New sounds of Hakka music

tpshb168

A wealth of Hakka musical talents have recently performed with their own styles. We have Lai Bi-sia and Hsu Mu-jhen for Hakka mountain songs and itinerant singer Chen Yong-tao. We also have Wu Shen-jhih, well-known in the Hakka popular music genre, and Chen Guan-yu and Lin Shen-sian of heavy metal fame. Li Tai-sian once created Hakka ballads. There are also many talented musicians like Yen Jhih-wen, Liu Shao-si, Hieh Yu-wei and Li Yi-fan, who have participated in the Golden Melody Awards and have ushered in a new era of Hakka music.




Hakka Mountain Song Queen Lai Bi-sia


Lai Bi-sia, known as the queen of Hakka mountain songs put much efforts in reviving the declining Hakka mountain song. Her repertoire mainly covers familiar folk songs and other minor ballads. In her fifty-year singing career, Lai has recorded more than 70 discs. She collects the music and lyrics of the songs and then publishes them. Besides, she also strives to promote and teach Hakka songs.

Another traditional mountain song singer is Hsu Mu-jheng. Self-taught, she learned the songs without any teacher. She believes Hakka mountain songs could be innovated but never revised or adapted.


New Hakka Folk Songs with Childhood Memories


Balladeer Chen Yong-tao is also called A-Tao because of his poetic Hakka songs like epics, stories and lively sounds. His songs are popular with everyone from 5 years old to 80 years old. His innovation comes from his personal spiritual experiences with land, nature and the human spirit, mostly culled from his childhood memories. Besides, he is used to singing accompanied with a guitar like a balladeer. He once wrote some songs for children and one song- “I still remember” was for his children and it was chosen as the theme of the TV series “Unending Lyrics.”


Rock Hakka music breaks all stereotypes


When it comes to Hakka rock songs, the performers that come to our minds are the Yin-Jin-Chang-Liou Band and Jiaogong Band. The Yin-Jin-Chang-Liou Band is the first rock band that performed in Hakka language. They not only express their thoughts about Hakka people but also got rid of traditional images of Hakka ballads.

Their music is rational but thick with social elements. They blend rock guitar with original Taiwanese folk songs and eventually integrated Hakka music with rock music and then they reconfigured themselves as a new Hakka Band.


Hakka songs win Golden Melody Awards


Hakka music used to be a minority in the popular music market. However, many outstanding Hakka musicians have won the Golden Melody Award these past years. In 1981, the Hakka singer Wu Shen-jhih issued the first Hakka popular album and started the movement of the Hakka popular songs. In 1999, Yen Jhih-wen won as best male folk song singer in the Golden Melody Awards. In 2003, Liu Shao-si won as best Hakka singer and album producer, and was also nominated for the award this year. Liu Shao-si issued his first Hakka album and ushered in the Hakka electronic music genre. He also put the hip-hop into his music and gave Hakka music a new image.

Hieh Yu-wei also won the best Hakka singer this year. Hieh Yu-wei owns the natural, smooth and powerful voice like a mountain. He revised the Hakka Flat Tone into the rock and Cha-cha music. He also incorporated the beautiful and lyrical feelings of French music. Li Tai-sian created performed Hakka symphonic duets with a symphony orchestra that show the strong Hakka spirit and diversity. His invention covers the Hakka industrial lives and beautiful rural scenes.


Hakka Rap


In the future, the Hakka youth might seldom speak the Hakka language. So Hakka rap has become helpful. In the first Hakka popular music creativity contest, Tseng Ya-jung won first place showing the talent of Hakka youth in this music. His winning works also include the new music types of Hip-Hop, Rap and Rock. We should encourage more young people to have more Hakka music creativity.


http://www.hakka.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=7789&ctNode=215&mp=1

[ 本帖最后由 tpshb168 于 2007-6-17 11:35 编辑 ]