Hakka popular music

Hakka popular music (abbreviated as Hakkapop) is a genre of popular music composed and performed in the Hakka language, also known as modern Hakka music.[1] It is mainly prevalent in Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Guangdong, with Taiwanese Hakka popular music being the most vibrant and developed.

[edit]

Before the 1970s, the Hakka music scene featured commercialized Hakka traditional music records, including traditional Hakka narrative singing, mountain songs, and Hakka ballads. Inspired by the creation of Cantonese songs in a Western style in the Hong Kong music scene, Malaysia and Taiwan simultaneously embarked on the development of Hakka popular music starting from the 1970s.[2] [3]

Malaysia

[edit]

In 1978, Malaysian musician Chong Sau Lin met Chinese singer Chew Chin Yuin (邱清雲). Chong adapted Sam Hui's Cantonese song "Genius and Idiot" into a Hakka version called "Ah Po Selling Salted Vegetables" for Chew to perform. The song became a sensation in Malaysia, selling over 100,000 copies. This marked the beginning of the development of Hakka music in Malaysia for more than two decades.[4][5][6]

Taiwan

[edit]

At the same time, Taiwanese composer Wu Shengzhi (吳盛智) was also influenced by Sam Hui's Cantonese pop songs from Hong Kong. This inspired him to create music in the Hakka language. Wu then collaborated with Tu Minheng (涂敏恆) to produce Hakka pop music, releasing Taiwan's first Hakka pop song record in 1981.[7][8][9]

[edit]

Malaysia

[edit]

Malaysian music producer Zhang Shaolin adapted popular Cantonese songs from Hong Kong into Hakka songs and released them locally. These songs became popular in Malaysia, Singapore, and even Hakka-speaking areas in Indonesia. This period saw the rise of artists like Tsinyun Hiu and Xie Lingling (謝玲玲). Tsinyun Hiu, known as the "King of Hakka Songs" in Malaysia, was a popular Chinese singer in the 1980s. The songs of this era were characterized by reflecting the voices of the lower social classes and common people.[10] Zhang Shaolin composed thousands of songs, but by the 1990s, his music style had diverged from the tastes of younger audiences. With no successors, the Hakka pop music market in Malaysia gradually declined.

Taiwan

[edit]

In the 1980s, several well-known Hakka record companies were established in Taiwan, including Hanxing Communications (漢興傳播),[11] LUNG KO CULTURE (龍閣文化) and Jisheng Film and Television.[12] In 1989, Tu Minheng's "Hakka Essence" reminded Hakka people not to forget their roots and urged them not to forget the hardships their ancestors faced when developing the land. This song became one of the most representative songs for Taiwan's Hakka people.[13][14]

During this period, Taiwanese Hakka music was influenced by Minnan-language Nakashi songs.[15] Although there was significant progress, the lack of innovation in the tunes meant that the age of the audience tended to be older, and the popularity of the music was still mostly limited to Hakka-speaking areas. After the deaths of Wu Shengzhi, Lin Ziyuan (林子淵), and Tu Minheng, the development of Taiwan's Hakka music scene experienced a period of silence. The visibility of Hakka popular music gradually increased after the rise of the Hakka movement in Taiwan in the 1990s.[16][17]

Hakka new music

[edit]

Starting from the 1990s, Taiwanese society began to place more emphasis on ethnic culture and local characteristics, prompting many Hakka musicians to engage in Hakka music creation. From 2003 onwards, the number of Hakka music records released in Taiwan increased significantly, and with the help of various media platforms, Hakka music gradually entered the youth-oriented popular music market. Additionally, the popularity of the internet broke the geographical limitations traditionally associated with Hakka media.[18][19][20]

Diversified development

[edit]

During this period, record companies maintained the existing Hakka music market for middle-aged and older audiences. Veteran music producers Alex Tang (Dong Dong),[21] Liu Shau Hi[22], Fu Yeming (傅也鳴),[23][24] Yan Zhiwen (顏志文),[25][26] Hsieh Yu-Wei (謝宇威),[27] Ayugo Huang (黃連煜),[28] Huang Zixuan (黃子軒),[29][30] and Liu Rongchang (劉榮昌) also successively entered the Hakka pop music scene from the Chinese pop music industry.[31]

Starting from 2004, the Taiwan Music Composition and Songwriting Contest have been held annually, discovering many emerging musical talents in the process. The new generation of musicians during this period gradually broke free from traditional Hakka constraints, creating music based on contemporary life experiences and popular styles, injecting vitality into Hakka pop music.

Promotion of Hakka pop music by the Hakka Affairs Council of the Republic of China

[edit]

As Taiwan's society increasingly focused on ethnic culture, the Chang Chun-Hsiung (張俊雄) Cabinet established the Hakka Affairs Council under the Executive Yuan in 2001, elevating Hakka policies to the level of the central government. Various county and city governments also established dedicated Hakka affairs units.[32][33] Since 2002, the Hakka Affairs Council has promoted the development of Hakka language popular music, organizing the Hakka Wind Summer Concerts (夏客風演唱會), which tour various locations in Taiwan. They also held Hakka MV creation competitions, rewarding the efforts of many singer-songwriters, such as Xu Qianshun (徐千舜). In addition, a Hakka television station was established, providing a media platform with greater exposure for the Hakka language.[34] Moreover, the Golden Melody Awards established the Best Hakka Singer Award and Best Hakka Pop Music Album Award in 2003 and 2005, respectively.[35]

Internet broadcasting

[edit]

Due to the widespread use of the internet, Hakka music during this period was no longer limited to local radio stations in Hakka-speaking areas. Hakka pop songs from various regions were transmitted to more distant locations through the internet. In Indonesia's West Java province, many artists created reworkings of Chinese pop songs in Hakka.[36]Inspired by Minnan and Cantonese pop music, Chinese Hakka music creators also began to experiment with composing Hakka pop music.


