Biography
Wang Xiao-Jing, known as the father of Chinese rock music, drew the blueprint for Twelve Girls Band not from any stylistic kinship with the classical-pop crossover group Bond but from the principles of traditional Chinese numerology. Determined to assemble an all-female troupe, he fixed the roster at twelve because ancient mythology links the number to the 12 jinchai, or hairpins, that symbolize womanhood. The musicians he selected were all in their twenties and had already served as principal players in the nation’s foremost state orchestras, where each had mastered traditional instruments. Their artistic direction looked back to the Yue Fang, the court ensembles that performed for Tang Dynasty royalty between 618 and 907 A.D. The ensemble first presented its own contemporary pieces on those ancient instruments across China and Japan in the summer of 2003. Rapid word-of-mouth propelled every subsequent concert to sell-out status, and the group’s debut album held the top position on Japanese charts for thirty weeks. North American listeners received the self-titled album in August 2004; it featured the band’s renditions of Coldplay’s “Clocks” and Enya’s “Only Time” and arrived amid an extensive television advertising campaign.
Albums