Top musicians who've brought local sounds to global audiences
A musical superstar in one country may be unknown in the next. But some musicians with local sounds make it big. Who are they? DW takes a look at some musicians who have brought once little-heard styles to global ears.
Carlos Santana: rock and Latin fusion
The Mexican-born, American-raised guitar legend Carlos Santana revolutionized music through his seamless fusion of various influences including Latin instruments, Afro beats, and blues-style solo guitar riffs. Santana gained international recognition after performing at the hippie Woodstock Festival in 1969 and began touring the world, bringing his unique pan-cultural sound to global audiences.
Bob Marley: reggae
The Jamaican singer-songwriter and guitarist's influence on global music and culture has not diminished since his death in 1981 at age 36. His posthumous greatest hits album, "Legend," remains the bestselling reggae album of all time. Marley's music also helped bring Rastafari, a Jamaican religious movement, to world attention.
Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee: reggaeton
Puerto Rican musicians Fonsi (left) and Daddy Yankee (right) are two of the island's artists that have helped reggaeton reach not only neighboring American audiences but also global listeners. The musical style characterized by its Carribean beats, Latin instruments and explicit lyrics started as an "underground" genre in the 1990s and started gaining international airtime in the mid 2000s.
Umm Kulthum: Arabic concert song
Though the Eygptian-born singer's birth year remains debated, until her death in 1975 Kulthum brought Arabic song to international audiences, selling some 80 million records worldwide. Nicknamed "The Lady" by French President Charles de Gaulle, the contralto lent her strong low range, vocal agility and intense emtional expression to songs with lyrics and music by Egyptian poets and composers.
Ravi Shankar: Indian classical music
Born in 1920 to a Bengali family in India, the artistically-inclined Shankar began studying the sitar in 1938. The virtuoso toured Europe and the Americas in the 1950s and 1960s, letting global audiences hear Indian classical music for the first time. He strongly influenced other artists, including The Beatles' George Harrison, and helped popularize the use of Indian instruments in pop songs.
Ali Farka Toure: Malian blues
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Toure is one of Africa's best-known musicians, famous for uniting the traditional music of his homeland, Mali, with North American blues styles. Singing in various West African languages, Toure collaborated with North American jazz musicians on globally-popular albums. He won two Grammys before his death from bone cancer in 2006.
Psy: K-pop
The South Korean musician's 2012 smash hit "Gangnam Style" spread the K-pop (Korean Pop) genre worldwide. With over 2.9 million YouTube views, the visually energetic video with its catchy dance captured audiences worldwide. For many listeners, it was their first time hearing the genre's blend of techno, electronica, pop and Korean lyrics. Even UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (above) was hooked.
Sixto Rodriguez: an unknown superstar
Unlike other artists who made it big in their homeland before reaching global success, Rodriguez was unknown in the United States but became a recording superstar in South Africa during the mid 1970s - all unbeknownst to the Detroit-based musician who worked in construction. It wasn't until the late 1990s that Rodriguez discovered he was a superstar. Since then, his worldwide fame has exploded.