Sangpuy: Sounds of Taiwanese Indigenous Peoples

Sangpuy’s voice is a visceral experience. While rooted in the folksongs of Taiwan’s Puyuma people, his work brings this ancient musical tradition across cultural boundaries simply through the soulful expressiveness of his vocals. Earning recognition from the Golden Melody Awards has helped bring his talents to an even wider audience: Sangpuy is a two-time GMA winner of Best Vocalist—Aboriginal Language, as well as a recipient of Album of the Year in 2017 for Yaangad. While Sangpuy says he grew up listening to Bobby Chen, his real music education came from the ancient songs and stories passed down to him from his village elders. “In my tribe, singing is part of everyday life. We sing when we’re happy and sad, during funerals and at feasts,” he says. But Sangpuy is quick to point out that to the Puyuma and other Aboriginal peoples, music is more than entertainment. “Whenever something important happens we’ll record it in song,” Sangpuy says. “Aboriginal song reflects the mood of the moment and evolution of society. Anything can be preserved in song.” Sangpuy sees a bright future for Aboriginal music, and says singer-songwriters Ilid Kaolo, Samingad and A Bao are just some of the artists making important contributions: “Some bring a new spirit to the traditional, while others span different genres to bring new styles to Aboriginal music and bring young people closer to songs in their native tongue.” Explore this ancient soul with a new spirit through this personally curated playlist from one of Aboriginal music’s leading voices.