I always felt as though my music taste was pretty eclectic but when I met Bogoljub Karic at college I realized what eclectic really meant. We bonded over music and then he started to introduce me to all kinds of music from French rappers to Indian bangra music. Thanks to his influence I now listen to a wide range of music from around the world and whilst some are put off by the foreign language in the lyrics, here is why you should ignore that and give some world music a try.
Only the Half of It
We all love a lyric which we can sing along to but it is important to remember that music isn’t just about the lyrics. The thing that makes us feel good about the music is the rhythm, the melody and the musicianship of the song, not always the lyrics. It is after all why many people like electronic music, which focus on the musicality of it rather than the lyrics. It is for this reason that you don’t always need to know what they are saying in the lyrics, you can still enjoy a song without them.
Learning
Music from around the world uses different styles and different instruments which can really help you to develop a deeper understanding of music. For example many African styles are heavy on the drums and the bass sounds, they use the voices in many different ways, completely different to what we hear on the radio. The same goes for Indian music, many strange instruments and vocal sounds which can open your ears and mind up to new ways of making music. If you take something like Graceland by Paul Simon, one of the world’s most famous albums, he heavily used the African influence and although people had no idea what Ladysmith Black Mambazo were saying, they still dug it because it sounded great. Even going back to the Beatles, they were heavily influenced by many different pieces of world music which they incorporated into their own music.
Accessible
The thing which you have to remember is that world music is more accessible than ever before. You can get straight online and find music from Korea, Zimbabwe, Poland, Ecuador and just about every nation in the world. You don’t need to spend money on this as you can watch videos on YouTube or listen on sites like Spotify. The key is that you give it a try and see what you like and what you don’t.
For many years the world has been listening to heavily rotated English language music, and they have fallen in love with many bands. There is no reason therefore that you are not going to fall in love with a band from another country, it is the same situation in reverse. Give it a try, open your mind and you will be pleased with what you find.
