Haiti

A Haitian Hippie Movement

Haiti’s music is influenced strongly by the vodou religion and the country’s battle with slavery and fighting for freedom. Haitian folk music has its roots in French and Spanish musical forms.

Rara is a form of Haitian folk music that ties back to the Vodou religion. It is a processional type of music and only performed in the country between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. 

The Rara celebrations involve a great amount of dancing in the street and during the festival, the musicians perform religious ceremonies. 

Rara music features cylindrical bamboo trumpets called vaksen as well as drums, maracas, metal bells and the percussion instrument referred to as the guira. The music is played in repeating rhythmic patterns and is very African-based.

Like in America, the 1970s in Haiti gave rise to the disco scene. During this time period, however, Haiti was struggling with a cruel and unjust dictatorship. Thus began the Sanba Movement, which was headed by Haitian “hippies.” During this time black power was extremely popular and included musicians such as the internationally-acclaimed Bob Marley.

Some of the most prominent figures in the Sanba Movement included six musicians who formed a band called Gwoup Sa. After this, other bands began popping up in the nation’s popular culture including musicians such as Lolo.

Following this outbreak in popular music, the '90s introduced a new musical genre called mizik rasin otherwise known as “roots music.” This music included many forms such as reggae, rock and funk mixed with traditional Haitian music forms.

Another popular musical form in Haiti is known as the Haitian rap, which gained popularity in the recent hip-hop movement. Rap music in Haiti is mostly popular with the younger generation, as it generally discusses social, political and materialistic topics.

Jimmy O

Port-au-Prince native Jimmy O was a prominent Haitian hip-hop artist who rose up when Haiti’s hip-hop/rap music scene was just beginning.

Although his music was performed in Haitian Creole, he performed with a number of American hip-hop artists including Wyclef Jean and Akon.

In 2007, Jimmy O, along with other Haitian artists, performed in Port-au-Prince with some American artists.

Jimmy O was not only known for his music, but also his involvement in social activism. In 2006, the musician held a hip-hop performance in Bel Air, Haiti to help fund the USAID Clean Streets project. The artist was also involved with Wyclef Jean’s Yéle Haiti Foundation.

Jimmy O had a large impact on Haitian popular culture, but unfortunately his life and career were cut short after a tragic car accident. Before his death, Jimmy O had been planning to release his debut album Destiny in the United States.

South Korea

Korean Boy Bands Dominate

(Take that, Backstreet Boys.)

Over the last few decades, the music of South Korea has evolved into two distinct categories: traditional Korean folk music and K-pop.

Traditional Korean music has been around since prehistoric times. The most ancient of musical forms developed as a means of performing worship of the heaven and earth. During this time, several instruments were introduced to the Koreans from Central Asia, and along with the music, dance rituals began. 

During the medieval period in Korean history, the dynasty brought about the creation of royal music which supported the royal families and aristocratic lifestyles. 

These ancient styles of Korean music provided the basis for the country’s indigenous sounds and also led into the folk music period.

Korean folk music follows a series of rhythms and melodies. The majority of Korean folk music is simple, but some regions, such as the Namdo region, feature heavy and dramatic music. 

Pansori is a type of folk music that relies heavily on percussion and is performed by one musician. The lyrics are written with the intention of telling a story, but the tune and the beats are individualized.

Another form of folk music that relies mostly on percussion is Pungmul, which also includes dancing and singing. This type of music is normally played for a group of people who all join in the dancing.

Besides percussion, some of the instrument groups found in traditional Korean music include strings and woodwind. Some of the string instruments include the zither and a two-string vertical fiddle.

Different types of flutes, oboes, ocarinas and mouth organs fall into the woodwind category. Percussion folk typically uses different types of gongs and chimes.

Popular Korean music, or K-pop, is highly commercialized in Asia and is dominated by large groups of young and talented dancers. In America we would call them boy-bands, but in Korea, the genre is referred to as gayo. 

Many of these gayo performers are young and good-looking with impressive dance skills. The band’s image is just as, if not more important than the musical quality of the songs. Contemporary Korean artists are extremely popular and influential to musicians in Asia and all over the world.

Although musical genres such as rock, hip-hop and rap are prevalent in South Korean culture, the most influential musicians are called idol groups. These are a combination of the gayo groups as well as groups who perform dance and electronic music. 

Many of these groups are all-girl or all-boy even though some are co-ed. Going along with the image portion of these groups, many of the all-boy groups show off their dance skills, while the girl groups tend to show off their good looks. 

