Nobody, it is safe to say, expresses things quite like Sa Dingding, the 26-year-old star of Chinese electronica, who became one of the East’s most in-demand singers after the release of her debut album at the start of 2008.

With her second album, Harmony, she delves deeper into the folk and traditional music of south-western China in search of universal emotions and ways of expression, aided by the talents of Marius De Vries (Rufus Wainwright, Madonna, Elbow) and the mixing skills of Paul Oakenfold.

She says things differently because she experiences things from an entirely different perspective. Born in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia in 1983, Dingding grew up a nomad, travelling around eastern China with her family until they arrived in Beijing in 2000. Signed to Universal just as the world focused its attention on Beijing in 2008, she was seen as a voice from the heart of contemporary China, representative of both China’s 21st-century future and its rural past.

Harmony is receiving amazing reviews: “Yoko Ono would be proud, sounds like the next bond theme” **** Mojo

“Harmony is an expression of my thoughts and my life from spring 2009. When I was recording my first album I realised there are too many things that bother people and I wanted them to find calm from my music. Now I realise actually only by finding a balance between humanity and nature can people get this calm. If people found calm from Alive, I hope they find joy and happiness from Harmony.”