Biography
Phoenix Legend (simplified Chinese: 凤凰传奇; pinyin: Fenghuang Chuanqi) is a Chinese popular music duo, consisting of female vocalist Ling Hua (玲花), who is from Inner Mongolia, draws on her Mongolian ancestry to produce earthy, natural and free vocals. and sings in both Mandarin Chinese and Mongolian, and male rapper Zeng Yi (曾毅), who is from Hunan.
Phoenix Legend is a duet whose duplicity has carved the band a niche market, their innovative and original blend of folk and hip-hop bringing international recognition.
Ling Hua's calling to folk music came when she was very young. "I liked riding horses and singing folk songs freely when I was at home. Even now I still firmly believe that these folk elements I leant then have formed the roots of my style today."
Zeng Yi on the other hand, is a rapper with a penchant for pop music. Before forming Phoenix Legend, Zeng Yi performed pop songs in bars for many years. Zeng Yi's rapping is a very distinguishable part of Phoenix Legend's music, the duct not only attracting folk fans but also pop and contemporary music lovers.
They released their first album in 2005.
Phoenix Legend first came into fame in 2006 when their top song, which shares the same name as their first album Above the Moon, turned out to be a smash hit. Their second album, Everything Goes Well, released in 2007, was also successful.
Not constrained by previous success, Phoenix Legend's new album is a slight break away from their recognizable sound.
"It is the folk-pop style which makes us stand out and most people get the impression that Ling Hua is responsible for the folk part while I am responsible for rap part. Actually we can manage more kinds of music than they think and through this album we want this information to be conveyed," Zeng Yi explained.
Cool Folk Songs covers a variety of styles with ballads, dance music and rock all making an appearance. Love songs, seldom heard on their previous albums, are part of the current release. Ling Hua also turns her hand to rap in All Is Love.
"People think that I am just a folk singer. Actually I can sing different kinds of songs. I don't want to categorize myself and if I believe I can sing the song well, I will sing it, no matter if it is a folk song or a pop song," Ling Hua told the Global Times.
Adding to the duet's popularity, their hit songs are among the top downloaded mobile phone ring tones.
For Legend Phoenix fans, Ling Hua promises more variety and experimentation in the future.
Their song "Fly Freely" (自由飞翔) has also been placing high on Chinese download charts.
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