Super Junior and Girls’ Generation

Both of these South Korean idol groups have gained extreme recognition not only in their country, but throughout Asia and even the rest of the world. 

Super Junior is a 13-member all boy group that formed in 2005. The group plays mostly pop and dance tracks, with its synchronized dance moves being the highlight of performances.

The group had its major breakthrough with its third album, Sorry, Sorry, in 2009. It became South Korea’s best-selling album of the year, and it launched the group into international stardom. 

After its third Asia-wide tour, the group joined the SMTown Live ’10 Tour where it toured outside of Asia for the first time in cities such as Los Angeles, Paris and New York.

After releasing its fifth studio album, Mr. Simple, Super Junior was crowned “Album King.” This last year, the idol group released its most recent album, Sexy, Free & Single. 

Girls’ Generation is like the all female version of Super Junior. The nine-member group’s main appeal, like many other South Korean idol groups, is its image. The members of Girls' Generation initially appealed to young girls by projecting a pure and conservative image with their identical plain white T-shirts, makeup-free faces and lollipop props during their concerts.

As the group matured in image and sound throughout the years, it experimented with new and less conservative imagery. For their 2012 single “Oh,” Girls’ used the cheerleader image and portrayed their looks as cute and pretty. 

By 2011, the group went into even more mature and sometimes even risqué imagery. Girls’ Generation used choreography to highlight the girls’ legs and did seductive dance moves and sexual motifs in the music videos.

The female idol group has made albums in Korean, Japanese and even one in English. Since 2007, it has put out three Korean albums and are expecting to release a fourth next year.

Looking back at traditional Korean music, this culture of K-pop and idol groups seems far out. If you think about it, however, traditional Korean musicians relied heavily on dancing to accompany their music. The percussion beats that dominated traditional Korean music has seemingly evolved into the dance beats in popular music today.

Super Junior and Girls’ Generation are not the only K-pop and teen idol groups taking over the Asian music scene. In the last decade, these groups have multiplied yearly, focusing on image and dance skills.

France

The Chanson Branches Out

French pop music, which became popular in the 1950s, originated from an earlier French style of music called chanson. The beginning chansons that date all the way back to the days of chivalry are more lyric-based. These include love ballads and crusade songs. More modern chansons began to incorporate some instrumentals such as the keyboard and the lute. 

Like many European countries during the Renaissance, France went through a very popular opera period. At the end of the 19th century, something called chanson réaliste became very popular. This type of music is comparable to the realist art movement in America which focused on the poor and working class.

Another late 19th century type of music that was very popular in France was known as art songs. This style of music is more melodic and instrument-based rather than lyric-based. One of the most famous art music composers was Claude Debussy who wrote the popular, "Clair de Lune."

When artists such as Dalida and Sylvie Vartan began combining the classic chanson with modern rock ‘n’ roll music, the French pop music scene was created. French rock music was largely influenced by the rock scene that was becoming huge in America. The French named this style of music Yéyé, and French rock artists began modeling themselves after big American rock stars like Elvis Presley. As Elvis was our king of rock ‘n’ roll, the French had their version of “the king,” and this was rock star, Johnny Hallyday. 

The sixties became a time when the French blues were popular, with Nicoletta being the rising star of the decade. In the seventies, dance music became popular. Just like in America, the disco scene became the norm and artists experimented with psychedelic-sounding compositions.

France in the eighties was practically obsessed with music. This was a time when big rock groups were emerging, forming themselves into idols and experimenting with different forms of music. One of the biggest groups of the eighties was the pop-punk band Téléphone. 

In the last two decades, the original chanson has been spread to various genres of music. In the late nineties, French music came out with house artists and many notable DJs. Artists like Air and Daft Punk started out in Paris and grew so popular that they merged into the American music scene. Hip-hop and lo-fi also broke out during this time with artists such as IAM and the electro-pop singer, Zazie.

Today, some French artists hold true to chanson styles of music, but there are so many different genres in French popular culture that the country has no definitive style of music. Many French artists, such as M83 and Phoenix, are increasingly gaining international success.

Jenifer

French pop singer Jenifer Bartoli got her big break when she won the French television show Star Academy France. Shortly after she won, Jenifer released her hit single, “J’attends L’amour.”

Since her first album titled Jenifer in 2002, the pop star has released four other studio albums. 

She had achieved instant success with Jenifer, as the album reached number two on French and Belgian charts, even though she recorded the entire album in only three weeks.

