Sodagreen

I have always been a fan of indie music. Sodagreen is a band from Taiwan with an especially unique indie sound. The band consists of a bass guitarist, lead guitarist, lead singer, keyboard player, and drummer. Indie music does not fall under a specific style or genre. Each artist is independent, thus the name indie (short for independent.) Sodagreen matches sharp vocals with well-balanced instrumentals. I especially love their inclusion of the keyboard. Keys can add an entirely new element to a song and Sodagreen takes advantage of that. You can especially hear that aspect of their music at the start of their song "幸福額度" (known in English as "The Limit of Happiness.")

Taiwan is commonly known for opera. Internationally, Taiwanese opera stars are very successful. In fact, Taiwanese operas are shown on national and international stages. The challenging and classic genre that is opera, however, can block other Taiwanese talents (and their respective genres,) from reaching the spotlight. Bands- like Sodagreen, are not featured internationally. A talent such as this should not go unrecognized!

If you are interested in obtaining further knowledge on indie music, then I recommend this article: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/06/how-indie-rock-changed-the-world/392057/ 

Aida Nikolaychuk

Aida Nikolaychuk was the season 3 winner of Ukraine's X-factor. Her voice is unlike any I've heard before. While auditioning, the judges actually stopped Aida to have her sing a capella. They did not believe that she was the one singing on stage. However, when the soundtrack was stopped and Aida started to sing again, it was revealed that it was, in fact, her natural voice. The power behind her vocals is absolutely stunning. Each note is polished and her use of dynamics is just right.

The song she auditioned with (video above) is called "Lullaby." By simply listening to the song, you can tell that it is an extremely challenging piece. It is demanding on the vocalist's ability to sustain notes for extended periods of time while comfortably transitioning from note to note.

My favorite song by Aida is "We're Under One Heaven." This track features heavy technical instrumentals and English lyrics! Her style in this song emphasizes vocal trance. This means that the opening notes are simple and the melody builds. Vocal trance is a steadily growing sub-genre in today's music.

I would love to see Aida rise to prominence in the international music industry. Her talents extend far beyond her time on the X-factor.

For more on vocal trance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocal_trance