For years now, Omer Adam has been the dominant artist in Israeli pop culture. It seems as if every album he releases ends up number one on the charts in Israel. His popularity, however, is not limited to those borders. On Oct. 19, Omer Adam held a sold out performance at world famous Madison Square Garden in New York where he performed both his newer songs and his classic hits. Junior Ido Mendelson moved to Montgomery County this past summer after living his entire life in Israel. 

“My favorite artist is probably Omer Adam,” Mendelson said. “[His music] can fit a lot of scenarios, like parties, or [when I’m] sad or happy.”

Mendelson’s favorite Omer Adam song “מביט מהצד” translates to “Looking from the side.”

Mendelson loves Israeli music in general because of the content and meaning.

For junior Naama Goldberg, her favorite artist is Mashina, a pop rock band that many consider as Israel’s most important and influential rock band. 

“I was introduced to them at a young age by my dad who listened to them growing up,” Goldberg said. “My favorite song is ‘The Stars Are Lit On a Small Fire’ because me and my dad love singing along to it, and because I love the meaning of the song.”

Although the artists are beloved in Israel, the music in general is what many fall in love with.

“I like [Israeli music] because it has much less swear words and more meaning in the lyrics,” Mendelson said.

Born in Madagascar, senior Mya Andriamalala still feels a large connection to her home country, especially through its music. 

“I like Malagasy music because it reminds me of home and makes me feel closer to my culture,” Andriamalala said. “It’s very nostalgic to when I would listen to this music with my family.”

Modern Malagasy music tends to blend the sounds of new and more traditional instruments, or use traditional instruments in innovative ways. Andriamalala’s favorite artist from the country is Rak Roots and her favorite song by them is “Ahy.”

“It’s an R&B song which is my favorite genre in general outside of Malagasy music as well so I just really vibe to that one,” Andriamalala said.

One of the most notable and famous figures in Italian music today is Andrea Boccelli. Since 1994, Boccelli has recorded 15 studio albums, selling over 90 million copies worldwide. Italian teacher Maria Cavallini, who comes from an Italian father and lived in Rome for 21 years, is very much a fan of Boccelli. 

“He has done so many songs together with other singers…so those are lovely beautiful songs to listen to,” Cavallini said.

When thinking of Italian music, the first thing that comes to mind for many is opera. For Cavallini, she wants people to know that Italian music is much more than just that. 

“I know people, they don’t get too involved with opera, but if you can just keep an open mind and know that Italian music is very current, and very much loved by young people,” Cavallini said. “Just go to YouTube, and try to listen to our current Italian singers, just get an idea of how versatile it is once again.”

Korean Pop, better known as K-Pop has emerged as one of the most popular genres of music in the U.S. and around the world. Netflix’s new hit show “K-Pop Demon Hunters” has further boosted this popularity, while blending the culture with vibrant animations. 

Senior Gihoon Kuh was born and raised in South Korea for 13 years and still feels a close connection to South Korean Music. Kuh’s favorite Korean song is “Lilac” by IU. He loves the song for its deep and emotional lyrics that he feels make the song really good. Although Kuh enjoys K-Pop, he feels that Korean music has become too globalized and has lost much of what he valued when listening to it. 

“I feel like there are some features of Korean language that just hit me differently than English,” Kuh said. “I feel like these days most music is so globalized so it’s losing a lot of Korean language in the music. So I hope people incorporate Korean more in the music.”

One of the most vibrant music scenes in the world can be found just south of the border in Mexico. From its famous mariachis to deep history, Mexico is well known for its music. 

Sophomore Juan Pablo Gonzalez was born and raised in Mexico, but although he moved to the U.S., his connection with the music in his native country still runs deep. 

“I love Mexican music because I feel like the instruments are just beautiful. [The music] is very different from other cultures,” Gonzalez said. “They have a really nice melody and really nice rhythm.”

Gonzalez’s favorite Mexican song is “Todo y Nada” by Luis Miguel.

“He sings pretty well, honestly. Gonzalez said. “He’s amazing, and the instrumental behind it is just like if it’s an orchestra.”

In general, Gonzalez wants people to listen to older Mexican music, rather than the new hits. Although he believes that the new music is good, he doesn’t believe anything can beat the classics.

“Listen to the old stuff because I feel like Peso Puma and all this, it’s good, but it’s not as beautiful as the old stuff,” Gonzalez said.

Although Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, the music and culture could not be any more different. The island’s music is shaped by the cultural diversity found among the population. The most well known artist worldwide to come out of Puerto Rico is Bad Bunny, who will be headlining the Super Bowl Halftime show in February.

“Puerto Rico has produced an extraordinary number of musicians, singers, and performers across many genres. Our traditional music includes danza, bomba and plena,” Puerto Rico native and teacher Samuel Alvarez-Garcia said. “We also have deeply rooted rural musical traditions such as décimas, including forms like seis chorrea’o and seis selinés.”

For Alvarez-Garcia, choosing his favorite Puerto Rican singer was no easy task. With that being said, he does have one principle he follows when listening to the music.

“Choosing just one favorite Puerto Rican singer is almost impossible because there are so many I admire,” Alvarez-Garcia said. “I can say, however, that I do not follow or support music that degrades, objectifies, or disrespects women, something that unfortunately appears often in genres like Underground, reggaeton, and trap.”

A song that he thinks everyone should hear is “Latinoamérica” by Calle 13.

“[Latinoamérica] is a song everyone should hear, understand and analyze. It conveys so much without stating everything explicitly,” Garcia-Alvarez said. “The song feels like a passing of the torch from Latin American Modernist writers…to contemporary voices who continue to articulate our collective identity.”

The song was selected by Rolling Stone as the greatest Latin song of the 21st century for its message of identity, unity, and its social and cultural impact.