Are you stuck in a rut with the same old, same old tunes from the radio? The world is an amazing place for so many reasons, and one of them is music!! Expand your cultural vision by checking out music from beyond your normal borders. Here are 7 international musical artists you need to add to your playlist, ASAP!
1. Hiba Tawaji - Lebanon
Hiba Tawaji is a 33-year-old artist born in Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon. Her music is characterized by jazz, opera, funk, and pop melodies. Woven throughout each of her tracks are Arabic musical styles, and she performs most often in French and Arabic. Tawaji also played Jasmine’s voice (speaking and singing) in the French version of the live-action Aladdin remake in 2017. Click here to check out Hiba Tawaji’s Spotify profile, and start listening!
2. Arashi - Japan
Arashi is a popular five-member boy band based in Tokyo, Japan. The pop stars are Satashi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kanzunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. They officially formed the band in September 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Their music is known as “J-pop” or Japanese pop, with rock, R&B, and hip hop influences. Some of their biggest hits are “Turning Up” and “Love So Sweet.” Check them out on Spotify by clicking here !
3. Cœur de Pirate - Canada
31-year-old Béatrice Martin started off as a piano prodigy. Now a well-known Canadian singer-songwriter, sbe goes by her stage name Cœur de Pirate, meaning “Pirate’s Heart”. Her music style is a mix of indie pop and folk pop. Click here to listen!
4. Julieta Venegas - México
Julieta Venegas a singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. She was born in Long Beach, California but considers herself from Tijuana, Mexico. Her music genre is a mix of pop-rock, indie pop, alternative, and folk. She typically sings in Spanish, but she also speaks Portuguese and English fluently. Click here to listen to some of Venegas’ top hits including “Me Voy” and “Andar Conmigo”!
5. Fally Ipupa - Democratic Republic of the Congo
Fally Ipupa is a singer, dancer, songwriter, record producer, record executive, and philanthropist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). His music reflects some traditional Congolese music styles, including ndombolo, soukous, and rumba. He has won multiple awards for his work, including 7 MTV Africa Music Awards. Check out his music here!
6. BTS - Korea
BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys (and Bangtan Sonyeondan, Beyond the Scene, and Bulletproof Boy Scouts), is a seven-member South Korean boy band. The musicians are Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. Their music genre is a mix of K-pop (Korean pop), hip hop, R&B, and EDM (electronic dance music). Though based in Seoul, BTS is internally renowned. Listen to their hit music here!
7. Juanes - Colombia
Juanes is a Colombian musician and singer-songwriter. Earlier in his career, Juanes’ music was classified as heavy rock, heavy metal, and thrash metal. His sound has evolved to be more Latin pop, cumbia (a traditional Latin American musical rhythm), Latin rock, reggaeton (a Puerto Rican musical style), and Spanish rock. He plays multiple instruments, including the guitar, violin, piano, trumpet, and flute. Click here to listen to his music!
What are some of your favorite international artists?