Yungchen Lhamo

Visit Yungchen's official site here.

Standing center stage at WOMAD Reading, a diminutive, solitary figure in traditional pink and black brocade is decorating her rapt audience with vocal garlands. "I am only an ordinary woman, born in Lhasa in the land of Tibet," sings Yungchen Lhamo. "I weave each note into a chain of flowers for you/I'll offer this in the hope that it will soothe and ease both body and mind."

"When I sing I am visualizing that I am making an offering of song to all the highest spiritual beings and pleased by it they shower down blessings on everyone who actively listens to the songs. I hope that people can feel it and that the blessings can inspire them to think of their own spirituality - something that many people tend to forget about and ignore. I hope that when people hear my songs they feel inspired - that is the reason why I sing."

Yungchen Lhamo's name was bestowed on her as a child by a holy man. Translated, it means "Goddess of Melody and Song". At pains to stress there is nothing special about her, Yungchen Lhamo sings in order to uplift and inspire listeners to pursue a spiritual path. Buddha

Hers is a singular voice of clarion-like beauty, a moment of sobering inspiration amidst the festival hullabaloo. Whether unaccompanied, backed by percussion and strings, layered over an audience chanting the Om mantra or captured on CD, the effect is spine tingling. Yungchen Lhamo receives a standing ovation with the same grace as she offers her blessings.

Before her live performances, Yungchen Lhamo puts herself into a meditative state. "I visualise all the Buddhas, all the saints, all the body chakras, all the spiritual beings, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama," she says, "so that when I go to sing I'm offering the beauty of the songs to them. I hope that, pleased, they will rain down blessings on the people listening - not just to the singer. When I sing, it's the interdependence with the audience that creates the quality and beauty of my voice. It doesn't matter whether you are a Buddhist or not, as long as you have a good heart," Yungchen Lhamo states.

TIBET TIBET 62363 Real World

Lyrically, the songs on the album are offerings. Par Panee Dawa Shar likens moonrise to her Lama's face, hoping that - by offering song and dance to him - he will shower down his blessings. Lama Dorje Chang asks the Dalai Lama to bless us with his enlightened mind. Om Mani Padme Hung is the Tibetan mantra, and Ari-Lo tells of entering a new land. At first, sings Yungchen Lhamo, the land may seem hostile, like a fearful stranger, but knowledge can lead to it becoming as close as a lover. The final track - telling of the strife besetting Tibet, the bravery of its people and the confidence that the Dalai Lama will one day preside again - utilizes a full orchestra, courtesy of technological software. "You can't see the people, it's an invisible orchestra," giggles Yungchen Lhamo. "They fell from the sky."

Her voice is transcendingly pure and her story is utterly inspiring. Since her arrival in the States she has performed for a sold out Carnegie Hall as a part of the Tibet House Benefit Concert in February 1997, has gotten loads of press, including features in Tricycle and Rhythm magazines. Audience feedback has been unanimously positive. "People get very emotional," she says. "Many say they feel as if they've had a spiritual experience while I've been singing. Women come up to me afterwards, feeling inspired by the fact that a tiny woman alone can be so sweet and yet have so much power and force with her stories of escaping Tibet."

Yungchen Lhamo appears on the long awaited "Lilith Fair" CD collection, released on June 28, 1998 by Arista Records. She performs a beautiful a cappella version of Lama Dorje Chang recorded live at the Columbus OH show in summer 1997.

Yungchen Lhamo's new album COMING HOME was produced by Hector Zazou. The album continues her exploration of spirituality through music yet makes a brave departure from the purely a cappella performances of her debut album. Using modern studio treatments and multi-tracked vocal effects, Yungchen explores the range and nuances of her voice as demonstrated so creatively on recordings by fellow Real World artist Sheila Chandra.

For more information on Yungchen Lhamo, please visit her official site at www.yungchenlhamo.freeuk.com

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