Whispering Sky ནམ་མཁའི་སྔུར་སྒྲ། by Tenzin Choegyal

In a truly global venture, this album first began to take shape in Tenzin’s home studio in Brisbane, Australia, taking inspiration from his own Buddhist practice. It was shared and shaped with an international cast of talented collaborators and recorded in studios in Canada, UK, Japan and Australia.

With each track Tenzin draws on his nomadic roots, skilfully blending elements of eastern and western music, while always holding his Tibetan lineage. The result is a deeply immersive album of hauntingly beautiful melodies and evocative lyrics.

The album’s opening track ‘Rawang Freedom’ contemplates the path to true freedom, inspired by the much-loved Heart Sutra, while the following track, ‘Kyema The Roof is Leaking’, marvels at one’s great fortune in attaining human form in this life.

Tenzin whispers a timeless mantra in ‘Dolma Whispering Sky’, a sublime interweaving of Tenzin’s voice and Indian bansuri, played by Taro Terahara.

Of special significance to all Tibetans is ‘Gyallu Tibetan Anthem’, composed around 1950 and sung in Tibetan communities-in-exile around the world. It’s performed here with no lyrics, as a reminder that singing this anthem is prohibited throughout Tibet.

Birds are a recurring theme in much of Tenzin’s music and so it is with ‘Jamyang Singing with Nightingales’, looking to the open sky, the stars, the sun and the moon.

‘Jhala I Fly to You’ expresses the longing to be with our loved ones once again, while in ‘Jampa A Big Hug’ Tenzin sends big, warm hugs to everyone.

The album’s majestic conclusion, ‘Kailash Roof of the World’ transports the listener to the Himalayan mountains in a sweeping soundscape which conjures up images of sacred peaks and endless horizons.

Tenzin Choegyal is a Tibetan artist, composer, activist, musical director, and cultural ambassador, and one of the world's finest musicians in the Tibetan tradition.

He channels the wisdom and traditions of his ancestors through his songs and compositions.