that her grandma would sing when she cooked, sewed or worked in the garden and this inspired her to sing, too.
Halin believes her family history as a Torghut descendant helped mold her distinctive voice and stage presence.
"My vocal range is wide because I sang and shouted everyday. I can easily hit the high and low notes."
Known as the "Mongolia Enya", Halin will hold her first concerts in Beijing on Nov 25 and Nov 26 at Century Theater.
She has an exotic appearance and wears a mishmash of self-designed ethnic clothing, bangles and feather earrings.
She typically sings century-old Mongolian folk songs that express her love of her hometown.
She learned Mandarin at 6 and became a soldier at 13, following her parents' bidding because they wanted her to be an independent and confident person. She continued her studies at Minzu University of China when she was 16.
She recorded her first song at age 16. The four albums she produced before 2007 were all in Mongolian. Her 2011 album is the first on which she sings in Mandarin.
"A friend of mine told me lots of bars in Lijiang, Yunnan province, play my songs. I was surprised to hear my music has traveled so far," she says. "It makes me believe good music will always be recognized."
Her friend, actress Wulan Qiqige, grew up with Halin in Ejina and is a loyal fan.
"She usually writes lyrics and reads them to me, which vividly reminds me of our hometown," the 26-year-old actress says
"We live in Beijing and listen to all sorts of music. I also like Jay Chou, but I believe Halin's songs will last."
Halin's parents were not keen, initially, about her becoming a singer, partly because of her lineage and also because they wanted her to have a stable life like her younger sister, a government officer.
"But I think that singing about my hometown is a way of spreading Mongolian culture. And since I am a princess, I have a responsibility to do this."
In her songs, she advocates protection of the grasslands, portrays the beauty of the rivers and mountain and tells of her childhood.
For her upcoming Beijing concerts, Halin will perform with Altan Urag, a Mongolian folk band formed in 2002 that combines traditional Mongolian and contemporary influences. Their music was used as a backing track for such movies as 2006's Khadak and the 2007 epic Mongol.
"I want audiences to experience genuine Mongolian music that comes from our hearts," Halin says.
Composer Qin Wanming has been Halin's producer since her debut album and was responsible for naming the two concerts "Mongolian Princess".
"We had several options, but I think this one is best. It defines the singer," Qin says.
"Her voice sounds like something between heaven and Earth. I can feel the belief, love and yearning she expresses. It's like the Torghut's return to the east, an epic that cannot to be duplicated."