Chinese R&B pioneer Tia Ray on success, her new album and China’s evolving music landscape

Tia Ray, also known as Yuan Yawei, is among the first singer-songwriters in China to put soul, jazz and rhythm and blues on the map. She began her musical career nearly two decades ago, writing original songs with her band and performing in small venues. In 2022, she was nominated for two awards at the Golden Melody Awards, the Chinese equivalent of the Grammys. Having curated a weighty catalogue of international collaborations spanning Asia and America, her new album Once Upon A Moon embodies…