"Say What!" / "Nervous" | Tolliver
A self-described "dance floor demon," singer-songwriter Tolliver rocks the house with a performance of "Say What!" and "Nervous."
Aug 11, 2023•6 min
TED Talks Music
Some of the world's greatest musicians and researchers showcase the power and science of music onstage at the TED conference, TEDx events and partner events around the world. You can also download these and many other videos free on TED.com, with an interactive English transcript and subtitles in up to 80 languages. TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.
Episodes
How modern audiences can talk about aging art | Margaret Hall
Some works of art stand the test of time; others don't age as well. Using American musical theater as her case study, theater historian Margaret Hall shares a framework of five categories to talk about how art does (and doesn't) remain useful across generations -- encouraging us to address the "growing pains" that all art faces as time and culture moves on.
Apr 24, 2023•10 min
"Damballa Wedo" / "The Dilemma" | Melanie Charles
Remixing vocals, scat singing and playing the flute and piano, musician Melanie Charles stuns with a performance of two songs.
Mar 28, 2023•8 min
"Bright Future Ahead" | KERA
Singer-songwriter KERA performs the powerful, entrancing song "Bright Future Ahead," leaving us with a profound message: "Breathe, and go again."
Feb 06, 2023•4 min
The ecstasy of Eskista, an ancient Ethiopian dance | Melaku Belay
By mastering the Eskista, an ancient Ethiopian dance, TED Fellow Melaku Belay survived a childhood on the streets and became a voice for his country. He shares how traditional dances can connect the wisdom of the past to the energy of the future -- and, after the talk, delivers a thrilling performance of Eskista accompanied by a free-jazz ensemble. (In Amharic with consecutive English translation by filmmaker Mehret Mandefro)
Jan 26, 2023•15 min
A socialist perspective on the pursuit of happiness | Aaron Bastani
Aaron Bastani argues for universal basic services (UBS) as a means to achieve greater liberty and address challenges like inequality, climate change, and demographic aging. He critiques economic liberalism and advocates for state intervention to provide essential services like housing, healthcare, education, and transport. Bastani envisions a future where technology and progressive taxation support a society with increased leisure and well-being.
Jan 20, 2023•19 min
Why joy is a state of mind | Angélique Kidjo and Femi Oke
With infectious energy, singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo ties together the threads of her legendary career as a creative force and global activist. In conversation with journalist Femi Oke, she discusses how joy powers her music (and sings an incredible impromptu song), details her work spreading educational opportunities to women and girls across Africa and shares her belief that everybody has the power to tap into their potential.
Nov 28, 2022•17 min
What if you could sing in your favorite musician's voice? | Holly Herndon
What if you could create new music using your favorite musician's voice? Sharing her melodic gifts with the world, multidisciplinary artist Holly Herndon introduces Holly+, an AI-powered instrument that lets people sing with her own voice. Musician Pher joins her onstage to demonstrate this mind-blowing tech while singing into two microphones -- one that amplifies his natural voice and another that makes him sound just like Holly.
Sep 07, 2022•9 min
How hip-hop can make climate action cool | Samir Ibrahim, MyVerse and Kristen Warren
Music can amplify social issues and inspire people to care about new (and sometimes unexpected) topics. But can it take something as dire as climate change and make it mainstream? With artists MyVerse and Kristen Warren as an inspiring opening act, social entrepreneur Samir Ibrahim suggests hip-hop and its stars can help us move from talking about the problem to rapping about (and acting on) solutions.
Jul 19, 2022•10 min
How a "Hi Level" mindset helps you realize your potential | Cordae
What does it take to build a legacy? Hip-hop artist Cordae tells how he went from mixtape-dropping high school kid to Grammy-nominated music star whose "Hi Level" mindset helps him achieve his dreams.
Jun 13, 2022•13 min
How Black girls can reclaim their voice in music | Kyra Gaunt
How does music shape us? Digital ethnomusicologist and TED Fellow Kyra Gaunt studies how Black girls can preserve the integrity of their own voices while listening, dancing and singing to pop songs largely engineered by men, often with lyrics that express anti-Black, patriarchal sentiments. In a quick, incisive talk, she shows how Black girls can disrupt the stereotypes and stigmas buried within this music and chart their own revolution in sound.
Jun 10, 2022•7 min
The rhythm and rhyme of memory, solitude and community | Rosanne Cash
"Music can unlock a frozen memory that melts into the seeds of our creativity," says musician Rosanne Cash. Reflecting on the power of memory, solitude and community, she performs "The Sunken Lands" and "Particle And Wave" and meditates on some of life's most poignant and bittersweet themes.
Apr 07, 2022•12 min
The 100 tampons NASA (almost) sent to space -- and other absurd songs | Marcia Belsky
Performing two original songs, stand-up comedian, writer and musician Marcia Belsky shares comical commentary on some peculiar aspects of our culture -- from Instagram-stalking your crush to fending off mansplainers on social media -- and lampoons NASA's notorious decision to provide astronaut Sally Ride with an egregious supply of tampons for her six-day trip to space in 1983.
Apr 01, 2022•13 min
Why all melodies should be free for musicians to use | Damien Riehl
Evoke a familiar tune in a song and get slapped with a lawsuit ... it's a tale almost as old as copyright itself. Lawyer and technologist Damien Riehl digs into why "owning" a melody is a ludicrous legal assertion and composes a radical solution for the musical woes of songwriters everywhere.
Mar 25, 2022•16 min
The hidden power of sad songs and rainy days | Susan Cain and Min Kym
Have you ever wondered why you like sad music? Do you find comfort or inspiration in rainy days? In this profound, poetic talk, author Susan Cain invites you to embrace the feeling of longing -- or the place where joy and sorrow meet – as a gateway to creativity, connection and love. Accompanied by the splendid sounds of violinist Min Kym, Cain meditates on how heartache unexpectedly brings us closer to the sublime beauty of life.
