With more than 70 million followers on Weibo, Jackson Yee is one of C-pop’s biggest stars, and considered ideal to crack the Western market. Others believe C-pop stars are all about the packaging and don’t have the musical ability to compete with Western stars.
易烊千玺在微博上拥有超过7000万的粉丝,是中国流行音乐中最大的明星之一,被认为是打入西方市场的理想人选。其他人则认为中国流行音乐明星只注重包装,没有与西方明星抗衡的音乐能力。

At the United Nations Economic and Social Council Youth Forum in New York last month, a young Chinese man gave an impassioned speech about the concerns of young people. He asked policymakers to consider the real needs of the next generation and provide them with the skills needed to change the world. The young man calling for youth empowerment was neither an activist nor a member of a high-profile concern group. He was Jackson Yee, 18, currently one of the biggest pop stars in China.
上个月在纽约举行的联合国经济及社会理事会青年论坛上,一位中国年轻人就年轻人关心的问题发表了热情洋溢的演讲。他要求政策制定者考虑下一代的真正需求,并为他们提供改变世界所需的技能,呼吁赋予青年权力的年轻人既不是活动家,也不是一个备受关注团体的成员。他是18岁的易烊千玺,目前是中国最大的流行歌星之一。

“Young people should not just be job seekers but also job creators,” said Yee, who was representing China at the forum and gave his speech in English. “We stand ready to make sure we play our part. Let’s all come together. Let’s go.”
“年轻人不应该仅仅是求职者,也应该是创造就业机会的人,”在论坛上代表中国的易烊千玺用英语发言。“我们随时准备确保发挥我们的作用。我们聚集起来。我们一起创造吧。”

Yee’s appearance at the forum came just six months after K-pop supergroup BTS appeared at the United Nations for the launch of Generation Unlimited, where group leader RM also called for youth empowerment.
就在易烊千玺出席论坛的六个月前,韩国人气组合防弹少年团在联合国发起了“无限一代”的活动,该组织领导人RM也呼吁赋予青年权力。

One of the three members of Chinese boy band TFBoys, Yee is a singer, dancer, musician and actor. The 18-year-old represents a new generation of Chinese pop idols who are not only talented behind the microphone and on stage, but also speak up on behalf of young people.
易烊千玺是中国男声乐队TFBoys的三名成员之一,是一名歌手、舞蹈者、音乐家和演员。这位18岁的年轻人代表了新一代的中国流行偶像,他们不仅在麦克风后面和舞台上有才华,而且也能代表年轻人说话。

Chinese media reports have described Yee as the most valuable star in China – together the TFBoys are said to be worth US$4 billion – and he has amassed more than 70 million followers on Chinese social media network Weibo, more than the population of the UK. After years of operating in the shadow of K-pop, C-pop is ready to take on the West, some industry insiders believe. And Yee is seen as one of China’s best candidates for achieving crossover international success, a dream that has yet to be realised.
中国媒体报道称,易烊千玺是中国最有价值的明星——据说TFBoys的总价值高达40亿美元——他在中国社交媒体网络微博上积累了7000多万粉丝,超过了英国的总人口。一些业内人士认为,中国流行音乐在韩国流行文化的影响下经营多年,准备迎战西方。而易烊千玺被视为中国成功跨国这一尚未实现的梦想的最佳人选之一。

“The success of K-pop has turned more Western eyes to Asia, looking for the next big thing from the region,” says Jonathan Serbin, head of Asia for Billboard. “Jackson is definitely multi-talented. He sings and dances extremely well. He also made the effort early in his career to sing in English and work with top international producers, which has helped him reach a wider audience.”
“韩国流行文化的成功让更多的西方国家把目光转向了亚洲,希望从该地区看到下一件大事,”Billboard亚洲区负责人乔纳森塞宾表示。“易烊千玺绝对是多才多艺的。他唱歌跳舞跳得非常好。他在职业生涯早期还努力用英语演唱,并与国际顶级制作人合作,这帮助他赢得了更广泛的观众。”

Serbin – who is also CEO of B2 Music, a Hong Kong-based label that has done A&R and production work for Yee in the West – adds that being tech-savvy is one advantage that Yee has over idols from previous generations.
瑟宾也是B2音乐的首席执行官,B2音乐是一家总部位于香港的唱片公司,他在西方做了一项关于易烊千玺的研究和制作工作。他补充说,数字科技利用是易烊千玺超过上一代偶像的一个优势。

“He’s been able to harness the power of digital media to achieve wider exposure. The technology just wasn’t available to idols from past generations,” he says. And Yee is aware of this advantage, pointing out the importance of using social media to reach youngsters during his speech at the United Nations Youth Forum.
“他能够利用数字媒体的力量实现更广泛的曝光,”他说:“过去几代的偶像根本无法使用这项技术。”。而易烊千玺也意识到了这一优势,他在联合国青年论坛的演讲中指出了利用社交媒体接触年轻人的重要性。

Born on November 28, 2000, Yee is a native of Hunan province and has an unusual four-character Chinese name, Yi Yangqianxi. He started out as a child performer in 2005 and was discovered by Chinese entertainment company TF Entertainment while taking part in the Hunan reality TV show Up Young in 2012. The next year Yee made his debut as the youngest member of TFBoys, who have grown into one of the most successful pop groups China has ever seen, earning fans all across Asia. Overall, the group have more than 200 million followers on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter.
2000年11月28日出生于湖南省,易烊千玺有一个不同寻常的四字中文名字。2005年,他从一名儿童演员起步,2012年参加湖南真人秀《青春起来》时被中国娱乐公司TF娱乐发现。第二年,易烊千玺作为TFBoys最年轻的成员首次亮相,TFBoys已经成长为中国有史以来最成功的流行乐团之一,赢得了全亚洲的歌迷。总的来说,该组织在中国版的推特——微博上拥有超过2亿的粉丝。

