My Playlist
I have had such a fun time learning about different cultures and the music in this class. For this blog, I will be discussing some music from Asia, Hawaii, and Europe. The four music groups that I will be talking about are a J-Pop group, “BabyMetal”, a K-Pop group, ”Stray Kids”, a soloist from Norway, “Aurora”, and some traditional music from Samoa.
J-pop band BabyMetal
Gimme Chocolate!! (English Translation) – BABYMETAL | Genius Lyrics
BabyMetal is a Japanese metal band, also known as Kawaii (cute) Metal, that consists of three singers: Suzuka Nakamoto (SU-METAL), Yui Mizuno (YUIMETAL), and Moa Kikuchi (MOAMETAL). This J-Pop group is a “mix” of Japanese music and heavy metal. The song I chose from this group is “Gimme Chocolate”. This song is about a girl who loves chocolate but worries about gaining weight. “Gimme Chocolate” is such an earworm of a song that even though I cannot understand what they are saying but the tone is enough to get stuck in your head, and the dance moves that the three of them are doing is very catchy and something that I have also learned to do just by watching it a few times.
K-pop group Sray Kids
MANIAC (English Translation) – Stray Kids | Genius Lyrics
Stray Kids is a Korean group that consists of Bang Chan, Changbin, Feix, Han, Hyunjin, I.N, Lee Know, and Seungmin. The song I chose from this group is “Maniac.” You may have heard this song in a reaction video about one of the singers' voices, Felix. “Maniac” is an influential trap electronic-pop song that tells a story about how everyone has locked up their inner self/real self to live up to the expectations of the world, which are “normal,” whereas everyone has that hidden maniac that can explode anytime.
Norway Aurora
AURORA – The Seed Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
Aurora is a Norwegian singer and songwriter known for her dark emotional pop. The song that I chose from her is “The Seed.” This song talks about a world where we have been too greedy with our resources, killing our earth for money, and that once every resource is gone, trees are fallen and rivers are poisoned, we cannot eat the thing that killed it in the first place. We must protect our environment. At the beginning of her music video, there is a quote: “When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize we cannot eat money.” - Cree Indian Proverb, this line is used in her chorus many times.
Smoa
In Samoa, music is more than just entertainment—it’s a way of preserving history, passing down traditions, and strengthening community ties. Whether performed during formal ceremonies, social gatherings, or religious events, music reflects the values of fa’a Samoa (the Samoan way) by emphasizing communal harmony, respect for elders, and the importance of family. The music is often accompanied by Siva (dance), creating a unified cultural performance that combines movement, rhythm, and storytelling. There are three musical forms: Pese (song), Loga (chanting), and Siva (dance). While dance is not an instrument, it is closely associated with Samoan music.
I loved getting to know all of my classmates and getting to know what you all like and about you. I also loved this class and getting to know all about different cultures. I loved learning about their instruments, their songs, their clothing, and their dance. I am excited to learn what all of my classmates learned on their own time. I hope that you all enjoyed my blog, and you learned a bit about me.
Hey JaPrincess! My favorite piece is the Samoan traditional dance and song! I absolutely love how every Samoan musical piece or dance radiate connection. Like you said their pieces are meant to strengthen community ties and hold an emphasis on the importance of family which I think is a very importance factor in music I enjoy. I have never listened to Stray Kids although I’ve heard of them and honestly their style was very unexpected! Their video is very energetic which I thought was cool.
ReplyDeleteHi JaPrincess, I actually wasn't really aware J-pop was a thing, I'd really only ever heard of K-pop. While they aren't genres I really listen to or know much about, it was cool to give them a try and learn about what the songs meant. I really liked the Samoan dance and song!! Samoan culture and music/dance has always intrigued me! I had never heard of Aurora before, but I resally liked the message of her song that you shared.
ReplyDeleteHello JaPrincess, I enjoyed reading your blog. However, my favorite would definitely have to be the traditional Samoan music and dance. The music and the dance itself are so intense but in an exciting way. I loved that it is centered around community and preserving history/culture. I also had fun trying to figure out how many different instruments I could hear based on all we’ve learned throughout this semester. It has a lot of similarities, such as the steady drum, rhythmic guitar and chanting!
ReplyDelete