Yungchen Lhamo
Yungchen Lhamo in 2016
Yungchen Lhamo in 2016
Background information
Born1960s
OriginLhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China
GenresNew-age, traditional, world
Years active1990–present
LabelsReal World Records
Websiteyungchenlhamo.com

Yungchen Lhamo (Tibetan: དབྱངས་ཅན་ལྷ་མོ, lhamo meaning "goddess of song") is a Tibetan singer-songwriter living in the United States. She won the ARIA Award for Best World Music Album in 1995 and was then signed by Peter Gabriel's Real World record label.

Life and career

Lhamo's name means "goddess of song" (lhamo), a name given to her by a Buddhist monk at birth.[1]

Lhamo left Tibet in 1989 to make a pilgrimage to Dharamsala.[2] She was inspired to reach out to the world through her music. She moved to Australia in 1993,[1] then to New York City in 2000.

Lhamo's Australian debut album, Tibetan Prayer, produced by John Prior, won the ARIA Award for Best World Music Album in 1995.[3] The success of that record led to her signing with Peter Gabriel's Real World label. Her first record for the label, Tibet, Tibet, mainly features a cappella renditions of original compositions—authentic Tibetan Buddhist prayers and songs. Her next recording, Coming Home, was a collaboration with producer Hector Zazou, showcasing her voice and also featuring chanting by Tibetan monks, a wide range of mostly modern Western instruments and the benefits of multi-track recording which enabled Lhamo's voice to be layered repeatedly.

According to the Times Herald Record, Lhamo has toured extensively in at least 70 countries, singing a combination of her own songs and traditional Buddhist chants and mantras. She has performed and recorded with other artists, including Natalie Merchant,[4] Peter Gabriel,[5] Annie Lennox,[6] Billy Corgan,[7] and Bono.[8][1] Lhamo's recordings have been used in the film Seven Years in Tibet and many Tibetan documentaries.[9] She has performed at venues such as London's Royal Festival Hall, New York City's Carnegie Hall,[10] and Berlin's Philharmonic Hall. She has also performed at the Lilith Fair festival and toured as a part of the WOMAD world music festivals.[11]

Lhamo's album Ama (which means "Mother" in the Tibetan language) was released in April 2006 and was produced by Iranian-American musician Jamshied Sharifi.[12] Featured artists include Annie Lennox on the song Fade Away[13] and Joy Askew on the song Tara.[14]

In November 2007, Lhamo accompanied a site-specific dance work called "Walking The Line" by American choreographer Bill T. Jones at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The performance, which also featured solo percussion by Florent Jodelet, took place in a 300-foot space stretching from Michelangelo's statue The Dying Slave to the foot of the staircase leading to the sculpture Winged Victory of Samothrace.[15]

Lhamo's fifth album, Tayatha (meaning "It Is Like This") was released in June 2013 by Cantaloupe Music. On this album she collaborated with Russian pianist Anton Batagov.[16]

Lhamo's work with mentally ill and homeless people was covered by Newsweek.[17]

Lhamo released Awakening Album[18] which explores the relevance of compassion-based spirituality to our modern-day, interdependent lives – each song reflecting topics that have become ever-more highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Awakening was a collaboration with Julio Garcia produced in Madrid, Spain and features 'Loving Kindness' track, on which Yungchen is joined by flamenco legend Carmen Linares. Lhamo says: "'Awakening' aims to appeal to those who are interested in sound healing and spiritual awakening, and, unlike previous albums, uses only English song titles. It is also my first album to include a song in Mandarin. I truly believe that voice has vibrational energy to connect, empower, heal and transform all human beings. I hope these new songs will help bring inner peace and true happiness to everyone who hears them.".

Lhamo has also continued her work with the One Drop of Kindness Foundation, and she has helped to raise millions of dollars for humanitarian projects.[19] In 2023 she released the album One Drop of Kindness, co-produced with John Alevizakis.

Discography

Albums

Title Details Peak positions
AUS
[20]
Tibetan Prayer
  • Released: 1995
  • Label: Yungchen Lhamo (YLCD001)
  • Formats: CD
 —
Tibet, Tibet
  • Released: 1996
  • Label: Real World Records (CDRW 59)
  • Formats: CD
 —
Coming Home
  • Released: 1998
  • Label: Real World Records (CDRW 72)
  • Formats: CD
 93
Ama
  • Released: March 2006[21]
  • Label: Real World Records (CDRW 132)
  • Formats: CD
 —
Tayatha with Anton Batagov
  • Released: June 2013
  • Label: Cantaloupe Music (CA21090)
  • Formats: CD, digital
 —
Awakening
  • Released: 2022
  • Label:
  • Formats: CD
 —
One Drop of Kindness
  • Released: September 2023[22]
  • Label: Real World Records
  • Formats: CD / Vinyl
 —

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Yungchen Lhamo won one award.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
1995 Tibetan Prayer ARIA Award for Best World Music Album Won [23]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Horrigan, Jeremiah (March 25, 2013). "Acclaimed Tibetan singer now calls Kingston home". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  2. ↑ Musa, Helen (April 14, 1995). "Goddess sings of Tibetan pilgrims". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). p. 13. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Winners by Year 1995". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Ophelia". May 3, 2017. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Yungchen Llamo".
  6. ↑ "♪ Annie Lennox - Fade Away (With Yungchen Lhamo) | Singles #26/37". YouTube.
  7. ↑ "Blinking with Fists tour". September 18, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Unprecedented Dublin Concert Celebrates Life and Work of Aung San Suu Kyi; Features All-Star Line-Up of Artists, Musicians and Actors".
  9. ↑ "Seven Years in Tibet (1997) - IMDb". IMDb.
  10. ↑ Pareles, Jon (February 19, 1997). "Blending Pop with Prayer for Tibet". The New York Times.
  11. ↑ "Yungchen Lhamo at WOMAD Rivermead 2000". YouTube.
  12. ↑ "Ama".
  13. ↑ Denselow, Robin (March 30, 2006). "Yungchen Lhamo, Ama". The Guardian. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Rock/Pop Listings". The New York Times. May 5, 2006. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  15. ↑ Riding, Alan (November 24, 2007). "Serenading Sculptures in Dance at Louvre". The New York Times. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  16. ↑ Lohr, Michael. "Yungchen Lhamo Interview". New Renaissance Magazine. Renaissance Universal. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  17. ↑ "A Tibetan Singer Helps Mentally Ill Patients Find Their Voice", Newsweek,|July 10, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Awakening Album".
  19. ↑ Gilbert, Andrew (October 26, 2022). "Yungchen Lhamo, great Tibetan singer of love and defiance, will perform in Berkeley Sunday". Berkeleyside. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  20. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 165.
  21. ↑ Denselow, Robin (March 31, 2006). "CD: Yungchen Lhamo, Ama". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  22. ↑ "One Drop of Kindness". Real World Records. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  23. ↑ ARIA Award previous winners. "ARIA Awards – Winners by Award – Best World Music Album". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved November 12, 2018.
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