He inspires millions with his open-hearted, emotive playing, whether it be in intimate recitals or on the grandest of stages – such as the 2014 World Cup concert in Rio, with Placido Domingo, to celebrate the final game; the 56th GRAMMY Award, where he performed with Metallica; the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where more than four billion people around the world viewed his performance; the Last Night of the Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall, or the Liszt 200th birthday concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Charles Dutoit which was broadcast live in more than 300 movie theaters around the United States and 200 cinemas across Europe (the first classical music cinemacast to be headlined by a solo artist). He forms enduring musical partnerships with the world’s greatest artists, from conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Gustavo Dudamel and Sir Simon Rattle, to artists from outside of classical music – among them dubstep dancer Marquese “nonstop” Scott, king of the crooners Julio Inglesias and jazz titan Herbie Hancock. He even builds relationships with corporations who will help him get classical music to ever-more people - thanks to his Sony ambassadorship, for instance, he brought Prokofiev’s 7th Piano Sonata to the soundtrack of the multi-million- selling computer game Gran Turismo 5and 6! And he builds cultural bridges between East and West, frequently introducing Chinese music to Western audiences, and vice versa.

Yet he never forgets what first inspired, and continues to inspire him. Great artists, above all the great composers – Liszt, Chopin and the others – whose music he now delights in bringing to others. Even that famous old Tom and Jerry cartoon “The Cat Concerto” which introduced him, as a delighted child, to the music of Liszt – and that childlike excitement at the discovery of music now surely stays with him and propels him to what he calls “his second career”, bringing music into the lives of children around the world, both through his work for the United Nations and through his own Lang Lang International Music Foundation. As he inspires, he is inspired. As he is inspired, he inspires others. It is this quality, perhaps, that led the New Yorker to call him “the world’s ambassador of the keyboard”.

It takes a special kind of dedication to come from a small Chinese town Shenyang , to travel to the big city as a small child and to win the attention of the country’s finest music professors. And then to leave behind your home country altogether to join the world-famous Curtis Institute of Music Philadelphia, USA. Lang Lang achieved all of these early on – he started playing piano aged three, won the Shenyang Competition and gave his first public recital by the time he was five, entered Beijing’s Central Music Conservatory aged nine, won first prize at the Tchaikovsky International Young Musicians’ Competition and playing the complete Chopin Etudes at the Beijing Concert Hall at 13. He left for America, Curtis and the great piano teacher Gary Graffman and when his moment came, he was ready. That moment happened when, aged 17, he was called upon to make a dramatic last-minute substitution for the famous Andre Watts to perform in the “Gala Of The Century”, playing a Tchaikovsky concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It made him what journalists like to call an “overnight star” and the world’s finest concert halls quickly beckoned.

Today, his resume reads like a bestseller (and indeed his biography, Journey of a Thousand Miles, has been published by Random House in eleven languages, and was released to critical acclaim – and as part of his commitment to the education of children, he released a version specifically for younger readers, entitled Playing with Flying Keys). He has been heralded as the “hottest artist on the classical music planet” by the New York Times, has played sold out concerts in every major city in the world and is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic orchestras.

Time Magazine has recently included Lang Lang in the “Time 100”, the magazine’s annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, naming him as a symbol of the youth of China, and its future. Lang Lang is the cultural ambassador of the cities of Shenzhen and Shenyang. In July 2012 he relayed the London Olympic torch in London just before the opening of the XXX Olympiad.

And if the Chinese passion for piano isn’t solely due to him, he has played no small part as a role model to encourage more than 40 million Chinese children to learn to play the instrument – a phenomenon coined by The Today Show as "the Lang Lang effect." Steinway Pianos, for the first time in their century-and-a-half-long history, named a piano model after a single artist when they introduced “The Lang Lang Piano” to China. That piano, specially designed for early music education, is now on its fifth iteration.

And the child Lang Lang was and who, perhaps, is always with him, would surely have approved of the way he gives back to children around the world. His volunteer activities include mentoring rising young talented pianists, convening 100 piano students at a time in concert, performing for sick children in hospi­tals, delivering classical music recitals in underserved and remote communities, and donating his musical talents to raise awareness of other charitable causes.  These charitable efforts have led to the launch of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, with its goals of cultivating tomorrow’s top pianists, championing music education at the forefront of technology, and building a young audience through live music experiences. The Financial Times described Lang Lang as “evangelical in his efforts to spread the popularity of classical music.” And in May 2009, Lang Lang and three chosen young scholars from the foundation – aged between 6 and 10 years old – performed together on The Oprah Winfrey Show on "Oprah's Search for the World's Most Smartest and Most Talented Kids." 

In 2011,  Lang Lang Music World was launched, a multi-functioning arts complex located in Shenzhen and Chongqing, China, where children can go to receive piano education, participate in master classes and competitions, attend concerts and purchase educational products. Lang Lang himself continues to give master classes regularly throughout the world at the invitation of the most prestigious music institutions, including the Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music and Hanover Conservatory, as well as all the top conservatories in China where he holds honorary professorships. Elite universities such as Oxford, Harvard and Columbia have invited him to give talks.

