Dawn Xiana Moon

Dawn Xiana Moon (born August 27, 1981 in Singapore) is a singer-songwriter and writer for publications such as Relevant Magazine (she is currently the Movies Editor for RelevantMagazine.com). She mixes folk and pop on both the piano and guitar, reminiscent of artists such as Vienna Teng, Tori Amos, Joni Mitchell, and Sarah McLachlan. She is an innovator in melding Western folk and pop music with Eastern influences. She also freelances as a graphic/web designer, actress, dancer, and model.

Moon's middle name is a play on her Chinese name, Li Xing ("Beautiful Star"). "Xia" translates to "the glow of the morning sun," while "na" translates to "beautiful." She has one sibling, a brother named Benjamin.

The Chinese American was born in the city-state of Singapore and began studying classical piano at the age of five, the same year her family moved to the United States, settling in Metro Detroit. While in high school, she earned prizes for piano, flute, and voice in regional competitions. However, during her first year at the University of Michigan, where she earned her AB in Theatre and English Literature, she taught herself to play the guitar and began writing her own music, shifting to an acoustic, folk-oriented style. In April 2006, the singer-songwriter moved to Chicago, where she now resides in the Lincoln Square neighborhood. She tours frequently, primarily in the Midwest.

Moon also occasionally collaborates with other musicians on projects ranging in style from ambient classical to pop/rock. Her vocal improvisations are part of composer Christian Matjias's "Na Razie, Bez Ciebie," a commissioned piece for choreographer Uri Sands's "Existence without Form" for Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. Moon's piano work also appears on fellow Chicago singer-songwriter Amanda Sena's album "Learn to Love."

ee also

*List of works in irregular time signatures
*List of Chinese Americans
*List of folk musicians
*List of singer-songwriters
*List of University of Michigan arts alumni

References

* [http://www.dawnxianamoon.com/biography.shtml Official Biography]
* [http://www.dawnxianamoon.com/bio.shtml Informal Biography from Moon's Website]
* [http://www.dawnxianamoon.com/listen.shtml Moon's Taping/Live Recording Distribution Policy]

External links

* [http://www.dawnxianamoon.com Official Site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/dawnxianamoon Myspace Site]
* [http://www.bprlive.org/2007/08/08/chat-with-dawn-xiana-moon Interview with Boston Progress Radio, August 2007]
* [http://archives.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/archives/diversions/2006/sl/04-06-06-879610.html "Hear and Now" Article, March 2006]
* [http://dawnxianamoon.com/mihaveninterview.html Interview with MIHaven, June 2005]