Final Blog!

Welcome to my blog! I'm excited to share with you some of the most interesting and coolest songs I've discovered. I have decided to write about songs from Scandinavia, Japan, China and south Korea. I’ll be exploring a mix of genres and artists that have influenced music across the globe. 

I decided to go and explore music from the Nordic tribes, specifically the Norse and Viking tribes, they lived in the regions now known as Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland) during the Viking Age. I choose a traditional Norse folk song called "Völuspá". Völuspá is an ancient poem about the creation of the world, the gods, and the eventual end of the world, it was also a part of Old Norse poems that were passed down orally through the generations. This song is often performed with a hardanger fiddle and flutes. The song has a very powerful storytelling element, combined with the distinctive sound of the hardanger fiddle. (scandinavia, traditional)

This next song is by liSa and it is called "Gurenge", this song shows a lot of modern Japanese pop-rock. This song specifically is used in Japan in a lot of anime shows. The song mixes a lot of traditional rock elements, like strong guitar riffs. The combination of J-Rock and anime connects with global audiences, showing the evolution of Japanese pop culture and its growing impact on international music trends. This song really shows  LiSA’s vocal energy and how she made the song’s dynamic modern that connects with the listeners across the globe. (Japan, modern) 

The next song I wanted to write about is "Plum Blossoms" is a well-known piece of Chinese music that is very often performed on the guzheng. It is also very important to the Chinese culture; the roots are in the Chinese traditions and represents a very classical melody. "Plum Blossoms" is a beautiful and intricate song that shows resilience. These plum flowers are often seen as a symbol of strength in Chinese culture. I chose this song because of its historical significance, its ability to express emotions through some of the subtle shifts in melody. (China, traditional) 

I am not going to lie I never really listened to music outside of the US, but I decided to put in "District 9" by this Korean pop group called stray kids. After listening to a couple of their other songs I learned they mix rock, EDM, and some hip hop. Specifically in this song they have a lot of aggressive guitar riffs and very intense rap verses which can be very different from American pop music. I was very curious about what they were singing about so I translated the lyrics, and it speaks of breaking away from societal expectations and wanting anyone who listens to their music to embrace individuality. (South Korea, modern)