Driven to excel, eager to learn

Tang Can's parents, both doctors, wanted her to follow in their footsteps but she chose folk music - like fellow Hunanese, Song Zuyin and Zhang Ye.

After graduating from the Wuhan Conservatory of Music, Tang came to Beijing and joined the China Song and Dance Troupe as a soloist in 1995 when she was 20. She won the "Excellent Singer" prize in the 7th National Youth Singer TV competition in 1996.

In 1999, she sang Blessing Our Motherland to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of China. It caught the attention of director Zhang Yimou, who made it the subject of his first video.

In 2000, she released the song, Happiness Is As Long as Millions of Years that combines pop and folk, and was seen as "the leading light in new folk music".

But Tang did not sit on her laurels and began exploring a new genre - the musical.

In 2004, when the classic Hong Kong pop musical, Snow, Wolf, Lake, was looking for a leading female role for its Mandarin version, Tang decided to take up the challenge.

"It is extremely rare for a folk singer to share the stage with a pop star such as Jacky Cheung," Tang says.

One of the first things she had to do was lose weight - and quickly.

In order to seize her chance to perform in the musical, the 1.7-m-tall singer shed 20 kg "so Jacky Cheung could lift me up easily".

A bigger challenge was to do justice to pop music, but her efforts were quickly noticed and won her rave reviews.

Playing in the musical so boosted Tang's confidence that singing and dancing at the same time now comes naturally to her. "Every experience has helped improve my next performance," she says, and points to her recent cooperation with Vitas.

She has just recorded a Chinese duet Tibetan Plateau with popular Russian tenor Vitas, for the 2010 Spring Festival Global Gala on BTV. "Three years ago, I saw his live concert and marveled at his voice. He is also very engaging and energetic and skilled at making eye contact with the audience," Tang says.

Saying she borrowed some of this style for Liuyang River, she finds the result a pleasant surprise. Described by Vitas as "the most beautiful singer he has ever cooperated with", Tang says she believes beauty is all about being healthy and persevering.

Last year, the plucky singer topped the entrance examination for post-graduate studies in art, embarking on a life at the Central Conservatory of Music.

"Although I've been singing for more than a decade, I don't have a full picture of the arts. I am eager to learn about operas and fine arts and folk music histories, as this will help me with my performances."

Tang believes in living healthy. "Every morning, I have a bottle of soy milk fortified with almonds and walnuts. It is good for my skin and health," she says. Also, "I prefer to dine at home."

Her favorite food is fish "that I can cook in different ways".

Her love for life and art is what drives her continuous efforts to improve.

"Compared to 10 years ago, I'm a more intuitive and sensitive singer now."

(China Daily 01/30/2010 page11)