Sainkho Namtcylak was born in a small village close to a gold mine in the former Soviet republic of Tuva, in southern Siberia, close to the border with Mongolia. Her grandparents were nomads, while her parents were both teachers.

Over the centuries Tuva has often been under foreign domination, starting with the Turks (between the sixth and eighth century AD), then under Genghis Khan until the thirteenth century and the Chinese Manchurian empire until the nineteenth century. In 1921 it became an independent state, until it was incorporated in the Soviet Union in 1944. Traditionally, most of Tuva's inhabitants were nomadic herdsmen, with a culture imbued in Buddhism and shamanism, and resembling the Mongols' heritage. Soviet policy aimed at keeping closed borders helped heighten the mythical aura surrounding Tuva. An aura that has been given tangible reality by the Sainkho's voice.

Both her recordings and live concerts confirm a link between the investigation of primitivism and future projections through a series of songs - some written by her, others taken from her ethnic heritage - that use vocal reinterpretation and experiment with the fusion of electronic music, by way of computers, samplers and synthesisers. In Tuva, the Khoomej is the adopted style of singing, deriving from a millennial shamanistic tradition. The particular nature of this singing technique dictates the vocal execution of two distinct sounds at the same time. With this type of guttural biphonic singing, the mouth is used as a resonant filter. Sainkho possesses a an extremely wide vocal extension and is able to range between very deep and very high-pitched tonalities.

Having studied the techniques of Tuva's musical traditions since an early age, Sainkho went on to extend her musical knowledge by studying western classical music in Moscow. A thirst for experimenting with new ways of expression then led her to Vienna, where she began collaborating with many of the most interesting figures in the avant-garde and in the field of musical experimentation, from Evan Parker to Hector Zazou, just to quote a couple. Starting from her own roots, Sainkho has developed a great number of vocal and expressive techniques, so that her vocality can be intended as a trait d'union between modern expression and ancient tradition, tinged by an incredible emotive involvment.