Sainkho Namtchylak’s shaved head, seven-octave range and distinctive features make her stand out on any stage. She is a unique figure thanks to her Tuvan throat singing and avant-gardeimprovisation. She is the daughter of two schoolteachers. She grew up in a remote village near the Tuvan/Mongolian border. There, she was exposed to overtone singing, which was a skill that was only for males. (Even today, most of the best-known practitioners are male artists like Huun Huur-Tu or Yat-Kha). She learned much of her repertoire from her grandmother and continued her studies at the local college. However, she was not allowed to become a professional musician. She studied quietly the overtone singing and the shamanic traditions in the area, before she left for Moscow to further her studies (Tuva was at the time part of U.S.S.R.). After completing her degree, she returned home to Tuva to join Sayani, the Tuvan state orchestra. She then left to go back to Moscow to rejoin the Tri-O where her vocal talents, and sense of melody and harmonic adventure, could freely roam. She was first exposed to the West by the Crammed Discs compilation Out of Tuva in 1990. After Communism collapsed, she moved from Moscow to Vienna. She made Vienna her home, but she also traveled extensively, performing all over the world and working in shifting groups. Although it was fringe music, Namtchylak made a name for herself as a fixture at that fringe. She was hospitalized for several weeks in 1997 after she suffered an attack. She initially thought it was divine punishment for her creative hubris. However, she seemed to regain her composure when she released 1998’s Naked Spirit. This album had new age leanings. She seemed to have overcome the block by 2000, when she released Stepmother City. Stepmother City was her most accessible work. It featured traditional Tuvan instruments, singing, and turntables, and placed her in a creative space between Yoko and Bjork with the added bonus of Mongolia. Many people discovered her at the WOMEX Festival in Berlin, where she performed. In 2001, a U.S. tour was planned. Allmusic
