Who is Tia Ray? Meet the Chinese singer with one of the bestselling singles in the world
- The award-winning songstress, who names Mariah Carey as one of her idols, has an urban sound that is challenging the dominance of pop, rock and folk in China
She has the force of Jill Scott, the command of India Arie, and the precision of Erykah Badu.
Since her talents first went public on The Voice of China 10 years ago, singer Tia Ray – Yuan Yawei to Chinese speakers – has harnessed the global popularity of urban sounds to produce four critically acclaimed albums and one of the bestselling singles in the world, disrupting the usual mainland monopolies of pop, rock and folk along the way.
Urban music has its roots in the soul and R&B of 1970s America, a time when China’s “opening up” allowed the circulation of foreign cultures. Chinese listeners were instantly drawn to Western pop, rock and disco, but Tia Ray’s influences from that time, including Ray Charles and later progenitors such as Brian McKnight, were considered niche in China.
Half a century of candy-coated pop dominance later, the R&B roots of urban music have become the third fastest-growing genre in China, following rap and electronica, according to a recent report released by Chinese internet platform Tencent’s research institute.
Now the 37-year-old vocalist, who has segued from indie lounge singer to stadium sensation, epitomises China’s diversifying taste in music and the global potential for its artists.