Her second album, Le Passage wasn’t as successful in sales as the first, but it did earn her the title “Best French Artist” at the MTV Europe music awards.

Her most successful album to date is Lunatique which topped charts in France and contains the hit single “Tourner Ma Page.” The album was also her most versatile, containing ska and reggae sounds. Jenifer also collaborated with other notable artists such as Matthieu Chedid. 

Jenifer’s music is extremely popular in France, but with the exception of the French speaking country Belgium, she has not yet achieved international recognition. All of her albums to date have been solely in French.

Jenifer released her most recent album this year, with the name L’Amour et Moi. The singer is also currently a coach on The Voice. 

India

From Classical to Bollywood 

Everyone is familiar with some sort of classical music--Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi. You either love it or hate it. What many American music lovers are not familiar with is the classical music of India. Classical Indian music is based on ragas, the colors that are used to create a scale of musical sound. Rather than the music being created by a composer, classical Indian musicians develop ragas over time based on certain moods, time of day and seasons.

While we normally think of Western classical music as only instrumental with little or no vocals, Indian classical music uses mostly vocals. Of course, there are many different genres of classical Indian music, each with varying styles. Some forms of classical music are mostly instrumental, but Carnatic music is one of the most highly recognized forms, and its emphasis is on melodic vocals.  

India also has a vastly diverse folk music tradition. Indian folk music takes on many forms due to India’s cultural diversity. The focus of Indian folk is lively instrumentals, and it is usually played at festivals where dancing is almost always involved.  

Lavani is the most popular form of Indian folk music, which is accompanied by many dance performances. The music is upbeat and sung in a quick tempo, while the dances are performed by women in saris. 

Other types of folk music are mainly vocal and carry with them a certain message. Ganasangeet usually has a social message with recurring themes of freedom, community and patriotism. Uttarakhandi music is always about the beauty and simplicity of nature, and it utilizes many different types of instruments.

Popular Indian music today has become increasingly part of a culture called film music. This is the usage of Indian music in Bollywood films. Instead of already composed songs being included in films, as we do in western culture, the music is specifically written and composed to fit with the movie script. 

Another feature of Bollywood film music is that often the actors/actresses themselves are singing the songs, rather than them being played in the background. 

Indian music has become extremely widespread with the introduction of music into popular culture. People all around the world are familiar with Indian music as well as Bollywood films.  

A.R. Rahman

One of the most skilled and well-known filmmakers and musicians in India, A.R. Rahman has earned the nickname “the Mozart of Madras” due to his extensive and impressive body of work. 

Rahman practices many forms of classical and folk Indian music, and he includes these elements in most of his film music. 

Rahman’s musical genre is technically Indian pop, but his music can also be categorized as dance, electronic and film score.

One of his most universally recognized film scores was for 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire, for which he won a Golden Globe and two Academy Awards.  

Rahman has not only been successful with composing film music, but he also released Vande Mataram in 1997, an album of his own compositions. His success was noted when the album became the biggest-selling Indian album that was not film music. 

The multi-talented artist’s success did not end there, however, as he has performed all over the world with his music and even along with a dancing troupe at a Michael Jackson concert. 

Rahman has collaborated with many artists and even performed his first world tour in 2010 called the A.R. Rahman Jai Ho Concert: The Journey Home World Tour. 

Mexico

Bamba, Bamba

Traditional Mexican folk music is classified by many different styles and ensembles. Although Mexican music pulls from its indigenous roots, some of the classics have become popular across the globe.

“La Bamba” is one of these classics that was traditionally a folk song, but was then made popular by Ritchie Valens, hitting US charts. 

One of Mexico’s traditional music styles is corrido, a narrative, ballad-like music. Corrido songs are usually based on old legends and tell some kind of story. 

Ranchera is another style, which is characterized by a single performer playing a guitar. A major theme that runs through ranchera pieces of music is the Mexican Revolution. The most popular ranchera musician was José Alfredo Jiménez, who had composed over 1000 songs in his lifetime.

Mariachi is one of the major Mexican folk ensembles, and is considered representative of Mexican music and culture. It includes the most stylistic variety, including ranchera, corrido and many other forms. 

The average mariachi band includes the guitar, the violin and the trumpet, sometimes adding additional instruments. 

Having originated in Mexico, mariachi has moved into US culture and popularized traditional mariachi songs. One of the most well-known of these songs is "La Cucaracha." The song became popular during the revolution, but there is no known lyricist. It has, however, been recorded by many American artists including Gipsy Kings and Louis Armstrong.

