A Uygur singer's road to music

File photo of Perhat Halik.

Each time musician Perhat Halik steps onto the Voice of China stage he exudes a calm presence, seemingly unperturbed by his lack of mandarin and the crowd of famous singers filling the audience.

His husky bellows have gathered quite a Chinese following in the past weeks, with the 32-year-old Uygur snagging second place in the reality talent show Voice of China 2014.

In the contest, he did his best to sing songs in mandarin to appeal to the audience. But in the end, it was his unadorned, unmistakable voice and attitude to music that fascinated fans.

However, his voice was not appreciated by all. His opponents could often be heard criticizing his songs, saying they lacked a tune and were difficult to understand.

Consistent with his serene stage-presence, he is equally composed when facing criticisms.

"I came to sing a song, not for a title. I want more people to know my music," Perhat Halik told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

"I believe music can impact all people, regardless of ethnicity and nationality."

MUSIC FROM TAKLAMAKAN DESERT

"I want back to childhood, lying in your arms, sitting behind you on a bike, Papa; I want to eat noodles cooked by you, wear sweater knitted by you, steal a cookie from you, Mama..."

Perhat Halik often dedicates songs and music to his parents, who have passed away. The emotion he imbued into the song while performing on Voice of China moved the audience, earning raucous applause despite most being unable to understand the lyrics sung in Uygur, the language of Perhat Halik's hometown of far west China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

He said wherever he goes, his love for hometown and family are the inspiration and soul of his songs.

His was born in Makit, a county of Xinjiang's Kashgar Prefecture and bordering Taklamakan Desert. Despite living among several different ethnic groups known for singing and dancing, Perhat Halik showed little interest in Xinjiang folk music at a young age.

At the age of six, he found a broken guitar while rummaging through things at home and began playing it everyday.

When that guitar became unusable, his father sent him a new one as a gift, cementing his path into the world of music.