Lang Lang enjoys reaching audiences of all sizes and few come bigger than that of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, of which Lang Lang was the first official Ambassador – a role, created by YouTube and Google that combined two of his great loves, music and outreach through technology. More traditionally, tens of thousands of people have enjoyed Lang Lang’s performances in open-air concerts in parks and venues around the globe, including Central Park in New York City, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Ravinia Festival in Chicago, Theaterplatz in Dresden and Derby Park in Hamburg. Lang Lang participated in the opening concert at Munich's Olympic Stadium with Mariss Jansons, marking the commencement of the World Cup Games. In celebratory concerts for the closing of 2008 Euro Cup finals, Lang Lang played with the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta in front of Schönbrunn Palace. And he marked the New Year’s Eve gala opening of the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing with another great conductor, Seiji Ozawa.

In December 2007, Lang Lang was guest soloist at the Nobel Prize concert in Stockholm, an event attended by Nobel Laureates and members of the Royal Family. He performed as soloist in Oslo for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony and concert for President Barack Obama.

Lang Lang has made numerous TV appearances, including The Today Show, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Good Morning America, CBS Early Show, 60 Minutes, Wetten Dass and El Número Uno among many others. He has been featured on every major TV network and in news and lifestyle magazines worldwide, including such diverse publications as The New Yorker, Esquire, Vogue, The Times, Financial Times, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Die Welt, Reader’s Digest and People.

As well as President Obama, Lang Lang has performed for numerous international dignitaries including the former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, former President Hu Jin-Tao of China, President Horst Koehler of Germany, H.R.H. Prince Charles, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, President Francois Hollande, Queen Beatrix and King Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Poland President Lech Kaczynski. Of many landmark events, he was honored to perform recently for President Barack Obama and former President Hu Jin-Tao at the White House State Dinner, as well as at the Diamond Jubilee celebratory concert for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

Wherever he can, Lang Lang tries to give back. In 2013, he was designated by the Secretary General of the United Nations as a Messenger of Peace focusing on global education. Lang Lang has contributed and worked to raise funds and awareness for earthquake relief efforts in China and Haiti. These efforts included auctioning the red Steinway piano played during his 2008 New York Central Park concert, donating the net proceeds to the American Red Cross China Earthquake fund, and organizing a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall, donating the net proceeds to UNICEF’s Earthquake Relief Fund in Haiti. He also currently serves on the Weill Music Institute Advisory Committee as part of Carnegie Hall’s educational program and is the youngest member of Carnegie Hall’s Artistic Advisory Board.

Honors include being added as one of the 250 Young Global Leaders picked by the World Economic Forum and receiving the 2010 Crystal Award in Davos. In May 2011, Lang Lang received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales at the Royal College of Music, and received his second Honorary Doctorate in Musical Arts at the Manhattan School of Music in May 2012. In December 2011, he was honored the highest prize awarded by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China. More recently, he has received the highest German civilian honor, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, in recognition of his distinguished services to music and, in January 2013, he was presented with the Medal of the Order of Arts and Letters, by the French Minister of Culture.

He is one of the world’s most prolific and highest-profile recording artists. Featured soloist on the Golden Globe® winning score for the film The Painted Veil, composed by Alexandre Desplat, he can also be heard on the soundtracks of The Banquet, composed by Tan Dun, and of My Week With Marilyn. All of his albums have entered the top classical charts as well as many pop charts around the globe. His album of the First and Fourth Beethoven Piano concertos with L’Orchestre de Paris and Maestro Christoph Eschenbach debuted at number one on the Classical Billboard Chart. Lang Lang also appeared on Billboard’s New Artist chart at the highest-ever position for a classical artist. In 2007, he was nominated for a Grammy® Award, becoming the first Chinese artist to be nominated for Best Instrumental Soloist. He has recently recorded the movie soundtrack for the Japanese blockbuster film Nodame Cantabile, Chopin’s 24 Etudes for “Project Chopin” (the largest project in honor of Chopin’s bicentenary) ,“Nuit De Mai” with Placido Domingo and, of course, that opening sequence for Gran Turismo, the most successful videogame to date.

In February 2010, Lang Lang joined Sony Music Entertainment as an exclusive recording artist; his first album with Sony featured a live recording of his 2010 recital at Vienna’s legendary Musikverein (including a segment filmed in 3D). His next CD, “Liszt, My Piano Hero” and DVD “Liszt, Now!” celebrated the 200th Anniversary of the great composer, while 2012 saw the release of “The Chopin Album”. His latest album is a recording with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra of all masterpieces of Wolfgang A. Mozart and will be released October 2014.

…i just want everyone to know who i am and know that music is my way of life!!!...

This is the record where my music truly reflects who I am,” proclaims Tamar Braxton about her long-awaited new album Love and War (Streamline/Epic, Sept. 3). “It’s sassy, opinionated, insightful, smart and high energy. It’s everything that defines me as an individual. It’s finally time for me to be me.”

