It was once common for Ukrainian pop stars to hold concerts in Russia and sing in the Russian language. But as Oleksandra Povoroznyk wrote in February, that changed after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Not only did Ukrainian musicians cut ties with Russia, but some also formed a new subgenre of music, “Bayraktar-core,” which boosted morale in the early stages of the war.
From Ukraine to Puerto Rico, international politics has shaped music traditions around the world. In turn, as the life of U.S. jazz legend Duke Ellington attests, music has played a key role in cultural diplomacy. The essays below consider the innumerable and often unexpected places where foreign policy and music meet.
German chambermaids watch as Duke Ellington and dancer Marianne Lutz-Pastre rehearse a number on the terrace of the Frankfurter Hof Hotel in Frankfurt, Germany on Oct. 23, 1959.Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Duke Ellington, the Jazz Legend Who Became a Diplomat
The band leader broke new ground in U.S. cultural diplomacy even as he faced racism at home, Larry Tye writes.
Seri/Graph studio illustrations for Foreign Policy
Ukrainian Artists Struggle With War’s Impact
Questions of authenticity and loss hang over new works, Oleksandra Povoroznyk writes.
Bad Bunny performs for the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards broadcast from Yankee Stadium in New York City on Aug. 28.Noam Galai/Getty Images for MTV/Paramount Global
Bad Bunny and the Political History of Reggaeton
The genre is the product of migration, rebirth, and the struggle to be heard, FP’s Catherine Osborn writes.
The conductor’s assistant guides the orchestra during a sound check at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow on Oct. 31, 2011. Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images
The Last String of Russian Greatness Is About to Snap
A great classical music tradition might die because of the Ukraine invasion, FP’s Elisabeth Braw writes.
Fans of the German band Rammstein line up under portraits of band members prior to a concert at Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, Switzerland, on June 17. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
Rammstein Is Germany’s Scary New Normal
The band’s continued popularity is a sign of the country’s increasingly right-wing zeitgeist, Paul Hockenos writes.