References

[edit]
  1. ^ 參考哈客網路學院之現代哈客音樂課程,對客家流行音樂的定義
  2. ^ 中華民國客家委員會 (2016). "音樂介紹-流行音樂" – via 中華民國客家委員會.
  3. ^ 李, 明釗 (2019). "唱自己的歌:1970年代後台灣與馬來西亞客家流行歌曲發展比較". 國立臺灣師範大學華語文教學系人文學門學術論文 – via 臺灣碩博士論文知識加值系統.
  4. ^ 李明釗,尋找傳說中的馬來西亞客家歌王,[1] Archived 2015-11-07 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "張少林以萬變應不變|中國報". 中國報 China Press. 2018-01-13. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  6. ^ "客语流行音乐 - 山歌 - 客家网 - Hakka.com". www.hakka.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  7. ^ 參考客家流行音樂第一人吳盛智 [2] Archived 2014-12-28 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ 中華民國客家委員會 (2016). "台灣客籍作曲家-吳盛智小傳(1944-1983)" – via 中華民國客家委員會.
  9. ^ "「拾Hak時Hug」開唱之時—— 速寫近半世紀來,臺灣客語流行音樂在大馬留下的足跡 | 造音專題, 造音活動". 台灣東協造音行動. 2022-07-15. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  10. ^ 參考集體回憶50大事 光輝50年 MALAYSIA BOLEH[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "催生「客家人的音樂集管團體」授權費漲12倍 歌手齊聲:很有感!". 客新聞 HakkaNews (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  12. ^ 吳翠松 (2014). "客家流行音樂獨立廠牌經營策略之研究" – via 國立政治大學廣播電視學系. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. ^ 參考謝宇威網誌,[客家本色]-談客家音樂人-{涂}-敏恆一文,[3]
  14. ^ 陳, 祥豪. "初代客家歌王" (PDF). 交通大學傳達與科技學系.
  15. ^ "創作音樂 - 新北市客家數位館". www.hakka-digital.ntpc.gov.tw. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  16. ^ "台灣客家運動之政策分析" (PDF). 人文及社會科學集刊. 2005 – via 國立中央大學客家學院.
  17. ^ 葉, 德聖 (2012-06-25). "臺灣客家運動之未來方程式:形成與發展(1987-2012)". 國立臺灣大學國家發展研究所社會及行為科學學門學術論文.
  18. ^ "關懷鄉土 譜出客家新樂章|傳承故鄉的聲音 |華視新聞雜誌". Yahoo News (in Chinese). 2021-01-18. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  19. ^ 汪卉婕 (2021-05-10). "專題演講:謝宇威_客家流行音樂(1980-2020)". 台灣文學研究所.
  20. ^ 陳順孝 (2003-05-20). "顛覆傳統 硬頸暢流大唱客家搖滾 · 生命力新聞:解決社會問題的創新行動". 生命力新聞:解決社會問題的創新行動 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  21. ^ "客家電視台". 客家電視台 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  22. ^ "客語也能唱得新潮 劉劭希領軍搖滾童謠". www.peopo.org (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  23. ^ 自由時報電子報 (2008-03-10). "傅民雄 傳唱文化 超「樂」傳統 - 地方 - 自由時報電子報". news.ltn.com.tw (in Chinese). Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  24. ^ "傳唱阿公的家鄉話,重掀「細妹按靚」熱潮… 客家話用音樂說出來(經濟日報)". www.nsysu.edu.tw (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  25. ^ "顏志文". 台灣客家新音樂創作協會 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2014-05-07. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  26. ^ 聯合新聞網. "為家鄉寫首歌 金曲客家專輯得主顏志文:歌謠源於生活". 聯合新聞網 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  27. ^ 臺北市客家文化主題公園. "世界音樂客在我心 臺灣潮客音樂人帶你從心迎接客人新居". 臺北市客家文化主題公園. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  28. ^ "《滅人山》攀高峰 黃連煜:我一條命全給了客家音樂 - Rti央廣". Rti 中央廣播電臺 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  29. ^ "客家音樂人對談:語言都有被時代衝擊的時候,音樂和藝術應該更放開一些|端傳媒 Initium Media". 端傳媒 Initium Media (in Traditional Chinese). 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  30. ^ 中華民國文化部. "金曲27黃子軒「異鄉人」獲最佳客語專輯-文化部國家文化記憶庫". memory.culture.tw (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  31. ^ "客家電視台". 客家電視台 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  32. ^ 參考誰來聽客家流行音樂,CYCnews
  33. ^ 中華民國客家委員會 (2021-02-20). "簡介". 中華民國客家委員會.
  34. ^ 參考 http://www.hichannel.hinet.net/api/play.jsp?id=6829[permanent dead link]
  35. ^ "影視及流行音樂產業局-金曲獎沿革". 影視及流行音樂產業局 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  36. ^ "印尼山口洋市訪問團訪竹縣共鳴客家之音與印尼籍新住民歡度秋節". 新竹縣政府全球資訊網 (in Chinese). 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2023-10-20.