In fact, it’s finally time for this multi-talent to take her deserved place in the spotlight. Ever since she was a young girl, Braxton dreamed of being a singer, songwriter, producer and television star. Fanning the flames of her musical vision was a backstage encounter with Whitney Houston. At the time, a 14-year-old Braxton was singing background vocals for her sister Toni. “Whitney said to me, ‘Your voice is amazing! You’re going to be a star,’” recalls Braxton.

Now Houston’s prediction is coming true—as is Braxton’s long-held dream. Having already scored two back-to-back hits off the forthcoming Love and War (the title track and “The One”), Braxton is riding the perfect multimedia storm. Reality TV star (WE tv’s “Braxton Family Values,” “Tamar and Vince”). Engaging talk show host for Fox-TV’s “The Real.” Savvy business entrepreneur (“Get Your Life” fashion line). Illuminating author (upcoming book “Love and War.”)

And while the realization of Braxton’s musical dream might have taken longer than planned, she says it’s still right on time. “I’m a perfect example of God having another plan for me than what I had in mind,” she says with a laugh. “No matter how good the situation, it just seemed like nothing would never ever happen. Now with everything starting to happen, I realize it all boils down to timing. But singing has always remained everything for me.”

Love and War, Braxton’s album, offers a diverse mix of impassioned and impactful songs threaded together with pure soul. Heartfelt and honest, the set brims with deep emotion and searing honesty painted against a modern R&B backdrop.

One of the first songs she cut was the title track and debut single. She co-wrote the ballad’s lyrics with legendary writer LaShawn Daniels, whose credits fittingly include Whitney Houston (Michael Jackson, Usher), and Makeba Riddick (Beyoncé, Rihanna). The no-holds-barred song explores the push and pull of a relationship as well as how real love can weather any storm. Over a slow sultry beat, Braxton's soulful soprano simply captivates.

 "I'd experienced love, but I never experienced passion until I met my husband," reveals Braxton. "This song is the soundtrack to our relationship. We fight hard, but we love even harder. We get through everything, and we keep going strong.”

 As did the single. It spent ten weeks at No. 1 on Urban AC and reached No. 13 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, racked up more than 7 million views on YouTube and gave Braxton her first Centric Award at the 2013 BET Awards. "The award let me know," says Braxton, "that I was on the right path." Saucy follow-up single, “The One,” is following the same trajectory.

A veteran performer who began singing backup vocals for her older sister Toni at age 12, Braxton was also a founding member of R&B group The Braxtons with Toni and their siblings Traci, Towanda and Trina.

"I found the sound I'd been looking for within myself for years,” recalls Braxton. “I’d never had the chance to go as deep as I did. The vocals just poured out of me. I also let the music pick itself. You can't make or force a personality or feeling onto an artist. It never works."

Music isn't the only way the creative Braxton expresses herself. She executive produces and stars in the WE tv reality hit "Braxton Family Values," which comes back for a new season in November. Originally created and spearheaded by Braxton and sisters, the show soared as the cable network’s highest-rated television show. Braxton also co-stars alongside her music manager husband Vince Herbert on WE tv's spinoff Tamar & Vince. Its second season premieres on Sept. 5. 

Elsewhere on the TV front, Braxton co-hosts and produces FOX-TV’s “The Real” which recently rated #1 as the highest rated test-run in talk show history. Braxton reveals, "'The Real' is one of the best things to ever happen to me. I get to chat with a group of women and its feels like happy hour in the middle of the day.
 
A fashion force as well, the multi-tasking Braxton launched her own fashion line, “Get Your Life,” through Bravado in 2012.  Dedicated to "real chicks"—as its creator eloquently puts it— and inspired by Braxton's catchy, colorful hashtag phrases (#getyourlife, .com) on "Braxton Family Values.”

In the meantime, Braxton’s frank and sassy writer alter ego will surface again in Fall 2013 with the release of her first book, “Love and War.” Co-penned with husband Herbert, the tome examines both sides of the relationship equation. Readers will “get a detailed and honest look at the yin and yang,” pledges Braxton.

But first things first. In what continues to be a banner year, a tireless Braxton is getting ready to bring her music to her “Tamartian” fans live across the country. In conjunction with Love and War, the singer will open for Grammy Award winner John Legend during a national six-week tour that kicks off in October.

“Everything I’m doing is liberating my different sides: sister, wife, girlfriend and entrepreneur,” declares the glowing new mom. “Now, with Love and War, it seems SHE has it all.”


New album, The Love Still Held Me Near - available now on Still Records.

Epitaph Records is an independent music label founded in Los Angeles by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Early releases from a variety of punk heavyweights spawned what became known as the 90s punk explosion. 

Along the way Epitaph proudly launched its sister label ANTI-, representing unique and distinguished acts. From the beginning Epitaph’s mission has been to serve the musicians on its diverse and creative roster - an artist-first model, radical twenty years ago, and much imitated today. 

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