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Music Review: Sharizhad
It is almost impossible not to get up and dance when listening to Sharizhad’s catchy beats combined with traditional Xinjiang string instruments.
Their recent album欢快的跳吧 (translated from the original Uyghur) has caught on wildly in their home province tucked away in far northwestern China. For someone who cannot understand the meaning of their songs, their distinctly Turkic, almost Indian, melodic style is so infectious that it is hard to imagine that the words are not poetic.
If you are looking for very traditional Xinijang music you may be somewhat disappointed as the three girls infuse base lines and even techno beats in a few of the songs. However, this is clearly not run-of-the-mill pop, and much of the music is soulful and mellow. The instruments that they use, like the accordion and sitar, are virtually absent in similar western genres and give them a totally new flavor for most listeners.
Part of the fun of Sharizad is they are not simply a static vision of historical Uyghur music, but rather a local interpretation of popular trends seen around the world. The influence of Latin and dance music runs throughout their songs. And yet you would be more likely to mistake the beautiful words pouring out of their mouths telling unknown stories for an Indian dialect than for Spanish.
In the markets of Urumqi their CDs are ubiquitous and you can hear their songs flowing from the windows of local taxis everywhere. Elsewhere in the country where there are smaller Uyghur populations it can be somewhat harder to find their selections. However, they have managed to find some cross-over appeal with the Chinese audience, and persistent searches should yield results. Ask around at a few stores, and if nothing else succeeds, see if the local Xinjiang restaurants know where to shop. It takes a little effort to get your hands on Sharizhad, but it is more than worth it.
(Editor’s note: Sharizhad is their Uyghur name. They also go by the Chinese name 新疆美丽公主组合.)
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- Uyghur Music
- Interview with a Uyghur Musician: Bahtiyar Aziz
- Music: An introduction to URNA
- A Deeper Look: Tibetan Music
- Book Review: Searching For Shangri-La – An Alternative Philosophy Travelogue
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