大象传媒

American singer songwriter Barry Manilow had massive hits with Mandy, Copacabana and Can't Smile Without You. By the wonders of modern technology, on his latest album, Barry has recorded duets with his favourite singers from the past including Marilyn Monroe and Whitney Houston. All these singing partners have one thing in common - they are dead.

The Iranian-born writer Farnoosh Moshiri had a traumatic time after the Islamic revolution of 1979. She was forced to flee the country and live as a refugee for four years. Those experiences have influenced the five novels she has published from her adopted country, the United States.

'Ca tru' storytelling is a style of music and poetry unique to north Vietnam. This storytelling art form is 900 years old but is in danger of going extinct.

The American artist Chuck Close has produced some of the most instantly recognisable work in contemporary art. His giant portraits are often three meters high. In 1988, Chuck had a seizure which left him paralysed from the neck down and he had to learn how to paint again in a very different way.

大象传媒 journalists Manuel Toledo and Emilio San Pedro from Cuba pick songs that define the Cuban identity and experience of home.

Scottish singer songwriter Annie Lennox has sold 80 million records, both as a solo artist and as part of the band The Eurythmics. After a four-year-break from the music business she has released a new album called Nostalgia, on which she interprets songs made famous by some of the best known jazz singers of the 20th Century - people like Billie Holiday and Nina Simone.

Photo: Barry Manilow, US artist Chuck Close, Singer-songwriter Annie Lennox
Picture credits: Barry Manilow : 大象传媒/Guy Levy, Chuck Close: Getty Images