Mar 22, 2022•16 min
"You and I" / "Attention" | Charlie Puth
Singer-songwriter Charlie Puth dazzles in a performance of his effortlessly catchy hit "Attention" and an impeccable cover of Stevie Wonder's "You and I", live from the TED Countdown stage.
Jan 11, 2022•8 min
"The [Uncertain] Four Seasons" | AKQA and Jung von Matt
Over the last two years, a collective of composers, musicians, computer programmers, scientists and activists has set out to reinterpret Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" for a transformed world, restituting Vivaldi's score in expected climate scenarios for the year 2050. The project, titled "The [Uncertain] Four Seasons," launches November 5, 2021, which will be Youth Day at the UN climate conference COP26, with fifteen orchestras from around the world performing a localized variation during a globa...
Oct 26, 2021•5 min
What you discover when you really listen | Hrishikesh Hirway
"Every conversation has the potential to open up and reveal all the layers and layers within it, all those rooms within rooms," says podcaster and musician Hrishikesh Hirway. In this profoundly moving talk, he offers a guide to deep conversations and explores what you learn when you stop to listen closely. Stay tuned to the end to hear a performance of his original song "Between There and Here (feat. Yo-Yo Ma)."
Oct 13, 2021•15 min
The Black history of twerking -- and how it taught me self-love | Lizzo
Twerking is mainstream now ... but do you know where it came from? Superstar Lizzo traces booty shaking to a traditional West African dance and tells how Black women across generations kept the rhythm alive, from blues and jazz singers to modern rap and hip-hop performers. With her characteristic energy, she shares how twerking empowered her to love her own body -- and explains why understanding its origins helps protect Black culture from erasure and misappropriation. (And, yes, she twerks on s...
Sep 30, 2021•14 min
How music can help you find peace after loss | Steven Sharp Nelson
Music can act as a guide, says cellist Steven Sharp Nelson. It has the power to unlock the mind, tap into the heart and bring light in the darkest times. Take a deep breath as Nelson takes you on a melodic, meditative journey that could reconnect you with your closest loved ones -- no matter how near or far they may be.
Aug 31, 2021•14 min
How music streaming transformed songwriting | Björn Ulvaeus
Money, money, money ... in the music business, there seems to be little left for the songwriters that fuel it. ABBA co-founder Björn Ulvaeus calls for the industry to support its most valuable asset, breaking down how the streaming revolution impacts creator royalties, careers and craft -- and outlines what can be done to truly thank artists for the music.
Jul 02, 2021•18 min
What silence can teach you about sound | Dallas Taylor
What can you hear in silence? In this exploration of sound, host of the podcast "Twenty Thousand Hertz" Dallas Taylor tells the story of arguably the most debated musical composition in recent history -- composer John Cage's iconic piece 4'33" -- and invites you to take notice of the soundscape around you. Watch to the end to experience a performance of 4'33".
Aug 12, 2020•13 min
"You Have the Rite" | Marc Bamuthi Joseph
In a breathtaking, jazz-inflected spoken-word performance, TED Fellow Marc Bamuthi Joseph shares a Black father's tender and wrenching internal reflection on the pride and terror of seeing his son enter adulthood.
Aug 02, 2019•7 min
"East Virginia" / "John Brown's Dream" | Nora Brown
In a mesmerizing set, musician Nora Brown breathes new life into two old-time banjo tunes: "East Virginia" and "John Brown's Dream." An evocative performance paired with a quick history of the banjo's evolution.
Mar 29, 2019•9 min
What it's like to have Tourette's -- and how music gives me back control | Esha Alwani
Esha Alwani began writing songs when she was six years old, shortly after being diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. And she noticed something amazing: whenever she played music, her involuntary tics suddenly went away. Listen along as Alwani explores the power of music and delights the audience with an ethereal performance of her piano ballad "I'm Not Loving You (My Mask)."
Mar 25, 2019•10 min
"My Man" / "Bohanna" / "We Dance" | Crush Club
Indie pop duo Crush Club and singer Nicki B bring their blend of funk, house and Latin styles to the TED stage, performing three songs: "My Man," "Bohanna" and "We Dance."
Mar 15, 2019•8 min
What happens in your throat when you beatbox? | Tom Thum and Matthew Broadhurst
Viral beatboxer Tom Thum has an orchestra in his mouth, but how does he make all those sounds? Get an up-close-and-personal look as laryngeal surgeon Matthew Broadhurst sticks a camera down Thum's throat while he creates a mind-boggling array of noises. This hilarious, somewhat stomach-churning talk and performance is not for the squeamish! (Contains graphic medical imagery)
Mar 12, 2019•17 min
"Autopilote" / "Pumper" | Mai Lan
Singing in French and English, Mai Lan brings her cool charisma to the TED stage in a performance of her songs "Autopilote" and "Pumper."
Jan 25, 2019•9 min
How music crosses cultures and empowers communities | LADAMA
Singing in Spanish, Portuguese and English, LADAMA brings a vibrant, energizing and utterly danceable musical set to the TED stage. In between performances of their songs "Night Traveler" and "Porro Maracatu," they discuss how cross-cultural musical collaboration can empower communities.
Jan 18, 2019•14 min
Music with a message should be accessible | Madame Gandhi and Amber Galloway-Gallego
"Music is so much more than sound simply traveling through the ear," says sign language interpreter Amber Galloway-Gallego. In a spirited performance, musician and activist Madame Gandhi plays two songs -- "Top Knot Turn Up" and "Bad Habits" -- while Galloway-Gallego provides an animated sign language interpretation.
Dec 14, 2018•13 min
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