Singer songwriter Tenzin Choegyal draws on his Tibetan roots to create original compositions in language which uniquely express his culture.
Tenzin was born in Tibet to a nomadic family who left in the early 1970s. He was raised in a refugee community in Dharamsala, India and it was here that Tenzin first began to explore how music could preserve his culture.
'For me, music is life and has no geographical boundary,' Tenzin said. 'It's a bit like drifting cloud.'
Tenzin was a special guest to highlight the International Year of Indigenous Languages at the Denmark Festival of Voice, supported by Festivals Australia.
'I'm very honoured and very happy to actually share my songs and my own story and also the stories of Tibetan people.
'I think we have many things to learn, especially from the Indigenous First Nation beings. I think there's a lot of hidden treasures that we haven't still actually unfolded and so in that regards, I think languages are really important.'
Tenzin has now made Australia home and has had a successful international career as a musician, playing at such prestigious events as WOMAD and Concerts for Tibet House at Carnegie Hall, in New York. He was musical director for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in 2011 and 2013 and has written and performed soundtracks for numerous television shows, films and documentaries.
Hear more from Tenzin in our video.
