1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO8EadQNIXU “Jiyuu No Tsubasa,” Linked Horizon, Shingeki no Kiseki, 2017, Japan, Anime.
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IkopJwRDKU “Gurenge,” LiSA, Gurenge, 2019, Japan, Rock/Anime. 
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxo_vtRt7CU, “Alonye,” Elikeh, Between 2 Worlds, 2012, United States, Afropop 
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v9QLxBO95g, Anybody Can be in Love, KAINA, It Was A Home, 2021, Chicago, IL, Alternative/R&B
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4yXQkG2s1E “Kala Chashma,” Amar Arshi, Baar Baar Dekho, 2018, India, Bollywood
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLN6MC01Ueo “La Pantera Mambo,” Orquesta La 33, La Pantera Mambo (RouteNote Sessions | Live @ Tropical Pressure 2019), 2012, Colombia, Salsa
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiWwuB46_o4, “Magalenha” Sergio Mendes, Brasileiro, 2001, Brazil, Samba 
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnQhuXe3JtI, “Enamórame Otra Vez”, Mariachi Vargas De Tecalitlán,  Enamórame Otra Vez, 2021, Mexico, Mariachi
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQnMTxeHjcA, “Mennyei szép hajnal,” Iren Lovasz, 9 Colinda, 2001, Hungary, Folk
10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=humfnbzyu1I, “Healing Himalayan Winds,” Massage Tribe, Spa Music: Tibet, 2015, Tibet, Healing

With the increase in globalization and connectedness across the world, music has become more hybrid. This hybridity is the result of the mixing of cultures and forms, creating novel sounds and genres. The songs in this playlist are organized roughly from more hybrid to less hybrid. By arranging the songs in this order, the listener will get the chance to experience a range of hybridity and consider how this affects the sounds produced by each artist. Additionally, the songs in the initial portions are louder while the songs towards the end are slower and more relaxed. This is done to highlight the intended effect of the final song, which is meant to be healing music from Tibet. Increased hybridity has led to an increase in the variety of music, which will be highlighted in this playlist. It is also worth noting how hybridity can be forced upon artists as a necessity when commonditizing their music. However, there remain groups dedicated to the production of music more true to an individual genre’s norms. These different strategies illustrate a tension between generating more or less hybrid music, and the differing factors that contribute to the degree of hybridity. Hybrid music can be driven by a desire to further an artist’s creativity, but it can also be necessitated by commercialization. On the other hand, prioritizing authenticity can help mitigate the impact of commoditization in a global market, but may in turn limit creativity. Therefore, there exists varying degrees and forms of hybridity and reasons why an artist may choose to utilize hybrid elements.

This playlist begins with a set of songs that have a greater degree of hybridity and in general are louder, with more brass instruments. “Jiyuu No Tsubasa” has a high degree of hybridity. It is made for a Japanese anime but is partially sung in German. In general, there are many Western elements, such as guitar, used in the song even though it is written and sung by a Japanese band for a Japanese show. “Gurenge” from LiSA also has various hybrid elements. Gurenge is a song that combines aspects of traditional Japanese culture with American Rock music. This hybrid combination was used to represent Japan in the closing ceremony of the 2020 Olympics held in Tokyo. Considering how this music is not distinctly Japanese to the listener beyond the lyrics, this may suggest that the song was used to appeal to the greater audience present and watching the Olympics. Therefore, it is clear why an artist or group may choose to create hybrid music, as it combines cultures and produces a product that can be used on a large stage, appealing to a more global audience. Additionally, while some people across the world, and particularly in Japan, may view these as hybrid Japanese songs, others may instead see these as songs of other genres that are rooted in Japanese culture (Appert 2016). 

