By Briana Leibowicz Turchiaro
Boston University News Service
R&B and traditional Chinese music are not commonly combined, but for Betty Ding, a Chinese R&B singer and songwriter, they form the perfect combination.
On Nov. 8, Ding and her band hosted The East-West Collective Live Show at The Foundry in Cambridge. The event featured Ding and her band as they performed a combination of original songs and covers through unique arrangements.
The event aimed to foster Black and Asian solidarity by celebrating the fusion of R&B and traditional Chinese music through live instruments, dance performances and live singing.
Growing up, Ding’s mother often filled their home with the sounds of Chinese music. Yet, despite its presence, Ding never “really loved it.” Instead, Ding’s passions lay with R&B and blues.
But, Ding could not understand why she felt so connected to those genres. It wasn’t until Ding began going to live music events that Ding understood why her passion lay with Black music.
“I found myself in a lot of Black spaces, interacting with Black R&B musicians,” Ding said. “I just realized that I really love black music. ”
Grace Guo, Ding’s best friend and roommate for more than two years, said that Ding was always enthusiastic about Black music. When they first met, Ding shared how much she liked the genre, especially gospel and R&B music, Guo said.
“I remember her telling me that she saw that in Black culture they are really proud of their music and culture, ” Guo said. “They are very proud of it. But, in Chinese culture, people sometimes think that it’s tǔ (not cool/outdated).”
Ding saw Black people’s pride in their culture and wondered why Chinese people did not hold a similar appreciation. Ding herself admitted that her relationship with Chinese culture and music has not always been positive.
Ding said she first began appreciating her Chinese heritage when she saw her friend’s first reaction to Chinese folk music.
“When I showed her Chinese songs, she expressed a lot of love and enthusiasm after hearing them,” Ding said. “And I was like, ‘Wow, I’m Chinese and I don’t even love it that much’ and she’s not Chinese, yet was so moved by the music, which made me realize that Chinese music is really fire.”
Through her friend’s excitement about Chinese songs, Ding listened to those songs with a different ear. Growing fond of Chinese music has helped her find self-love, confidence and an interest in her own culture and heritage.
The idea for the East-West show started in June and Ding has been working on it ever since. After receiving a grant from the Cambridge Arts Council, Ding began to plan for the event. The hardest part was finding the “right talent and the right sound” and “persuading those people to be part of this, ” Guo said.
Over the summer, Ding recruited people for the band and had Joe Davis, a friend of Ding’s, do all the arrangements for the show and Kevin Pace, music director and drummer, edit and teach the arrangements to the band. Although Ding had help with the arrangements, Ding independently managed the entire event despite being a full-time student.
The right sound was very important for Ding, she loves a “full band” and wanted it to be included in the concert. A big part of this concert was showcasing the cultures that Ding wanted to represent, she said.
To showcase the cultures Ding wanted to represent, she included elements from both cultures. Ding incorporated traditional Chinese instruments like the Guzheng and the pipa into the concert and Black dance styles like break dancing.
Michelle Tang, a member of the audience and dancer, said that she purposefully searches for events similar to the East-West Live show.
“At least for me, I break (break dancing) and dance to traditional Chinese music so I like to go to spaces where those are fused,” Tang said.
The location of the event was at The Foundry in Cambridge, a nonprofit arts center. The Foundry offers a range of different multi-purpose rooms that people or organizations can reserve to further or practice their art.
David Siegel, space manager at the Foundry, said that despite being relatively new as they opened in September 2022, the Foundry has already been an addition to the art community in Cambridge.
“The goal for the Foundry in my own words would be, offering community and space for folks that maybe haven’t been able to find it,” Siegel said.
The Foundry tries to be as community-focused as possible, Siegel said. To do so, they offer sliding discounts for all their offerings to tailor their sales based on an organization’s needs.
These offers allow people and organizations to transform their passions into real, tangible possibilities. For Ding, she said her passion for bringing Chinese culture into the Western sphere was a main motivator behind the event.
Ding said: “What I am really passionate about is I want to put Chinese music on the map and I want it to be included in the narrative of Western contemporary music. And I hope that inspires more Chinese people to pursue artistic endeavors like music.”
