Vajara
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Vajara[1] (Tibetan: གནམ་ལྕགས་, Wylie: gnam lcags; Chinese: 天杵; pinyin: Tiān Chǔ; lit. 'Heaven Pestle') is Tibet's oldest and most famous rock and roll band.[2] Founded in 1999 by six Tibetan people,[3] the band creates modern music with elements from Tibetan opera, blues, and rap.[2][4] Tenzin Dawa, the band's founder, was influenced by both Chinese rock acts such as Cui Jian and American rock bands like Nirvana but desired to forge a style separate from either genre.[5] Vajara's songs are sung in both Tibetan and Chinese,[6] with lyrical themes that address social issues such as greed and environmentalism.[2] The band's main performing venue is a musical bar in Tibet's provincial capital of Lhasa.[7]
Vajara's musical style originates from the popular practices of young people on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.[8] Vajara's founder and drummer, Tenzin Dawa (Bstan a'dzin Zla ba), was influenced by the music of Cui Jian, U2, Nirvana, and Metallica.[2] Many Vajara songs incorporate elements from Tibetan folk music, including Tibetan opera, including heavy bass lines and throat singing.[2][5] Lyrically, Vajara's originally-written songs covers themes of environmental protection, animal rights, and opposition to materialism.[2] The band's intent, according to its founder, is to spread awareness not only about issues relevant to the Tibetan ethnic group, but also about issues common to humanity in general.[5][9]
Members
Vajara was founded by six young Tibetan people in 1999,[3] all of whom were born in the 1970s.[8] Dawa began his musical career while studying at Beijing's Minzu University of China in the early 1990s, where he sought a style separate from American rock and the rock music of Han Chinese people.[5]