“Alonye” is another song that has both elements of authenticity and hybridity. Due to it coming from the Afropop genre, Alonye integrates elements from African and Western music. Notably it is sung in Sengalese with many jazz elements present in the song. Overall, the hybridity of this song and many others allows for the creativity of the artists to shine, as they are not as limited by the norms of a particular culture or recreating what may be considered authentic. Alonye also highlights how some non-Western forms of music may integrate western elements to appeal to a broader audience. Another song that blends elements of multiple genres is Anybody Can Be in Love by KAINA. In general, this is a primarily R&B song which uses many electronic elements. By integrating these various elements and choosing to pursue a hybrid style KAINA has the ability to be more creative with the musical choices in the song. Additionally, this allows the song to appeal to a wider audience.

Some songs choose to take a less hybrid approach, while still not fully recapitulating what some would consider more traditional music. “Kala Chashma” falls somewhere between music that may resonate as being specific to one culture, while still having some hybrid elements. Bollywood is seen as authentically South Asian, but it is also somewhat impacted by Western culture. Therefore, this song presents an in between for music true to a culture and music that is a hybrid of multiple cultures or styles. As an industry, Bollywood may have adopted Western styles in order to appeal to a great audience. “La Pantera Mambo” is a salsa song from Colombia. Salsa is a style that integrates many aspects of various forms, and is quite heterogeneous (Berríos-Miranda, 2002). One aspect of the music that highlights this heterogeneity is the piano portion of the song. Salsa is notable in that it has both authenticity and hybridity, as the genre itself means mixing. Therefore, for salsa music, there exists authenticity in hybridity. “Enamórame Otra Vez” is a Mariachi song, which is a genre which is popular in Mexico. This is another form of music that is known to be highly variable across different countries, but still viewed as more traditional. However, the beginning of the song sounds to be distinct from the rest, suggesting it could represent a hybrid element. These songs are some mix of authentic and hybrid, showing how these are not mutually exclusive attributes. 

Next are two songs that have fewer hybrid elements. The Samba song “Magalenha” from Sergio Mendes is such a song, staying true to the established aesthetic norms. Particularly noticeable is that there are no modern or electronic elements. These artists have chosen to retain more traditional elements in favor of adding modern elements as they think this would take away from the musical style (Vianna 1999). “Mennyei Szép Hajnal” from Iren Lovasz is a song meant to faithfully recreate Hungarian folk music. Here, Lovasz uses traditional instruments to be as true to the original conditions under which Hungarian folk music was created. This sort of recreation could be described as more authentic, as it does not deviate from the traditional origins of folk music. With these songs, the lower amount of hybridity suggests that they are not choosing to change their music to accommodate a greater audience. However, this comes at the potential cost of reducing creativity, as these songs follow strict norms for their respective genres.

Finally, the last song is a form of Tibetan healing music, and uses instruments that are not often seen in other cultures, with no attempt to add hybrid elements. This particular piece involves the usage of flutes and Tibetan bowls, which are meant to have a relaxing and healing effect. There is no attempt by the artists in this piece to integrate other forms of music, and the song uses traditional Tibetan instruments and sounds.

Overall this playlist highlights a number of songs, many of which have hybrid elements in order to illustrate how there are varying degrees of hybridization. The reasons for this hybridity can be quite complex. Interplay between commercialization, a desire for authenticity, and an artist choosing to embrace their musical freedom all play a role in determining the degree and type of hybridity in a given musical piece. 

Nicholas Thom is a fourth year at The University of Chicago majoring in Molecular Engineering. Although he has not played much music, he enjoys listening to music and learning more about musical styles from all across the world. 

Bibliography

Appert, Catherine M. 2016. “On Hybridity in African Popular Music: The Case of Senegalese Hip Hop.” Ethnomusicology 60, no. 2: 279–99.
Berríos-Miranda, Marisol. 2002. “Is Salsa a Musical Genre?” in Situating Salsa: Global Markets and Local Meaning in Latin Popular Music, ed.Lise Waxer, Routledge, pp. 23–50.
Vianna, Hermano. 1999. “Samba of my Native Land” in The Mystery of Samba: Popular Music & National Identity in Brazil. University of North Carolina Press, pp. 77–92