Modern Mexican music spans across many different genres, such as Latin alternative, rock, pop and electronic. 

Most Latin alternative music refers to popular artists that play on mainstream American radio. This music steers away from traditional Mexican songwriting and instrumentals. Although there are still hints of Mexican roots, most of the music is overproduced and the lyricism is more risqué. 

Mexican rock music first became popular in the 1950s and it stuck closer to its roots than other forms of modern music. More often than Latin alternative musicians, Mexican rock bands include traditional themes and instruments in their songs. 

The famous Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana became popular around this movement with his band Santana. His music is a combination of original Latin music, new age rock and a little bit of jazz. 

Even some pop music today still includes some of Mexico’s traditional musical elements. Although popular artists are becoming more produced and experimenting with more mainstream instrumentals and themes, Mexican musicians are more known for some of their raw, folksy sounds.

Paulina Rubio

The popular singer known for her rich vocals and sex appeal has been an active Latin musician since the early 1980s. Her debut began as the front woman of the pop band, Timbiriche. 

After about 10 years, Rubio left the band to pursue a solo career in music and released her first solo album, La Chica Dorada, in 1992. The single “Mío” has been understood to be Rubio’s signature song, hitting No. 2 on Mexican charts. 

Her sophomore album, 24 Kilates, gave her the status as one of Mexico’s most successful musicians, as the album reached No. 1 status in Mexico.

The artist’s most successful album ever was Paulina, which gave her three nominations for the Latin Grammy Awards. In 2009, the album was named one of the Top 10 best-selling albums ever in Mexico. 

With her 2002 album Border Girl, Rubio took her first steps into American pop culture, as the album was almost entirely in English. This was a defining year for the singer since it gave her overwhelming international recognition.

After her American debut, Rubio went back to recording mostly Spanish albums, but continued performing internationally. Some other acclaimed Latin American superstars she performed with were Enrique Iglesias and Shakira.

Rubio’s most recent album Brava! is what she calls a Spanglish album, mixing the Spanish and English languages. However, only three of the songs are in English, while seven are in Spanish.

In her music, Rubio is the sole singer and that is all she does musically. Along with her voice, traditional Latin sounds and heavy percussion are very evident. In her more recent albums, Rubio has followed suit with many other popular musicians, incorporating more and more electronics. 

Germany

The Discothèque

What’s better than techno? German techno is the answer. Having the largest electronic music scene in the world, the Germans know how to “discothèque.” 

The beginning of the German electronic music scene began sometime in the 1950s when composer Karlheinz Stockhausen wanted to create modern and innovative music. This thinking began to expand starting in the early 1970s. 

Kraftwerk was one of the first “krautrock” bands whose vision was to exemplify modern life and the move into a more technological society. Themes that are heavily present in their music are computers, robots and traveling by the Autobahn.

The bands instrumentals were a different sort for the time, as they used a vocoder, electronic drums and synthesizers. 

Kraftwerk was heavily influential for many artists to come into the electronic music scene. By the eighties, many techno bands began springing up and wedging their way into popular culture.

By the late '80s, the rave scene in East Berlin became extremely popular, and going to underground techno parties was the norm. A few years later, techno clubs began to open. The very first techno clubs were Planet, Der Bunker and Tresor. 

German DJs normally played at these clubs, experimenting with different sounds and becoming weirder and weirder as the techno music was being well-received. 

One of the first famous DJs in Germany was Sven Vath who became popular in 1990 and went on to open his own dance club. 

As more of these techno dance clubs were opening in Germany’s big cities, they were being called “discothèques.”

By the mid to late 1990s, rave music was mainstream and techno musicians began trying mixing music and creating what we know as “remixes.” This means they would take classic songs and give them a techno spin, usually speeding up the original song.

The German music scene is now pretty diverse with hip-hop, rap and alternative having emerged recently, but the electronic scene is still going strong. Dancing at discothèques and raging to techno music is a very prominent part of German popular culture.

Digitalism

The techno/house duo called Digitalism hit the German electronic music scene in 2004. The band consists of DJs Jens Moelle and Ismail Tüfekçi. After the two were asked to DJ at a party together, they began mixing and recording as a band. 

In 2007, Digitalism released their debut album, Idealism. Some of the songs from the album were previously released as singles, but the band felt ready enough to compile them into a 15-track album.

