International Music Meets America

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Photo Credit: Shoompi

K-Pop group BTS attending the BBMAS.

The world is constantly changing and becoming more and more inclusive. The music scene is one of those places where nothing stays the same. There is always some new type of song that everyone wants to hear.

This year alone, several new artists have surfaced. These aren’t your typical American branded artists, these artists are representing their own countries and entertaining the masses.

2017 was a massive year for Korean pop sensations BTS. During this year, they were nominated for the top social award at the BBMAS(Billboard Music Awards) and won the award. They also performed at the awards and wowed more than just the BTS A.R.M.Y. During the performance, several other performers were seen clapping and singing along to the songs.

Designer and Steve Aoki, both semi-famous today, helped bring BTS their American fame by singing and remixing beats on their track Mic Drop. BTS had already gained lots of American fans on their own, but collaborating with well known American artists increased the number of people who know about them.

Luis Fonsi, a popular Puerto Rican singer, also had American artists help him break into the American pop scene. He has made a song with Demi Lovato and another with Justin Bieber. Although the song Despacito is mostly in Spanish, Justin Bieber added a few of his own words to add a new flair. The Justin Bieber version of the song is extremely popular, but the original version is also taking the world by storm.

Along with Luis Fonsi, Camila Cabello is incorporating Spanish into her songs. In her song, Inside Out, she adds a few Spanish lyrics. Havana, one of the most popular songs in America, is written about the capital of her home country, Cuba.

Pussy Riot, a feminist Russian band, has officially announced their first North American tour. The band is anti-Putin and anti-Trump and often preach their ideas through their music. Members of the group have been imprisoned for speaking their opinions through their songs. One major issue was a performance at a church, where they sang Punk Prayer, a song that attacked the church’s support for Putin.  During this tour, they will be stopping in Boise and performing at Treefort.

Boise’s radio stations have picked up on the growing popularity of these bands and began playing them more often. “It’s cool to see a city as small as Boise, playing this music from around the world,” junior Maddie Piotrowski commented.

This new music community will continue to grow and influence people all around the world.