Word: Dai Man

This inventive songstress could quite likely become one of the first Chinese artists to become a star in the West. Her music is almost as theatrical as her famed stage shows and as recent Chinese movies have proven, an audience can be moved, even in a foreign language. These languages include Mandarin and English, Sanskrit and ones she invents herself. Her technical prowess in the studio sets her apart as she is obviously fascinated with Western production techniques that lend a polished and modern edge to her traditional, often folksy songs which frequently pay homage to Yunnan Province. Mixing Western producers and international beats with traditional instrumentation, and feeling free to sing her lovely melodies in any dialect she chooses, Sa Dingding has already set herself miles apart from any other Mainland singer of today. The electronica she employs can be fascinating but her songs are still going to most loved by those drawn to folk music, however the Paul Oakenfold remix of Ha Ha Li Li at the end of Harmony is a simple yet inspired blend of the East/West vibe Ms Dingding is drawn to like a flamboyant moth to a flickering flame.