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　　“民谣歌手更像诗人，而不是歌手，”音乐投资人李亚鹤曾这样对《中国青年报》说过。

　　That quote perfectly describes Zhang Lei, the 34-year-old champion of the fourth “Voice of China” singing competition, which concluded on Oct 7.

　　这句话用在张磊身上再适合不过了。10月7日，今年34岁的张磊刚刚获得了《中国好声音》第四季冠军。

　　Critics hailed Zhang’s triumph as a victory for folk singers. The Voice of China used to place great emphasis on singing skills and vocal techniques, which are not necessarily what folk singers are good at. “Folk songs are more about emotions and storytelling,” said Li.

　　对此，很多评论者欢呼雀跃，他们认为张磊夺冠代表着民谣歌手的胜利。《中国好声音》曾经是一个推崇唱功和声乐技巧的舞台，而这些并不是民谣歌手的强项。“民谣更强调感情的投入和娓娓道来的故事，”李亚鹤说。

　　Folk is one of the oldest musical genres. It dates back to ancient times, when people sang about their everyday lives and the society around them.

　　民谣是一种古老的音乐流派。它能追溯到古代，那时的人们借歌曲歌唱他们的日常生活和社会现实。

　　A powerful comeback

　　强势回归

　　Folk music saw a revival in the Western world in the 1960s. During social upheaval, many young Westerners turned to the simple rhythms of folk. Pioneers included US singer Bob Dylan, whose songs protested contemporary social issues like the Vietnam War. Singers at that time used traditional folk instruments like the banjo, the upright bass, the mandolin and the piano.

　　20世纪60年代，民谣在西方世界重新复兴。处在社会巨变中的西方年轻人推崇起了旋律简单的民谣。民谣音乐的先锋有鲍伯•迪伦，他用音乐向当时的一些社会问题(如越南战争)表达不满。那时，歌手使用的也都是传统的民谣乐器，如班卓琴、立式贝司、曼陀林和钢琴。

　　In the late 1970s, folk music was introduced to Taiwan. The rise of singers like Lo Tayu (罗大佑) and Chyi Yu (齐豫) popularized folk music, particularly among young Chinese people.

　　20世纪70年代末，民谣传入了台湾。罗大佑、齐豫这类歌手的走红极大地普及了民谣歌曲，特别是在年轻人中。

　　At that time, folk tunes were based on simple song structures, with pleasant chord progression and pretty lyrics, just like during old times. But they were stripped of all politics and instead focused more on the dreams and sorrow of youth.

　　那时，民谣歌曲结构简单，配上欢愉的和弦和优美的歌词，基本上延续了旧日的风格。不过，那时的民谣剔除了政治元素，更多地是关于青春的梦想和哀愁。

　　This continued to be the case when the folk “wave” rippled over to Chinese mainland in the 1990s.

　　这股民谣风一直持续，上个世纪90年代吹入了中国大陆。

　　Folk pioneers

　　民谣先锋

　　Sadly, the trend didn’t last long in China. Folk gave way to pop in the late 1990s, when people started living more fast-paced lives. But that didn’t mean folk music had disappeared from the music world entirely.

　　遗憾的是好景不长。20世纪90年代末，随着人们生活节奏的日益加快，民谣也让位于流行音乐。不过，民谣音乐并未在音乐世界销声匿迹。

　　“The drop in the popularity of folk songs is because the business mode of the music industry is outdated, not because of the music itself,” folk singer Song Ke once said.

　　民谣歌手宋柯曾说过：“民谣音乐的降温只是这种音乐的商业模式过时了，并不是民谣这种音乐本身过时。”

　　He was right. Recent years have seen folk songs gaining popularity, with the emergence of singers like Li Jian and Song Dongye.

　　他说的没错。近年来，李健和宋冬野这样的歌手开始崭露头角，民谣歌曲也开始流行起来。

　　“The prevalence of the Internet has shocked the traditional profit model in music industry,” Lu Zhongqiang, manager of 13-Month, a music recording and publishing company (十三月唱片公司), told Tencent Entertainment.

　　“互联网的普及颠覆了传统音乐行业的营利模式，”音乐录制和发行商十三月唱片公司CEO卢中强告诉腾讯娱乐。

　　“Indie music starts showing its strength when the production of mainstream music is declining,” he added.

　　“当主流音乐走下坡路时，独立音乐人开始展现出他们的实力，”他补充道。