ABAO
Performer
ABAO (aljenljeng tjalvie) is a Paiwan artist from the Jialan community in Taitung. Her albums vavayan and kinakaian both won Best Indigenous Language Album at the Golden Melody Awards. kinakaian went on to earn two major honors at the 2020 Golden Melody Awards, winning Album of the Year and Song of the Year.
Blending the Paiwan language and musical traditions with contemporary electronic sounds, ABAO has developed a distinctive musical voice of her own. In recent years, she has also worked to strengthen cultural connection and identity among Taiwan’s Indigenous communities. She founded the music label Nanguaq to discover and support a new generation of talented Indigenous musicians.