A Uygur singer's road to music
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail icrosschina.com, October 24, 2014
Music from Taklamakan Desert
 |
|
Photo shows that Wang Feng, a popular Chinese rock singer, was singing with Perhat. [Xinhua Photo] |
"I want back to childhood, lying in your arms, sitting behind you on a bike, Papa; I want to eat noodles cooked by you, wear sweater knitted by you, steal a cookie from you, Mama..."
Perhat Halik often dedicates songs and music to his parents, who have passed away. The emotion he imbued into the song while performing on Voice of China moved the audience, earning raucous applause despite most being unable to understand the lyrics sung in Uygur, the language of Perhat Halik's hometown of far west China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
He said wherever he goes, his love for hometown and family are the inspiration and soul of his songs.
His was born in Makit, a county of Xinjiang's Kashgar Prefecture and bordering Taklamakan Desert. Despite living among several different ethnic groups known for singing and dancing, Perhat Halik showed little interest in Xinjiang folk music at a young age.
At the age of six, he found a broken guitar while rummaging through things at home and began playing it everyday.
When that guitar became unusable, his father sent him a new one as a gift, cementing his path into the world of music.
Still, he showed little interest in the folk music of his hometown.
In late 1990s, he became part of the rock and roll movement that swept across China, growing his hair long and obsessing with heavy metal. At one point, he considered a tattoo, he said.
But his attitude toward traditional Xinjiang music changed while he studied painting at the Xinjiang Arts University in Urumqi, the regional capital.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)