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Talking with Tamela Hedström is a delight. Her sparkling eyes, deep and magnetic voice and signature smiles make you feel that you are on a sunny beach in Costa Rica, not on a noisy backstage in an early May windy afternoon in Beijing.

In a bright yellow little dress, Hedström was due to start her first performance in Beijing, after a 48-hour-journey from Costa Rica and a one night show in Shanghai.

Tamela Hedström sings at the "Night of the Latin American and Caribbean Music". [Photo by Han Lin/China.org.cn]

This is her first trip to China. She was invited by the Costa Rican Embassy in Beijing as the performing artist for the Strawberry Festival in Shanghai and the Latin American and Caribbean Music Festival in Beijing.

CLICK TO WATCH TAMELA'S MUSIC VIDEO

Hedström is a multi-lingual Latin-pop, soul singer and songwriter. Her song "Acércate" was nominated for the Best Tropical Song Award of the Latin Grammy Awards in 2012. Born to a Swedish father and an Ecuadorian mother, her musical style is as diverse as her exotic background, ranging from Latin to soul and from funk to pop.

"I was born in Sweden but raised in Costa Rica. I have lived in different countries with different peoples and hear different music. I'm hungry to learn different ways of loving and seeing the world. That's why my music is hard to explain. You have to hear it to understand it," Hedström said.

But a passion of life, living and for hope are the constant themes of Hedström's music. "I grew up with the idea of saving the world, and making the world a better place, as my mother is a sociologist who works to fight against racism and my father is a biologist who works in environmental protection. So I'm hopeful about my music," she said.

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