The world is full of music. And there’s literally nothing worse than limiting yourself to the music right in front of you. Maybe papercuts. Anyway, take a tour of the world right here, and you may just find something you wished you’d found sooner.
South Korea
Starting with something easy. K-Pop’s already managed to breach that Western barrier, “BTS” being a particularly hot name thrown around lately. But were you aware that South Korea also has approximately 15,000 girl bands? (Honorable mentions: AOA, Gfriend, Apink, T-ara, Blackpink, Miss A, 2NE1, Red Velvet.)
Japan
Japanese music (J-Pop) has also gained a foothold in the west via “anime music,” but there’s a mountain of music beneath, including some gems so elusive they haven’t even been romanized (阿部真央 15の言葉). (Good luck googling your way to these!)
But you’d be surprised how little digging is actually necessary. A lot of Japanese songs are graciously given English titles, making finding them oh-so-easy. And sometimes they take it even further:
France
Despite the US’s clear presence in France’s top music charts, there’s not much flow in the opposite direction. Americans’ view of French music probably boils down to accordions and cigarettes.
Unfortunate with a buffet of options like MC Solaar, Kyo, Kenza Farah, and Indila. And then, there’s the very first French artist I heard way back in high school:
Germany
Initially planned for “Spring nicht” by Tokio Hotel, but not only is it a decade-old with an accompanying English version (might as well go with NENA’s “99 Luftballons”), but it was also really dark. So, I decided I’d go with something more recent:
Taiwan
There are some great artists in the area. Thought about S.H.E. or Rainie Yang, but Jolin Tsai is one that I regularly come back to, and she’s very much got the image and range worthy of the name “pop star.”
Iran
Only one artist I know of in the area, but the featured selection is probably one of the most accessible songs on the list. (And if you like it, Temptation is a solid follow-up.)
Indonesia
Another single-artist entry, but probably one of the sweetest as well. (I’d recommend Apa Kata Bintang as well– so sweet I’m issuing an official warning to diabetics– but an unofficial upload, so no telling if/when it might be taken down.)
Russia
Depending on your perceptions of the Russia, you might be expecting something techno-esque like Moscow Never Sleeps by DJ Smash or racy like Ева (Eva) by Винтаж (Vintage). (For the record, they actually have quite a few good songs; don’t let the video distract/dissuade you.)
Well, there’s also this:
And that should do for this trip. Hope you found something worth the time!
