The music of
Palau
Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the ...
finds its heritage in
Micronesia
Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...
, but it has been supplemented with influences from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
, as well as
Japan.
The government department of the Republic of Palau and Director of the
Bureau of Arts and Culture are in charge of developing and implementing cultural policies is the
Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs.
The
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
of Palau is a song written by
Ymesei O. Ezekiel, and has been the anthem since 1980.
There are no
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
restrictions in Palau.
The modern Palauan
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
scene began in the mid-1980
The country recorded popular sound includes element of
music of Japan, Japanese music, legacy of a period of Japanese dominatio
The American influence can be heard in a distinctly Palauan form of
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
. Popular performers include
IN-X-ES, whose "Mousubes" was a major commercial success in 1999.
References
Chronology for Palau and Airai* Birgit Abels
Performing Palauan Identity (open-access article in New Zealand journal)* Birgit Abels, Sounds of articulating identity. Tradition and transition in the music of Palau, Micronesia. Berlin: Logos 2008.
{{Oceania topic, Music of
Micronesian music
Palauan culture