Namjilyn Norovbanzad (; 10 December 1931 – 2002) was a Mongolian singer of the traditional

long song The long song (, ''Urtyn duu'') is one of the central elements of the traditional music of Mongolia. This genre is called "Long song" not only because the songs are long, but also because each syllable of text is extended for a long duration. A f ...

. Born in Ulaan Oovo in the southern Dundgovi province of Mongolia, Norovbanzad grew up in a family of herders. Her father was Damdin and her other was Namjil. She started her working career as a typist at the provincial court in 1952. After winning several local and provincial singing competitions she moved to the capital city

Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Mongolia, most populous city of Mongolia. It has a population of 1.6 million, and it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipa ...

to pursue her singing career full-time. Norovbanzad was awarded Ardiyn jujigchin ('People’s Artist') merit by the Government of Mongolia in 1969 and was voted the Singer of the Century by the people in 2000. In 1957, she won a gold medal of the

World Festival of Youth and Students The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the International Union of Students after 1947. History The festival has been held occasionally since 1947, mainl ...

held in Moscow with 35,000 participants, and the

Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize The is an award established by the city of Fukuoka and the Fukuoka City International Foundation (formerly The Yokatopia Foundation) to honor the outstanding work of individuals or organizations in preserving or creating Asian culture. There ar ...

in the category "Arts and Culture" in 1993.

Phonography

* ''Urtiin Duu'',

Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...

1996 20th-century Mongolian women singers People's Artists of Mongolia 2002 deaths 1931 births {{Mongolia-singer-stub