Mongolian Pop Goddess Proves Will Power Equals Staying Power

{mosimage}She’s hit high notes in her career and low notes in her personal life, but pop goddess Saraa is back to her best. The dictionary definition of the word goddess is “a woman who many people admire and copy” or “one of the female spirits.

She’s hit high notes in her career and low notes in her personal life, but pop goddess Saraa is back to her best.
 
The dictionary definition of the word goddess is “a woman who many people admire and copy” or “one of the female spirits. ” Saraa is certainly those. In fact, she’s the best Mongolian female pop singer of the 20th century, according to a 1999 national poll by the daily newspaper Zuunii Medee and Mongolian National Radio.

While the pop goddess’ glass-shattering voice is not to everyone’s taste, no one can deny that it’s an extraordinary gift.
Having achieved great success and fame, Saraa is Mongolia’s pop diva. 

When the words diva and goddess are applied to Saraa, however, it refers to more than just her vocal abilities.

The singer will turn 38 this weekend, marking the end of a momentous year. Released last summer, Onoodor Irsen Durlal, surpassed the low expectations that greeted it to become one of the best-selling albums of 2007. Saraa’s Durlal, her latest and eighth studio album, is a product of her newfound creative freedom after she gave birth to her daughter, Khulan. Durlal incorporates Saraa’s cherished hip-hop influence in greater proportion than ever. She brought Quiza in to collaborate for the Butsaakh Tasalbar. “It is one of those that are never sung live at a show. Because it is a little bit hard to sing live due to it being a collaboration act.” Combining with the popular Quiza will almost guarantee the song as a hit and she hopes that the song Butsaakh Tasalbar will be sung live after its video clip is made. “It is my last ‘chance’. It requires so much ability to perform,” Saraa said with laughter.

As she heads into her 38th year, Saraa is also demanding much more creative control, as evidenced by the album design, which has a western style cover.
“I did it myself. I made the decision about where I stand and whatever we do.”

Overall, she said the latest album allows her to “speak intimately” with the audience.

Ur Mini is one of the album’s most highly-credited songs. It is dedicated to her daughter, which gives her a “very exciting feeling” when singing, she says emotionally.

The record has already spawned three hits, Ter Namaig Dursdag Bolov uu, Setgel Buruugui and Khairlamaar, and is expected to earn some Pentatonic nominations this year. It is clear that regardless of how many Pentatonics Saraa collects, she has safely reassumed her pop goddess throne.
Perhaps in an effort to appear grounded, Saraa argues that she her life isn’t really that glamorous. “I have nothing more than other people. I live like how they ordinarily live,” she said.

Indeed, Saraa’s career did have humble beginnings.

Born on April 20, 1970 as the second child of Batmonkh, a construction engineer, and Tatiyana Mikhailovna, a Russian language teacher.

Although Saraa had always wanted to be a singer, she never imagined she’d become the best Mongolian female pop singer of the 20th century.

“I became a pupil at the 23rd secondary school under a teacher named Lyubovi Antonovna. That teacher with golden yellow hair made me a person in love with music.”

In Mongolia, Urlagiin uzleg, or cultural performance, is one of the most influential events for all ages, and helps people discover their talents. For Saraa, the yearly performance, made her sure of her dream.

“We used to make a great fuss when it came to that performance,” Saraa said. “Our teacher wanted us to wear a white shirt and a pink mini-skirt. My mother did cut a white shirt especially for me. Interestingly I suddenly remembered that I forget to take my clothes to school when I was in a classroom.

“Then my tears started to run out. But my dad’s youngest sister – whose two red big cheeks seemed like a new year’s ornaments to me – saw me from behind our classroom’s window.

“It was truly my first-ever stage dress.”

It was always music or music for the pop goddess.

The State Culture and Arts University had no courses involving pop singing when she graduated her secondary school in 1987.

Since her ultimate wish was to become a professional singer, Saraa was determined to enroll to a professional music school.

The golden ticket to make her dream come true, she decided, was to study at the Cultural Institute of Bulgaria. Unfortunately, she was not accepted. But in the style of the Saraa all Mongolians know, she refused to give up on her dream to study music and applied to study at the State Culture and Arts University.
 
Again, however, she was not accepted. At last, three years later, Saraa was accepted into that university, but by this stage was a third year economic student at the Agriculture University.

Saraa looks back on the time as a great lesson. Ultimately, she did not graduate her dream university.

“I was busy recording my album Argagui Amrag. I was in Singapore for recording when the council of the university decided I had to drop out,” remembered Saraa.

She returned home to attend the teachers’ hearing. When she was waiting for the hearing, however, Saraa suddenly felt she did not need to finish. She left and never returned.

The man credited with making Saraa’s dream come true is N.Gankhuyag, one of the country’s most popular singers. Not only did he help her to become a star, he wanted to marry her, too. While the couple did not marry, they did live together for a few years before separating. Some years later Saraa met her son’s father Lu.Boldkhuyag, a popular businessman. Again, it didn’t last for long.

These low notes in her personal life caused endless media scrutiny. Finally, she was named the Media Star at the Golden Microphone Awards in 2001.

With all eyes on Saraa, the media again began attacking at her when she gave birth to her daughter from a businessman in 2006.

As time went by she calmed down and began recording new songs. The result was Bi Jargaltai (I am Happy), the double CD that is her seventh studio album, in 2003.

“I sang my hit song Bi Jargaltai when I was truly unhappy,” Saraa said. The song was the pop goddess’ biggest hit, topping all the FM charts for over six months and staying in the Top 10 for a year. It was never ever expected to be the comeback year for the queen of pop.

Her September 2003 live show, titled by her biggest hit, was a highly anticipated evening. Saraa could prove musicgoers that the generation of her age was “not over.”

The pop queen’s other signature work is the soundtrack of the psychological drama Manuukhai, a duet with D.Jargalsaikhan, the vocalist and the leader of the band Chinggis Khaan.

“Ganbaatar (the composer) invited me to sing the song with the brother Jagaa,” Saraa said. “It firstly was simply to earn some money. Secondly, it was creativity. Thirdly, and most importantly, was that I sang it with the brother Jagaa. The recording experience gave her a greater professional understanding, she said. “I thought then that it was truly the highest level of professionalism. I said to my mother, ‘Mom, I am just now becoming a professional singer.’ It is just about becoming a professional person who cares of herself, her own style and image.”

For Saraa, one of the hardest things about the media scrutiny was constantly being called “unfashionable” and criticized for her fashion sense.
“I used to, and still do, put make-up on everywhere I go,” Saraa said. “I am the image-maker and stylist of myself. Actually the stage has been educating me. Viewers do too, of course.”

Saraa praises popular songwriter Kh.Balkhjav, head of UBS TV, was being a huge contributor to her success. “Balkhjav now became almost my muse. Every single work he makes now becomes a huge hit. It is truly amazing.”

Saraa’s musical career looks is marked by numerous firsts. In 1992, Zuudnii Gobi, her debut album was released, marking her as the first artist to release an album in modern Mongolian music history.

She was also the first to make a video clip (Martaj Boldoggui Setgel in 1991), to cover folk songs in pop style (Argagui Amrag in 1996), to make trance music (Martiya remix in 2002) and to collaborate hip hop or rap artists (Bi Ergej Kharakh Durgui featuring 2 Khuu).

As a tradition which began in 2000, the pop goddess celebrates her 38th birthday with her countless fans at the State Circus on April 19 and 20 with her show Khairlamaar or Wanna Love You.