Singing the praises of his heritage

Although he is open to a diversity of styles, and listens to both Chinese and Western music, Moseee says that bringing the elements of his hometown, such as the music and language, into his songs, is natural to him.

"I grew up with two languages — Mandarin and the Yi language. I was exposed to a diversity of culture. But what the Yi ethnic group inspires in me is unique and is in my blood," Moseee says.

Now, he is waiting for the result of his graduate school entrance exam. He hopes to become a lawyer while pursuing his music dream.

Last year, Moseee was signed to Capitol Records China. According to Tang Yong, general manager of the label, the young singer-songwriter impressed him not only with his music talent, but also his love of the Yi culture.

"He has great potential and his own cultural background allows his music to be unique and creative," Tang says.

The compilation, Minority, Diversity, features eight original songs by eight singer-songwriters from Chinese ethnic groups, such as Yi, Tibetan, Uygur and Yao. With a goal of giving talented singer-songwriters from Chinese ethnic groups a platform, the project shows the diversity of their music, which all pays homage to their identities that are rooted in their respective ethnic cultures.

"The compilation is the realization of a longtime wish for me," Tang says. "When I travel, I am always intrigued by the ethnic groups around the country. I love going to small villages where local people live, work, sing and dance. They are close to nature and have a distinctive culture, which deeply touches me.

"When we prepared this compilation, we tried to find singers whose works show an apparent influence from their ethnic culture, as well as being contemporary and appealing to a young audience."

Tang also says that the label is working on its next project involving Chinese ethnic musicians, which will see the release of more original songs and the organization of concert tours.