Arkin Abdulla

Arkin Abdulla (born July 8, 1978; Uyghur: ئەركىن ئابدۇللا‎ ; simplified Chinese: 艾尔肯•阿布都拉; traditional Chinese: 艾爾肯•阿布都拉; pinyin: Àiěrkěn Ābùdùlā) is an Uyhghur musician^[1][2] specializing in a fusion of music styles that integrates traditional Uyghur, world music, pop, and Spanish flamenco.

Early years

Abdulla was born in Qarghiliq, Kashgar, Xinjiang, China.^[3] He started to study guitar in his childhood, beginning at age 11; the guitar developed in him a passion for music. As he did not have sheet music or textbooks to learn from, he would listen to a wide variety of music from around the Asian continent, and then learn to play the guitar by ear.^[3]

Abdulla attended the Central University for Nationalities in Beijing, where he joined the university's guitar club. Having been educated in Uyghur medium ethnic schools, he was not fluent in Mandarin Chinese at the time, but still found no trouble with connecting with musically inclined guitar club friends. Abdulla and three fellow students formed a band, singing popular rock-and-roll or well-known English songs at a bar in Baishiqiao on the weekends. He would also perform at inter-university music competitions.^[3]

Abdulla graduated from university in 1999 and found work as a civil servant in the Kashgar Prefecture government. However, two months later he resigned from his job to become a freelance musician. Abdulla returned to Beijing with dual goals of learning English and organizing a band. His band was formed a few months later, and they performed in a bar known as the Jam House for four years.^[3]

Career

Abdulla emerged in the national spotlight in 2002 while competing in the Challenge Cup, a music competition jointly supported by Japan's Fuji Television and China's Beijing Television Arts Program, as an original composition singer-songwriter. Arkin won the championship seven times in a row, and was crowned as the overall champion of the year.^[3] Arkin was invited to participate in the Sino-Japanese Cultural Exchange in Japan, on behalf of the Chinese athletes, in the same year.

Abdulla released his first album, Dolan Out of the Desert, on August 7, 2002. The album, and the single, Dolan, won the Nanning International Folk Song Art Festival Best Music Album Award, Best Folk Adaption Award, and ten Golden Melody Awards.

In 2003, Abdulla participated in the People's Republic of China Ministry of Culture National Vocal Competition and won the popular award. In that same year, his work Love To Death won the Shanghai Asia Music Festival Asian New Singer Competition Best Award and Asian New Singer Competition Silver Award. In April of that year, Abdulla's band went to the Beijing Agricultural University for a charity performance to raise funds for aid to earthquake victims in Maralbexi County of Xinjiang.

In 2004, Abdulla was invited to perform for the CCTV Spring Festival Gala along with Tianshan Snow Lotus Group, an Uyghur music group, where he sang the Xinjiang folk song Alamuhan in Mandarin. That same year, Abdulla released his second album, Thousand and One Nights. In June, Abdulla published "The Collection of Arken's Music Notes". Also in June, Abdulla began the "Tengritagh Heavenly Music Tour" in Xinjiang. In August, Abdulla and his band performed in Turpan. In November, Abdulla performed the musical piece "The Closest People to the Sun" at a concert. A VCD was made to be sold in Xinjiang. Abdulla also organized a charity event in his hometown of Kashgar, from which he donated all income to a school for orphans there. For this community service, in June 2004 he was awarded the title of Kashgar Youth Ambassador.

In 2005, Abdulla was again invited to perform for the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, along with Tianshan Snow Lotus Group, this time singing Xinjiang folk song Lift Your Veil in both Uyghur and Mandarin. That May, Abdulla represented his hometown as the Kashgar Youth Ambassador for Xinjiang government's 50th anniversary tribute film Brothers and Sisters; Abdulla wrote the film score music for the movie and sang the theme song "Kashgar". That year, Abdulla released his third solo album, City Night.

Abdulla released his fourth studio album, Döngköwrük's Story, in 2006. Abdulla released his fifth studio album, Blog, in 2007. Abdulla was awarded Golden Disc Awards for his album music from 2005 to 2007. Abdulla released his sixth studio album, Thousand Buddha Caves, in 2008.

Following this, Abdulla took a break from his music career to settle down. Arkin studied flamenco guitar in Spain in 2008. For a year Abdulla studied music composition at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, from which he graduated in 2010. During this time Abdulla also got married and started a family.^[4][5]

Abdulla returned to the music scene in 2012, beginning with a grand 'Night of the City' concert at the Poly Theatre in Beijing celebrating ten years of his musical artist career. Abdulla and his band played over 20 songs for the concert. The live house was fully packed, and attendees traveled from as far as Xinjiang to attend.^[4][5] Abdulla released his seventh studio album, Footprint, in 2013.^[6]

Abdulla is also active professionally elsewhere in the music industry. Abdulla is an associate director of Chinese Flamenco Association. Abdulla also serves as a judge, and as a mentor to select contestants, on the Uyghur reality singing competition TV show The Voice of the Silk Road.^[7][8]

Music style

Abdulla's music is not limited to the traditional styles, but is free and surpasses its ethnic roots. Using Spanish Flamenco as a base, he has created a new music style distinct from the traditional ones, making his work more modern and international. Different from what most people think of as traditional Uyghur music, his music has a distinct, international flare. His music is a "mixture" of Uyghur, Turkish, other Central Asian, South Asian, Arab, Russian, Latin and Chinese, as well as rock, jazz, and hip-hop styles. Abdulla is a pioneer in integrating Uyghur music with Spanish flamenco guitar.^[9]

Abdulla's lyrics are typically strictly apolitical.^[10] Abdulla sings lyrics in both Uyghur and Mandarin Chinese.

Personal life

Abdulla is a Muslim. He is married and the father of three children. On February 22, 2011, Abdulla's wife gave birth to triplets: two boys and a girl. The eldest child, a boy, is named Ilkar; the second child, also a boy, is named Iltar; and the youngest child, a girl, is named Zilale^[11]

He has formed a band known as the Arken Music Group.

Discography

Awards

• At the end of 2002, at Nanning's "International Folk Music Art Festival", Abdulla won Best Individual Album Awards for his first album (The Dolan Out of the Desert).
• October 2003: Abdulla won a first prize in the area of Popular Music from the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China at the 2003 National Vocal Music Competition.
• November 2003: Abdulla's work "Uyghur Girl" was ranked among the Best Ten Golden Hits Award.
• November 2003: Abdulla's work "Men öley" won the Best New Artist's WorkAward at the 6th Annual Shanghai Zhenmei Cup Asian Music Festival.
• November 2003: Abdulla won the Silver Award at the "Asia New Singer Competition" at the 6th Annual Shanghai Zhenmei Cup Asian Music Festival.
• 2005-2007: Abdulla was awarded Golden Disc Awards for his music.

See also

• Murat Nasyrov

References

External links

• Official website