Photo: Wang Wei
Yehaiyahan
SHANGHAI, China
Producer, vocalist and technical innovator from underground Shanghai
In the decade that’s passed since YEHAIYAHAN (a.k.a. ChaCha) first found her sound with legendary Shanghai bass crew Uprooted Sunshine, she has become one of China’s most prolific, dynamic, and magnetic independent musicians. Virtually none of her peers have clocked as many collaborations with world-renowned underground tastemakers – international names like Clive Chin, Kode9, High Tone and Matthieu Chedid, as well as homegrown heroes J-Fever, Purple Soul, Akin and Soulspeak, to name a few – nor as many high-profile appearances at music festivals and industry showcases around the world. Though she came up in the sound worlds of hip-hop, dub, bass, and trip-hop, more recent projects like her solo experimental alter ego Faded Ghost have seen her pick up new tools and skills in her tireless pursuit of iconic originality. Her sound has evolved greatly in the 10+ years that she’s been making music, but her heart, soul, and fiercely independent spirit are the constants that mark her out to this day as one of China’s most important and extraordinary musical talents.
“I connected with Yehaiyahan on Instagram, this is an artist with an unmistakeable presence on the Shanghai underground scene. What drew me to her work is her approach to using her voice, music production and use of Dub. She is genre bending and brings her own cultural traditions into her work, not conforming to western ideology, and reflecting a Chinese rural landscape.”
— Ivan Michael Blackstock