Over the weekend, England hosted another memorable Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, filled with remarkable days and nights. This year, a notable highlight was how the traditional British rock festival embraced a broader spectrum of musical diversity. With unique acts from continents outside the Northern Hemisphere, such as Asia and Africa, took the Pyramid stage.
This shift sparks the debate between world music and pop music. It highlights the importance of representation in the United Kingdom, known for its significant immigrant population. Let’s delve into that!
On Friday, June 28th, Glastonbury witnessed its first K-Pop act with Seventeen. On Saturday, June 29th, the audience was captivated by Voice of Baceprot, a hijab-wearing metal band from Indonesia, marking another first for the festival. Additionally, there were performances from Nigerian artists like Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, Femi Kuti, and Tems.
Teatime, do these artists fall under world music or pop music? Dua Lipa, an Albanian white singer falls under the pop category.
"world music" is music outside European or American traditions (pop music). Its origins are in the 1980s as a marketing category for non-Western traditional music. Back then, the access to music was largely confined to record stores.
The term "world music" highlights the distance between “us” and “them.” It reinforces the hegemony of Western pop culture and often leading to simplification and a lack of nuance. In the present day with internet and streaming services at our fingertrips. The musical discovery has evolved significantly and "world music" is in decline.
Though, the contemporary categories, like "K-Pop" and Afrobeats, creates an alphabet of distance.
My experience with ‘world music’ is quite unique. Raised in Brazil in a musically eclectic family. I grew up in a country known for its cultural fusion, a fruit of racial mixing history. For me, ‘world music’ would mean anything non-Brazilian. Though in Brazil, it is known as “international.”
These Glastonbury acts are important as an antidote for homesickness for immigrants and expats in the United Kingdom. As representation for the future, they pave the horizon of opportunities in Britain's biggest festival. The festival is a platform, especially the post-Brexit representing xenophobic and racist values. And now with another general election in the way.
Not so distant past, many artists faced visa rejections. Some were victims of the white saviour complex, otherness, or cultural theft. A few cases of tokenism.
A worthwhile reminder, Glastonbury has roots in diversity. Its start in 1970, after the death of Jimi Hendrix, and inspired by Led Zeppelin at the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music.
Back then, there was already a commercial UK festival tradition. With the National Jazz and Blues Festival and the Isle of Wight Festival. Glastonbury joined this tradition, turning into an art platform to solidify music careers.
Its early days counted on the presence of no other than Gilberto Gil at its 1971 fair. It was a part of the free festival movement. It aimed to provide an inclusive and alternative cultural experience outside the commercial mainstream.
Gilberto Gil is a Brazilian treasure from the Northeastern sertão, who started on the accordion in the 1950s. His inspiration was by Luiz Gonzaga, radio sounds, and processions at his doorstep.
In the 1960s, the bossa nova boom with João Gilberto and Dorival Caymmi’s beach songs, prompting Gil to switch to the acoustic guitar.
Gil was a key figure in Brazil's 1960s Tropicália movement. This is a cultural and musical response to the military dictatorship, a form of veiled resistance. It blended traditional Brazilian music with avant-garde, psychedelic, and rock, aiming to challenge political norms. Its artists used irony, satire, and metaphor in their lyrics to subvert censorship. While raising awareness of societal issues and promoting cultural diversity and critique.
In the 1970s, Gil was exiled in London, where he switched to the electric guitar. There he found influence in the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, pop, and reggae. Upon returning to Brazil, Gil continued a rich phonographic production that lasts to this day. He has released nearly 60 albums and sold around 4 million copies, earning 9 Grammy Awards.
Despite the language and cultural barriers, music holds a power to unite. Allowing us to feel its rhythms and connect on a deeper level. Was this Glastonbury the start of a new era where “pop music” truly stands for popular music? (and signals the funeral of world music).
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