Do you watch the Olympics like I do? Maybe you do, Maybe you don’t. As for me???
I LIVE FOR IT.
And if I were to be completely honest, the whole sports thing isn’t even my favorite part. ITS THE PARADE OF NATIONS!
I love watching the citizens of the globe proudly wave their flag around, wearing fun outfits that either show off their flag colors or something else entirely *ahem* TONGA *ahem*. And while I am in love with countries, continents, cultures, languages and the like, EVEN I FORGET ABOUT CERTAIN COUNTRIES.
So I will give a few of those countries a little bit of a representation via music right here, right now.
Eritrea
Continent: Africa
Population: 5.9 Million
Official Language(s): Tigrinya, Arabic & English
Fana Abraha and Eden Kesete are the best finds from Eritrea that I discovered while traversing YouTube and elsewhere around the web. With a blend of horns, hyperdynamic percussion, vocals that mirror both Bollywood and Arabic varieties and an overall caribbean-esque sound, Eritrean music is something you’ve DEFINITELY never heard before. It has it’s own sound – there’s no doubt about that – setting it apart from most all other countries found on the African continent.
Vanuatu
Continent: Oceania
Population: 282,814
Official Language(s): Bislama, English & French
It should come as no surprise that a small island such as Vanuatu specializes in urban island sounds which include Reggae vibes infused with rap and hiphop along with a bit of dancehall as well. There wasn’t a whole lot I could find from this South Pacific nation, but here are a few small bits of what I could – contemporary music singer Vanessa Quai and rapper Nawarake.
Central African Republic
Continent: Africa
Population: 5.6 Million
Official Language(s): French & Sangho
Afrobeat by way of rapping or singing is the name of CAR’s game. While there are only a handful of artists to be found from this country online, Visgame, Idylle Mamba and Djou Gotto show a lot of potential in a sea of African artists spread across the continent.
Bhutan
Continent: Asia
Population: 758,288
Official Language(s): Dzongkha
Nala Last Light, whose bio on FB states that “Last Light’ refers to those whom have a beautiful and rich heart ready to shine light to guide those trapped in darkness!” seems like a pretty positive artist, if you ask me! His rap chops aren’t too bad either, especially when it comes to rapping with a language that doesn’t seem like the easiest to speak, let alone rap. This so-called “Buddhist kingdom” or “Himalayan Kingdom” houses much sacred music, sure, but there is also room there for pop (see: Chimi Nangsel above) and hip-hop sounds as can be seen via these picks.
Myanmar (Burma)
Continent: Asia
Population: 55 Million
Official Language(s): Burmese
Shwe Htoo is proof that Asian pop has sure fire ways of crooning a girl to the point of melting their heart. His pretty boy good looks don’t hurt his chances at swooning one either. While looking out for more musical goodies, I ran across the rock band IDIOTS who are anything but idiots musically. Lead singer Raymond has an incredible rock voice that is totally worth checking out (even sounds similar to Brandon Boyd’s [Incubus] voice at times). What a gem to stumble across!
Burundi
Continent: Africa
Population: 11.4 Million
Official Language(s): Kirundi, French & English
Following in the steps of other African countries, Burundi capitalizes on it’s strength in the Afropop category, with amazing artists like Sat-B who really drive songs along not only with a good, danceable beat, but also with catchy choruses that get stuck in your head! One of the most renowned artists from Burundi to date is Khadja Nin, a singer who blended pop music with traditional African sounds to create something modern and relevant while still clinging to her roots. While her stuff would be considered “classic” during this day an age, I couldn’t help but find myself mesmerized by her talent.
References
Sferikul 