Ama

The journey from Lhasa in Tibet over the high Himalayas to Dharamsala in India has got to be one the most testing and physically gruelling exploits that anyone can undertake and yet hundreds of Tibetans do just that each year in search of freedom. Yungchen Lhamo walked this road to exile as a teenager back in 1989. Her musical gifts had already been recognised in Tibet where her name, which means "goddess of melody and song" was given to her by a holy man. Yungchen moved to Australia in 1993 where her first CD release 'Tibetan Prayer' won an ARIA award and she has been touring the world ever since, sharing prestigious platforms such as the stage of the Carnegie Hall in New York and London's Royal Festival Hall with rock stars and famous faces. She is now based in New York. In recent years she has released three acclaimed albums on Real World Records., "Tibet Tibet", "Coming Home" and most recently "Ama", which features duets with Annie Lennox and Joy Askew. The diminutive and yet visually arresting Yungchen has a voice of astounding clarity and purity. Her songs are intimate tales of love for her homeland and her people and her story is an emblem of courage, perseverance, devotion and musical genius.