Samingad
Samingad is an aboriginal Taiwanese pop singer and songwriter. She is an ethnic Puyuma. In her native Puyuma language Samingad means "Unique or Without equal". She was born 2 October 1977 in a Puyuma Township in Taitung County, to a father of Bunun descent and a mother of Puyuma descent. Her uncle is Purdur, the winner of the Best Mandarin Male Singer of the 11th Golden Melody Awards. Her younger sister, Jia Jia, is also a singer.
Samingad was discovered while singing in a restaurant, where she worked as a waitress. Her first album "Voice of Puyuma" was released with Magic Stone Records and received a Golden Melody Award for "Best New Artist" 1999. In 2001 she received a Golden Melody Award for "Best Dialect Female Vocalist" for her second album "Wild Fire, Spring Wind". Her music draws much of its inspiration from the Christian Gospels, as well as from tales of the tribe's former agricultural and hunting lifestyle, and from the complex emotions triggered by Puyuma's struggles in Taiwan's contemporary society.
