Alan Dawa Dolma
Template:Infobox Chinese-language singer and actor Alan Dawa Dolma (Tibetan: Alan Dawa Dolma ཨ་ལན་ཟླ་བ་སྒྲོལ་མ་; Chinese: 阿兰达瓦卓玛; Pinyin: Ālán Dáwǎ Zhuōmǎ; born in 1987), professionally known as alan (Japanese: アラン, Chinese: 阿兰 or 阿蘭), is a female Chinese singer of Tibetan descent active in the Japanese music industry. Discovered by Avex Trax at an audition in China in 2006, she made her debut in Japan the following year. Her main producer and composer is Kazuhito Kikuchi and she is also known for playing the erhu.
In 2009, her ninth Japanese single "Kuon no Kawa" debuted at #3 on the Oricon weekly charts, the highest ever by a singer from China.[1]
Biography
Early life
A native of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, China, Alan was born in Kangding, but grew up with her grandparents in nearby Danba, often referred to as "Beauty Valley".[2] Alan's father was a local government official and her mother was a singer in the local Art Troupe. She started to play the erhu at an early age, and in 1997 left her hometown for the Affiliated Middle & High School of the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in Chengdu, after ranking first in the erhu audition as a fourth grader.
In 2003 she was accepted to the prestigious PLA Art Academy in Beijing and double majored in vocal music and erhu. Playing the erhu, she performed traditional Chinese music with a group of girls at the 2006 gala performance near Cairo, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Egypt diplomatic ties.[3]
During this time, Alan also performed as a singer throughout China. In 2005 she released her first Chinese album, Sheng Sheng Zui Ru Lan, covering songs by more established C-pop singers. In October 2006, selected to represent mainland China together with Wei Chen (with whom she later collaborated for Jia You! Ni You ME!), Alan won second place at the 9th Asia New Singer Competition,[4] narrowly losing to Filipina singer Maria Donna Taneo by 0.005 points.
Career as an Avex Artist
In April 2006, Alan distinguished herself from roughly 40,000 hopefuls when Avex Trax held auditions throughout Chinese cities that year. After graduating with excellence a year later, she became Avex's first inked artist from China and moved to Tokyo, Japan in September 2007. In November 2007, her first Japanese single "Ashita e no Sanka" was released.
In May 2008, Alan released Shiawase no Kane/Ai Jiu Shi Shou and all profits from the songs were donated to the Red Cross to help the victims of the Sichuan Earthquake in her home province.[5] A later Japanese single titled Gunjou no Tani was also dedicated to the people of Sichuan.
In June 2008, Alan sang the theme song Natsukashii Mirai: longing future for NHK's Save the Future special TV programs which raised awareness of the environment nationwide. Beginning with this song, which was themed on earth, Alan's next five Japanese singles each dealt with a traditional Buddhist element from the Japanese Godai or Tibetan Bön.
Chosen to sing the theme songs (Xin Zhan: Red Cliff and Chi Bi: Da Jiang Dong Qu) of the two-episode Chinese blockbuster Red Cliff, Alan performed at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008.[6] The Japanese versions Red Cliff: Shin-Sen and Kuon no Kawa were recorded for the films' showings in Japan.
Personal
In addition to Mandarin Chinese and Japanese, Alan also sings in Tibetan, especially in her native Kham Ke (e.g. "sign" in Hitotsu and "Tennyo ~interlude~" in Voice of Earth). Alan is still learning Japanese. In addition to erhu, Alan can also play the piano. She has recently started composing her own songs (e.g. "Together" in Voice of Earth).
Alan is a Tibetan Buddhist[7] and aims to sing about "love and peace".[8] One distinctive singing style of alan's is the so-called "Tibetan wail", where she is able to stretch her vocals for a long period of time at very high notes.
Discography
Japanese Discography
Albums
| Release | Title | Daily Peak | Weekly Peak | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Voice of Earth" | 10 | 15 | 25,025 |
Singles
| Release | Title | Daily Peak | Weekly Peak | Sales | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Ashita e no Sanka" | — | 69 | 4,729 | "Voice of Earth" |
| 2008 | "Hitotsu" | — | 100 | 1,486 | |
| "Shiawase no Kane"1/2 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Natsukashii Mirai: Longing Future" | 13 | 19 | 10,267 | "Voice of Earth" | |
| "Sora Uta" | 19 | 34 | 4,537 | ||
| "Kaze no Tegami" | 25 | 34 | 3,914 | ||
| "Red Cliff: Shin-Sen" | 15 | 23 | 15,642 | ||
| "Megumi no Ame" | 22 | 30 | 5,422 | ||
| 2009 | "Gunjou no Tani" | 20 | 30 | 4,580 | |
| "Kuon no Kawa" | 1 | 3 | 37,740 | Unknown | |
| "Ballad: Namonaki Koi no Uta" | 7 | 11 | 8,936 | ||
| "Swear" |
Guest Vocal
| Release | Album and Song |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Tokyo Pudding presents "Tokyo Soundscapes"
3. Jane Doe (voices: Itsco, Olivia Burrell, alan, YO!su-K & Makking) |
| Rin' "Genji Nostalgie" (源氏ノスタルジー)
3. Sennen no Niji (千年の虹; Thousand-Year-Long Rainbow) | |
| 2009 | "Disney's Dream Pop" (Tribute to Tokyo Disney Resort 25th Anniversary)
5. Yume wa Hisoka ni (夢はひそかに; A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes) |
Chinese Discography
Albums
| Release | Title |
|---|---|
| 2005/2006 | "Sheng Sheng Zui Ru Lan/Yu Jian alan" |
| 2009 | "Xin De Dong Fang" |
Singles
| Release | Song Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Ai Jiu Shi Shou"1/2 | "Xin De Dong Fang" |
| "Xin Zhan: Red Cliff" | ||
| "Jia You! Ni You Me!"(feat. Wei Chen)1 | ||
| "Chi Bi: Da Jiang Dong Qu"1 |
1 Digital Single
2 Charity Single
References
- ^ Template:Ja icon"Red Cliff II Theme Song by Chinese Singer Charts No. 3". Sponichi Annex (Mainichi Shimbun). Retrieved 2009-04-15.
- ^ Template:Cn icon"Netease Interview: Alan Hopes to Serve as a Bridge between China and Japan". Netease. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
- ^ Template:Cn icon"Official Photo Gallery of the traditional instrumental group Huan Sha Girls". Huan Sha Girls. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
- ^ Gil, Baby A. (November 6, 2006). "Glorious Pinoy Victory in Shanghai". Retrieved 2008-10-14.
- ^ Poole, Robert Michael (July 10, 2008). "Asian Stars United by Earthquake Disaster". Retrieved 2008-10-14.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (May 21, 2008). "Parties around Cannes: Avex at Apex of Shindigs". Retrieved 2008-10-14.
- ^ Template:Ja icon"Huang Xiaoming Visits Japan and Holds Charity Events for Sichuan". LiveTaiwan. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
- ^ Template:Ja icon"alan Overwhelms Audiences, Wishes to Sing about Love and Peace". NTV. Retrieved 2009-04-21.