An aboriginal singer who helped kick off the influential Taiwanese folk movement of the 1970s is one of the headliners at the Strawberry Music Festival.

Hu Defu, nicknamed Kimbo, organized what is regarded as the seminal concert of the movement. Under the slogan "Write your own songs," Hu and fellow singer Li Shuangze encouraged everyone to be creative.

Bob Dylan was a major inspiration. "During that time, there were very few songs that talked about protecting the environment, animals, feelings of alienation and war. But in one song, Dylan would touch on all that. We never thought songs could be this way, so we naturally gravitated to them," Hu told the Global Times.

The folk song movement eventually entered the commercial mainstream and nurtured other politically conscious stars like Luo Dayou.

Hu downplayed his reputation as a leader in the aboriginal rights movement of the 1980s.

"I'm not really leading a movement or anything, it's just many young people are collaborating more with indigenous musicians more and more. Everybody's gathering together, not just me."

Hu has witnessed Taiwanese popular music serve as vehicle for social change, and seen it become dominated by mindless pop idols. Reflecting on this he says, "Music can change the world, just as the trendiness of KTV changed Taiwanese music."

He will perform songs in English, Chinese and his mother tongue at Strawberry Festival on Monday May 2 at 8:30 pm at the Taiwan stage.

Global Times