The TFBoys have released five albums since their debut in 2013, while Yee has released a string of solo singles. His first solo EP came out in November last year.
自2013年首次亮相以来,TFBoys已经发行了5张专辑,而易烊千玺则发行了一系列单曲。他的第一张个人EP于去年11月问世。

“Jackson seems approachable and instantly likeable – he comes across as clean-cut and somewhat innocent. It’s easy for fans in China and around the world to root for his success. Jackson is different from K-pop stars – he’s not as slick and untouchable. He’s more human. I think fans across the world can connect with him pretty easily,” Serbin says.
“易烊千玺看起来平易近人,而且很讨人喜欢——他看起来清白无邪。中国和世界各地的粉丝很容易为他的成功欢呼。易烊千玺不同于韩国流行明星——他没有那么圆滑,不可触碰。他更人性化。我认为全世界的粉丝都可以很容易地和他联系起来。

Unlike his C-pop predecessors, Yee’s music contains a heavy Western influence which sits well with his hip-hop-influenced choreography, providing a stark contrast to the melodic love songs that has driven the success of Canto-pop and Mando-pop. He is also releasing English-language songs, starting with Nothing to Lose and Unpredictable in 2017. However, some Chinese music critics believe the success of Yee and the TFBoys is due to the “fan economy”, rather than the quality of their music.
与他的中国流行音乐前辈不同,易烊千玺的音乐包含了强烈的西方影响,与他受嘻哈影响的编舞很好地契合在一起,与粤语流行音乐和华语乐坛成功的旋律情歌形成鲜明对比。他从2017年开始便发发行了Nothing to Lose和Unpredictable这些英文歌曲。然而,一些中国音乐评论家认为,易烊千玺和TFBoys的成功是由于“粉丝经济”,而不是他们的音乐质量。

“The entire music industry has become an entertainment industry driven by profits from fans,” says John Fei, a veteran music critic based in Shanghai. “Idols dominate 70 to 80 per cent of the industry. There are fewer real music fans these days – they just follow idols.
在上海的资深音乐评论家约翰·费表示:“整个音乐行业已经成为一个由粉丝利润驱动的娱乐行业。“偶像在行业中占据了70%到80%。现在真正的音乐迷越来越少了——他们只关注偶像。

“Do they like their music? Not necessarily. These fans, especially teenage girls, are always looking for ‘little fresh meat’, the cute, good-looking guys. They like the personality, not the music. And following idols helps them socialise with like-minded fans.”
“他们喜欢他们的音乐吗?不一定。这些粉丝,尤其是十几岁的女孩,总是在寻找“小鲜肉”,那些可爱、帅气的男生。她们喜欢个性,不喜欢音乐。追随偶像有助于她们与志同道合的粉丝进行社交。”

And Li Dalong, director of Shanghai live music venue Mao Livehouse, says the internet may have helped boost the popularity of young idols, but it hasn’t helped youngsters develop an appreciation for music.“The post-2000 generation has grown up with cultural products made in China, while my generation grew up with music from the West, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The internet is flooded with entertainment products and so much is made available to young people before they can learn to distinguish quality material from commercial rubbish,” Li says.
而上海现场音乐场Mao Livehouse总监李大龙表示,互联网或许有助于提升年轻偶像的人气,但并没有帮助年轻人培养对音乐的欣赏力。他说:“2000年后的一代人成长于中国制造的文化产品,而我们这一代人则是成长于欧美地区、香港和台湾的音乐。互联网上充斥着娱乐产品,而这些在年轻人学会区分优质产品和商业垃圾之前就已经受到了很多洗礼。”

Like Yee, other young Chinese pop stars such as Kris Wu and Hong Kong-born Jackson Wang, a member of K-pop group GOT7, are attempting to make a name for themselves in the West by releasing English-language songs. But Fei says Asian musicians still struggle to find equal footing with Western stars on the global stage.
像易烊千玺一样,其他年轻的中国流行歌星,如吴亦凡和香港出生的王嘉尔,韩国流行音乐团体GOT7的一员,正试图通过发行英文歌曲来为自己在欧美地区正名。但费说,亚洲音乐家仍然难以在全球舞台上找到与西方明星平等的地位。

“There could be a one-off phenomenon, but it is almost impossible to challenge the domination of the West in the music industry,” Fei says.“The Chinese stars are being packaged as idols – it’s not about their music. Even if they are talented musicians, today it’s all about the packaging and profits, and the music is only a by-product created to satisfy the needs of the market. So we can expect to see a lot more idols produced by China’s pop industry."
“这可能是昙花一现,但几乎不可能挑战西方在音乐行业的统治地位,”费说。“中国明星被包装成偶像——这与他们的音乐无关。即使他们是有才华的音乐家,今天的一切都是包装和利润,而音乐只是为满足市场需求而创造的副产品。所以我们可以期待看到更多的偶像是由中国的流行音乐产业来生产。”

“As an idol, you have to give the fans what they need. And Jackson Yee is successful in that regard,” said Fei.
“作为一个偶像,你必须给粉丝他们所需要的。而在这方面,易烊千玺是成功的,”费说。