DING FEI FEI may not be a household name in Hong Kong yet, but people in Britain and Europe are helping spread the word thanks to a remixed version of her ground-breaking debut single Forgotten Moon that landed at 38 on the British pop charts.
'That was way above my expectations,' says Ding, a native of Nanjing. 'When we recorded that single, we wanted it to be released overseas so we sent out the tapes. Way Out West heard it and got back to us immediately. At first I was just happy that the song would get a British release, then I started thinking it would be nice if it could reach the Top 100. When they called to tell me the single had gone to 38, I was in shock for a few minutes.'
Her original mid-tempo version of Forgotten Moon is a literate blend of New Age vocalising and the upbeat pop strains of the erhu more like an ethnic Chinese version of Vanessa-Mae and Bond. 'I think that would be an accurate description of my music. It's more of a rhythmic pop,' says the 25-year-old, who carved her niche in Hong Kong as the 'erhu singer'.
Forgotten Moon, her first local single, was lifted from last summer's eponymous debut EP and was followed by Sweet World. Critics lauded both releases, but record company executives said sales were only 'average'.
Ding couldn't have asked for a better introduction to the wider world of pop than through the dynamic duo Way Out West (Nick Warren and Jody Wisternoff). The pair, based in Bristol in the west of England, have worked with award-winning acts such as Seal, Sting and The Art of Noise; Warren, a former Massive Attack collaborator, is considered one of Britain's top 10 DJs.