Yamagata learns more about China through collaboration with Chinese musician

Ahead of her third tour of China which took place in November, New York-based singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata sought to learn more about her destination by working with Chinese musician Guo Ding on a song.

The two musicians traded many emails regarding the lyrics and melodies before putting together the song It's Always The Little Things that was released on Nov 23.

The simple, guitar-driven song is calm and slow, and tells about the bittersweet struggle that some people go through when they don't know if they should stay in a relationship even though they still love the other party.

"I'm so thrilled to have worked with Guo Ding and it is the first time I've collaborated with a Chinese musician," says Yamagata. "I fell in love with Guo Ding's rich voice as soon as I heard it."

"It's amazing how technology allows us to create on opposite sides of the world and then come together afterward," she adds, mentioning that she met Guo for the first time when she performed in Beijing on Nov 25.

Talking about the idea behind the song, Yamagata says, "We are perhaps called by something within to separate and yet aren't sure if we should. I think this is a universal theme and has a heartache to it that felt powerful for a man and woman to sing together. I think Guo Ding has a depth to his approach as an artist and really cares about doing great work. He inspired me."

Guo says when the duo decided to write and perform a song together, they didn't rush into anything. "Through emails, we discussed the ideas, something very abstract and personal. Then we sent each other some lyrics and melodies, which touched both of us," says Guo, whose latest album, The Silent Star Stone, in 2016, won six nominations at the 28th Taiwan Golden Melody Awards, including Album of the Year, Best Mandarin Album and Best Mandarin Male Vocalist.

Born in Huaihua, Hunan province, Guo grew up in an environment filled with music as his father was a composer and his mother a dance teacher. In 1998, Guo came to Beijing to study music before graduating from the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy in 2005.