Dadawa

Who is Dadawa?

Dadawa is the stage name of Zhu Zheqin, a Chinese singer/songwriter. She was born in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Dadawa has been referred to as the "Chinese Enya". She has also been described as China's Ry Cooder, for her eclectic forays into world music including one recording and tour with Ireland's Chieftains. She has collaborated with composer/producer He Xuntian for all of her albums. He Xuntian is a Shanghai music professor. In 1994, He Xuntian and Dadawa travelled to Tibet to research Tibetan culture and beliefs. The result, Sister Drum, her second album, was an international success. Following that, Dadawa's album Voices From The Sky was released in 1997. Dadawa was the first contemporary Chinese musician to have her music released worldwide, for which she has received an Asian MTV award for her contribution to Asian music.

Dadawa has developed a reputation as a world traveller and adventurer, visiting many countries and immersing herself in a variety of cultures around the world. She has also worked in television journalism, in particular hosting a major Chinese television documentary, "Into Africa", which introduced that continent to hundreds of millions of viewers.