Canada

Oh, Canadian Music

Although it's pretty close to home, Canada's music is varied despite its strong influence from American culture. Other large musical influencers include France and Britain because of their histories with Canada.

When French settlers came to the country in the 17th century, they brought with them not only the language and customs of France, but also European instruments such as the flute and trumpet. In the 1700s, Canada was introduced to opera, and orchestral and chamber music also became popular. The music of European composers like Bach, Handel and Mozart was frequently played in concert halls.

At the start of the 20th Century, Canada began to see its musical culture expand with the creation of Canada's first record label, Compo Company, and its first radio stations, some of which were in French.

During the mid-century, jazz was the most popular musical form, and swing dancing followed suit. The first major mainstream band in Canada was The Royal Canadians, which received international recognition in the '20s.

After the second World War, Canadian bands began to sprout up all over the country, most of them being school bands and teen idols. Many Canadian artists ended up achieving success when thrust into the American music industry, but other musicians remained true to their Canadian roots.

In the '80s and '90s, musical genres expanded further in Canada, and the "youth culture" became ever-present. One of the most famous musicians to emerge from the country was French-Canadian singer Celine Dion, who quickly achieved international success.

Other mainstream Canadian artists to emerge in the United States include Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette and Justin Bieber.

Diana Krall


Although Diana Krall has reached international fame for her musical talents like many other Canadian musicians, the British Columbia native stays true to the sultry jazz sounds of early 20th century Canada.

Other than her masterful piano playing, Krall is also quite recognized for her incredible contralto vocals. The singer has not only been named by Billboard as one of the greatest jazz musicians of her time, but she has also won two Grammy Awards and eight Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy).

At age 48, Krall has release 11 studio albums and has sold over 15 million albums worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artists of today.

Russia

A Rock Revolution

Classical music has always been a large staple in Russian culture. In the 18th century, many famous Russian composers were influenced by Italian opera. One of the most popular and celebrated composers from this time period was Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who was known for the famous ballets, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty.

The 20th century brought with it a new wave of music inspired by the Russian Revolution and then the Soviet Union. "Avant garde" music was popular in the beginning of the century, with a revolutionary spirit about it. Later, under the rule of Joseph Stalin, experimentation in music dwindled and classical structure was favored.

Throughout the century, Russian music expanded and introduced modern American forms of rock and pop music. Russian rock music hit its peak in the 1980s with popular musicians like Kino, Aria and DDT.

While pop music was prevalent in the 20th century, it didn't really become mainstream until the 2000s with one of Russia's most famous pop duos, t.a.T.u.

And again, since rock was the main staple in the '80s and '90s, other musical genres like alternative rock, punk rock and grunge weren't that prevalent until the 21st century. Most of this mainstream music is broadcasted to the public via MTV Russia and other national radio stations.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early '90s, the Russian music scene has taken part in increasing experimentation. A type of music called "Russian chanson" is specific to solely Russian culture, and it is basically about the daily struggles in life and the criminal world.

In contrast to America and many European countries, electronic and dance music are not very popular in Russia. The few electronic musicians who do exist remain pretty independent and under-promoted.

Dima Bilan (Дима Билан)

The Russian singer/songwriter is best know for having won the Eurovision song contest award in 2008 with the song "Believe."

At the mere age of 31, the successful musician has released six albums to date and has received 32 awards.

Having started releasing albums in 2003, Bilan began recording his first international music in English four years later with one of his singles featuring Nelly Furtado. By 2008, Bilan had plans to release the album in three languages--Russian, English and Spanish.

His first single from this new album, "Number One Fan," achieved international success and was picked up by Interscope Records, who wanted to release the English version in 81 different countries.

Along with his musical career, Bilan has also enjoyed success as an actor in a number of Russian films and television series.

Finland

Folk Lives On

Folk music in Finland consisted of an element called "runonlaulanta," which had a rhythmic, chanting sound. The musical form was revolutionary in Finland's early days of music and led to a similar, more melodic form of singing called "rekilaulu." Although the style dates all the way back to the 1600s, the 1920s pop musicians began to include hints of rekilaulu in their music. 

The birth of rock music was in the 1960s, with popular musicians singing protest songs. The monumental decade also saw musicians translating American pop songs into Finnish. Even today, rather than singing song in broken English that is incomprehensible to most fans, Finnish artists prefer to sing in their native language. 

With the popularization of pop and rock, Finland still celebrates folk music as a large part of its culture. Folk music groups that are still popular today include Frigg and Troka. 

The styles that Finland is most well-known for today are punk and metal, which emerged in the country somewhere in the late '70s. Like all musical revolutions, these styles predominantly influenced and were influenced by the youth in Finland. 

Just like in the US, Finland took part in an '80s pop wave of music, some of the more popular artists being Dingo and Yö. Accordingly, that style of music died down and electronic/dance forms took over in the nineties and remain popular today. 

Chisu

The young, Finnish pop artist is one of the most recognized musicians of the country today. She released her first album, Alkovi, in 2008, peaking at #5 on music charts. In following years, the artist has gained increasing popularity, her most recent album having gone multi-platinum and peaking at #1 on music charts. 

Chisu has also had many hit singles, one of them having appeared in the film Sooloilua, the recognition that began her fame. The musician is most recognized for her superior vocals, having earned her the title of Best Finnish Vocalist in previous years.