Music That Has Shaken the World Lately

Image credit: Gabriel Tovar via Unsplash

What exactly happened in April?

On this month’s edition of Music That Has Shaken the World lately I write about Willow Smith's evolution as an artist, experimenting with jazz and prog rock, Beyoncé new album increasing Levi’s jeans sales and boosting fashion trends, Brazilian Funk gaining the world and my favourite releases of the April.

Artist to Watch

Daughter of Will Smith and Jada, it comes almost as no surprise that since her early years Willow has been exposed to music and has had curiosity and interest in exploring a musical path. But most importantly she has always had a passion to make her own music and name, breaking free from her parents fame by building a career of her own.

At only 14 years old Willow released her debut album Ardipithecus in 2015. The neo soul inspired single "Wait a Minute!" went viral on TikTok years later and reached top 40 in several countries.

In her latest albums Willow explored more rock n roll, including pop punk and contributed to the genre resurgence. This also seemed to be a natural path as she was first exposed to rock already at the age of three years old, recalling touring with her mom’s nu-metal band Wicked Wisdom. 

Willow says in several interviews that she always wanted to go into rock as a form of self expression , to scream her joy and pain, but also as an activism: breaking barriers and reclaiming the space as a black woman after seeing how much her mom struggled with hostile audiences in festivals who were openly racist and sexist.

Pinkett Smith’s perseverance and the fact that the band Wicked Wisdom managed to win over crowds contributed to fuel even more Willow’s passion for rock and roll and to follow its Black female lineage, including Sister Rosetta Tharpe that she mentions as a big influence.

Now at only 23 years old, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Willow is exploring a completely different sound of jazz and progressive rock in her up and coming album, which is a brave move, challenging herself going into a new direction that many artists want but are afraid to explore, as Questlove has rightfully said in one of his latest Instagram posts. 

She might have had all the resources and access to learn from the best guitarists, pianists, drummers and producers out there, but it is still an act of bravery to allow herself to be constantly curious and evolve as an artist and a human being and I can’t wait to hear the album. 

Speaking of songs that become or continue to be a hit months after the release, YG Marley Praise the Jah in The Moonlight continues to be going all over the world on TikTok, with a viral inverted filter trend.

Beyoncé is making Western wear such as denim and cowboy boots trendy again, increasing Levi’s sales

Beyoncé hit album Cowboy Carter released in March 2024 which features the song “Levi's Jeans” with Post Malone and lyrics “Boy, I’ll let you be my Levi’s jeans so you can hug that a** all day long” and “denim on denim on denim on denim” has increased by 20% the visit of Levi’s stores during the week of Easter Sunday compared to the average for Easter week over the past three years.

Still according to reports, back in January, Levi’s announced major cost cuts after three years of less-than-stellar sales. But by the beginning of April, shares were up as much as 18%.

Over the years, Beyoncé’s music and tours have been a force of economy for brands, fashion, including local and regional businesses.

According to etsy, last year the searches for disco hats and silver blouses and corsets increased by 25% with the release of Renaissance and her international tour, boosting the demand for silver wear around the world and making it one of last year’s biggest trends in fashion.

Besides, Beyoncé's decision to start the Renaissance tour in Stockholm led to a surge in hotel and restaurant prices in the area, with several reports blaming her for keeping the inflation high.

From Brazil to the world

If you follow my music trend reports you probably already read here that Brazilian Funk or Baile Funk (also known as Funk Carioca) has been spreading to the world for years, being the most heard Brazilian genre in foreign countries according to Spotify and also being blending into a more global sound with other genres such as pop, uk grime, reggaeton and afro beats and artists such as Anitta, J Balvin, Cardi B and Ludmilla.

Funk Carioca goes back decades but keeps evolving in new directions at a lightning-fast rate, reinventing itself as a genre as unexpectedly as the beat switches with lyrics that can be politically conscious, frivolous and sexually explicit or even illegal by glorifying gang life.

Nothing shakes the world (and bodies) more than this subversive and revolutionary rhythm that became one of Brazil’s most talked contemporary cultural and musical expressions that originated out of Rio’s slums with songs that initially talked about the daily reality of the poorest (including drug-trafficking, prostitution and police abuse), combining diverse Brazilian elements and other beats from the African diaspora.

Initially marginalised and even suppressed by the government in Brazil, the genre obtained international recognition around the world and gained more global mainstream success after becoming a Summer hit in 2005 with Diplo produced M.I.A ‘’Bucky Done Gun", inspired by Deize Tigrona's funk carioca pioneer song "Injeção" from where a drum loop is included and flipped and airhorns are sampled.

Now, in 2024, the Brazilian superstar Anitta that started her career in baile funks and conquered a broader international audience experimenting with other sounds welcomes her listeners into Funk Generation, a dream album of her in which she wanted to return and celebrate her roots, showing the power of funk carioca, with its unique, danceable, and addictive sensual beats.

You can listen to her new album and more at this month’s playlist.