Gong Linna

Gong Linna (Chinese: 龚琳娜; born 1 August 1975) is a Chinese fusion singer. Her style is one which combines the traditional "lightness" and "ch'i" of centuries-old melodies with new lyrics. She has performed many pieces composed or arranged by her husband, German composer Robert Zollitsch who is known in Chinese as Lao Luo (老锣), and collaborated with Portuguese fado musician António Chainho.[1][2]

Gong Linna
龚琳娜
Born (1975-08-01) August 1, 1975
Guiyang, Guizhou
EducationChina Conservatory of Music
OccupationSinger
Years active1980-present
Notable workTante
Spouse
​
(m. 2004)​
Children2
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese龚琳娜
Traditional Chinese龔琳娜

Since 2002 Gong and Zollitsch have been making field trips to provinces including Guizhou, Shaanxi and Fujian, seeking to understand and preserve local folk music.[3]

Early life and education

Gong was born in Guiyang, Guizhou, on August 1, 1975. In 1992 she enrolled at the Secondary School Affiliated to China Conservatory of Music, where she studied national vocal music under Zou Wenqin. After high school, she was accepted to the China Conservatory of Music.

Songs

Her song Tante (Chinese: 忐忑; pinyin: tǎntè; lit. 'Uneasy') is a fast-paced wordless fusion song, using various standard voices from Chinese opera along with imitations of traditional Chinese instruments. After Gong Linna performed this in Hunan Television's 2010 New Year concert, the song quickly spread in China as a viral video, gaining the nickname "Divine Comedy". The song was also a viral among southern India Tamil population as Ayyo in Tamil is the name of Lord of Death, Yama or primarily disappointment. According to Shanghai Daily, the popularity of Tan Te turned her and her husband Robert Zollitsch into "household names" in China.[4]

In 2013 she participated in the Jiangsu Television singing masterclass series All-Star Wars (全能星战). Zollitsch also participated as her sponsor. Her first performance was a rock version of a classic pop ballad based on an ancient poem, "Wishing We Last Forever", but this interpretation was considered insufficiently reverent and received the lowest score.[5] However, her subsequent performances were very well received, including a Yunnan folk song "Rippling Brook" and an opera medley version of "Tante".[6][7]

Personal life

In April 2002, Gong met German composer Robert Zollitsch in Beijing.[8] They married in Guiyang, Guizhou in 2004.[9] The couple has two sons.[10]

References
  1. China Daily: Gong Linna - the voice of new chinese art music, 2011-02-15 (Accessed Feb 5 2012)
  2. All-China Women's Federation - Women of China: Gong Linna and Her Divine Song, January 25, 2011 (Accessed Feb 5 2012)
  3. 龚琳娜：保护民间音乐是我的责任 Gong Linna: Protection of folk music is my responsibility (in Chinese). Phoenix Television. 2012-08-16. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
  4. "Gong brings her inimitable style to MISA". SHINE. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  5. 《全能星战》摇滚场开战 龚琳娜垫底痛哭 ["All Star Wars" rock battle, Gong Linna weeps in last place]. Jiangsu TV "All Star Wars" special (in Chinese (China)). Sina Entertainment. 2013-10-12. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  6. 全能星战顺子淘汰 龚琳娜逆袭获最高分. Jiangsu TV "All Star Wars" special (in Chinese (China)). Sina Entertainment. 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  7. 龚琳娜《忐忑》串烧五大戏曲 成大赢家. Jiangsu TV "All Star Wars" special (in Chinese (China)). Sina Entertainment. 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  8. 龚琳娜忆与丈夫相识：音乐拉近彼此的心灵. Chinanews (in Chinese). 2014-06-16.
  9. Zhou Yang (2011-02-18). 龚琳娜：就这样遇见“忐忑”的老锣(图). ifeng (in Chinese).
  10. 龚琳娜帅气混血儿子曝光 小家伙镜头感十足(图). qq.com (in Chinese). 2013-11-22.
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