Alan Dawa Dolma (born 25 July 1987), known mononymously as alan, is a Tibetan singer from China. She is a graduate of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Academy of Art in Beijing, majoring in vocal music and erhu, which she has played since childhood. Alan is known for a distinctive technique called the "Tibetan wail".
During her time in college, Alan released an album titled Shengsheng Zui Rulan (2005). In early 2006, she auditioned for the Japanese label Avex Trax. In late 2007, Alan moved to Tokyo and made her singles debut with "Ashita e no Sanka". She recorded theme songs to the film Red Cliff (2008), bringing her wider exposure. In 2009, her ninth single "Kuon no Kawa" and theme song to Part II of Red Cliff reached number three on the Oricon weekly charts, the highest placement by a singer from China. She has since been active in Japan and China.
Biography
1987–2002: Early life
Alan was born on 25 July 1987, in Kangding, Sichuan province, to Atu, a local government official, and Lantai, a singer. She is a native speaker of Khams Tibetan. Her extended family includes many relatives; her father had ten siblings and her mother had eight.
As Tibetan culture traditionally makes no use of family names, she was born as simply Dawa Dolma, bestowed upon her by a Buddhist monk and meaning "heavenly maiden of the moon" in Tibetan.
