Music is a universal phenomenon. All cultures on Earth use music in some way, whether recreationally, for entertainment, in religious ceremonies or even in politics. One of my favorite activities is finding and listening to popular and indie music from different countries. In this article, we will go on a world tour and listen to six talented singers and bands from different parts of the world.

Canada: Lights

Lights Poxleitner Bokan, who is known professionally as Lights, is a Canadian electropop singer-songwriter. She has spanned a broad range of genres and musical styles since the beginning of her career in 2006, from acoustic to gritty electro. Even more than her musical flexibility , her lyrics are what sets her apart from so many other artists. Her lyrics are poetic, witty, symbolic, and most importantly, relatable.

South Korea: Ailee

Ailee, or Amy Lee, is a Korean-American born in Denver. She was raised in New Jersey but moved to Korea to pursue music professionally. In Korea, she is famous for her powerful voice and wide vocal range. Many people consider her the Korean equivalent of Beyonce or Ariana Grande.

France: Eskemo

The French emo/punk band, Eskemo, has been active since 2007 and consists of vocalist Romaine Boise, bassist Benjamin Boise and drummer Maxime Boise, as well as guitarists Remi Capdeville and Enzo Aldazaro and synth guitarist Yann Marchadour. Despite changes in the member line-up over the years, the group has consistently good music and a sizable fanbase.

Japan: ONE OK ROCK

This Japanese rock band often performs their songs in a mixture of Japanese and English. Though they have been active since 2007, ONE OK ROCK has recently gained more attention internationally by releasing an English version of their 2015 album "35xxxv" and touring in over 15 different countries. The members include vocalist Taka, guitarist Toru, bassist Ryota and drummer Tomoya.

Croatia: 2Cellos

2Cellos is made up of Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser, two classically trained cellists. The two became known internationally by posting covers of popular songs as well as original compositions for cello. The fact that two immensely talented and well-trained instrumentalists are using the cello as a pop act is new, impressive and definitely worth listening to!

China: Z.TAO

Huang Zitao, or Z.TAO, as he is called professionally, is a Chinese rapper, singer, dancer, actor and martial artist. He started his music career in 2012 as a member of the Korea-based boy band EXO, but now has a solo career in China. Even though he has been working as a solo artist since 2015, he has released a large number of songs, including a collaboration with Wiz Khalifa.

This song, in Mandarin Chinese and English, was Z.TAO's hip-hop/electro debut into the Chinese music scene as a solo artist:

These are only six musical groups of the thousands all over the world. Listening to music from other countries and in other languages than your own can be a fun, eye-opening experience and definitely worth doing if you haven't looked into the international music scene before!