Following Idealism, the duo released two EPs including the popular Pogo EP.  Their second full-length album was released in 2011 and was called I Love You, Dude.

The band has just recently released a new album called DJ Kicks. The album’s music shifts between many different genres including synth-pop, new wave, techno and what the band calls “pop glamour.” 

Digitalism is mainly a German band, but they have ventured out of their cultural realm by spreading their influence all over the world.

For example, the band records for the French label Kitsuné and Virgin Records. Digitalism has also appeared at well-known festivals including Coachella, Lollapalooza and Ultra Music Festival.

Most of Digitalism’s music consists of remixed tracks by existing artists of various genres. Some of the artists they have remixed include The Futureheads, Daft Punk and The White Stripes.

The band’s most recognized song is “Pogo” from Idealism and has been featured in different aspects of popular culture. The song even became one of the official tracks for Electronic Arts video games.

With some of Digitalism’s influences clearly being techno bands such as Daft Punk and Kraftwerk, the band has really made a name for themselves in the techno music scene. 

Italy

The Sounds of Romance

Picture a romantic night at a corner street restaurant listening to a man with his accordion. That image is the purest definition of Italy. The romance and the passion that fill the simplest of Italian compositions is overwhelming. 

Like many countries, Italian musicians are adopting more and more electronics in their popular music, overproducing their songs and doing a poor job of it. However, other current musicians are holding true to their Italian musical roots. The instrumentals in Italian music are essential to experience the country’s warmth and beauty. Strings and woodwind instruments are very popular in Italian music and add to its melodic nature.

When someone mentions Italian music, the first thing that comes to mind is most likely the opera. A traditional Italian form of entertainment, the opera has been going strong since the 16th century. Opera was such a heavy influence in Italy that it has become a feature for today’s popular Italian artists. 

Luciano Pavarotti is one of the first Italian tenors to bring opera into popular music. After singing in many operas and gaining recognition for his heavenly voice, Pavarotti began to sing in concerts with The Three Tenors. The trio was a small collection of exceptional operatic tenors, including Pavarotti and Spanish singers Plácido Domingo and José Carreras.

Although non-Italian speakers would not understand the lyrics, Italian songs are still so full of passion. I don’t know about you, but when I listen to Pavarotti, I feel like I’m starring in my own romantic drama. The story that the vivacious instrumentals tell makes having lyrics almost unnecessary.

Andrea Bocelli

Having one of the most recognizable tenor voices, the Tuscany born Andrea Bocelli has frequently been called the most beautiful singer in the world. With the obvious operatic influences in his music, Bocelli became a pop sensation in 1995.

Bocelli became blind at the age of seven, but that didn’t stop him from pursuing his biggest passion. Bocelli can proficiently play eight different instruments as well as master the voice of an angel. 

The singer’s career began when the Italian rockstar Zucchero had tenor auditions, planning to give Pavarotti the spot. Pavarotti, however, heard the tape that Bocelli sent in, and asked him to sing the song Zucchero wrote. Pavarotti himself said that “there is no one finer” than Bocelli. The newly recognized artist then performed with the notable Pavarotti, earning him the name, “the fourth tenor.” 

Bocelli released his debut album in 1994 called Il Mare Calmo della Sera, which quickly went platinum. 

His next album held what came to be his most recognizable and widely used song. The title, “Con te Partirò,” translates  to “Time to Say Goodbye.” The song, which was originally written by Francesco Sartori and Lucio Quarantotto, topped charts in various countries. “Con te Partirò" is frequently presented in films and television shows, as well as sporting events.

Since his debut, Bocelli has recorded 22 albums and has performed in nine opera performances. The singer has earned countless music awards and has toured all over the world. 

Over the years, Bocelli’s fame has unfortunately caused him to become more Americanized. The singer has collaborated with American artists like Christina Aguilera and has earned a number of American music awards. 

Bocelli also began recording some songs in English. He even made a remake of “Con te Partirò,” which is sung partly in English and is a duet with Sarah Brightman. 

Andrea Bocelli is still going strong in his career today. His most recent album, My Christmas, was released in 2009. The album was the singer’s first holiday album, and it became the best-selling holiday album of the year.  My Christmas features both Italian and English songs, but has a predominantly American feel to it.

Although Bocelli’s music has become so dominated by American pop culture, his Italian roots will always be what achieved him fame in the first place. 

Bocelli's dramatic voice over a passionate string symphony still fosters in me a warmth and enthusiasm that no singer has ever achieved.