Dalena
Encyclopedia
Dalena Morton better known as simply Dalena, is a Caucasian American recording artist known for singing songs in Vietnamese
, a language she does not understand.
Dalena grew up in Orlando, Florida
and worked as a ticket seller at Disney World. She originally learned Cantonese
from rented Chinese martial arts movies. She memorized a song in Cantonese, and, at the suggestion of an acquaintance, then learned a song in Vietnamese. She first picked up Vietnamese music while working at a restaurant in Orlando and learned the songs from the jukebox.
She began performing at Vietnamese weddings and parties. In 1991, she regularly performed at a nightclub in Little Saigon and received her first recording contract from a small Vietnamese studio. Since then, she has released multiple albums and have sung in Vietnamese communities around the world.
During the 1990s, she performed on Paris By Night
.
Dalena was featured in Nguyen Tan Hoang
's documentary, Cover Girl: A Gift from God (2000).
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
, a language she does not understand.
Dalena grew up in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
and worked as a ticket seller at Disney World. She originally learned Cantonese
Cantonese
Cantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
from rented Chinese martial arts movies. She memorized a song in Cantonese, and, at the suggestion of an acquaintance, then learned a song in Vietnamese. She first picked up Vietnamese music while working at a restaurant in Orlando and learned the songs from the jukebox.
She began performing at Vietnamese weddings and parties. In 1991, she regularly performed at a nightclub in Little Saigon and received her first recording contract from a small Vietnamese studio. Since then, she has released multiple albums and have sung in Vietnamese communities around the world.
During the 1990s, she performed on Paris By Night
Paris by Night
Paris By Night is a popular Vietnamese language musical variety show, produced by an Overseas Vietnamese company Thúy Nga and hosted by Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn and Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Duyên, featuring musical performances by modern pop stars, traditional folk songs, one-act plays, and sketch comedy...
.
Dalena was featured in Nguyen Tan Hoang
Nguyen Tan Hoang
Nguyen Tan Hoang is a gay Vietnamese American video artist and academic. Nguyen's research interests include Asian American masculinity in gay male video porn and Hollywood and international cinemas....
's documentary, Cover Girl: A Gift from God (2000).