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Kendrick Lamar has become a powerful force in hip hop and the music industry as a whole, for his “ability to blend storytelling, production and collaboration into his music” (Gerato, 2023). I believe Kimbra shares this ability; both artists use their platforms to spotlight important and relatable issues such as mental health, relationship troubles, love and loss. I can hear similarities, or more so, the influence of Kendrick Lamar on Kimbra's music in her more recent album, ‘A Reckoning’; the energetic, breathy, spoken delivery, the melancholic, harmonic vocabulary and more importantly, the vulnerability. The aggressiveness in each artists’ rhythms and instrumentation is always softened by their emotional and passionate vocals and poetic, touching, and honest lyrics. In a 2023 Billboard interview, Kimbra discusses her admiration for Lamar's "spirit of jazz", his ability to "jump around a lot, but have a clear message and vision" (Stern, 2023). I personally believe Kimbra shares this quality, the graceful way in which she shares her stories with a clear and thoughtful message.

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Björk is a musical artist that very obviously transcends genre, blending “jazz, industrial and different flavours of electronic music” throughout each of her albums, with an incredibly emotive vocal range and instrumentation (Erlewine, n.d.). In an interview with ‘Double J’, Kimbra describes Björk’s voice as “very childlike, naive sounding, floaty”, that can transform to a “very aggressive kind of throaty guttural tone” (Tran, 2021). I believe the words “childlike” and “guttural” perfectly describe Kimbra’s own vocal style; I believe she shares Björk’s ability to alter her vocal tonality from playfulness to something more sinister. Kimbra and Björk’s music is abstract and transcendent, creating a colourful musical palette that exudes curiosity and etherealism.

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Prince is deemed one of the greatest musicians of all time, a “towering figure in global culture”, whose “creative genius has provided the musical landscape” for a range of artists (Jackson, 2019). Prince has an incredible musical catalog, ranging from rock, soul, RnB, electronic, pop, jazz and hip hop, with his incredible musicianship and vocal range. In an interview with ‘The Current’, Kimbra describes music as a “very sensual expression, but also a very spiritual expression”; she explains this in relation to Prince’s music, stating that it is a “beautiful paradox that [Prince] encompassed so unapologetically" (Johnson, 2018). She further explains how Prince enabled her to think outside the box in terms of her musical identity, sharing, “I thought for a long time that I had to choose where I want to stand as an artist, in terms of genre. But Prince inspired me: Why do you have to make one choice? You can be a multifaceted artist, confusing and surprising people" (Johnson, 2018). I believe Kimbra’s musical identity is similar to Prince: bold, intricate, eclectic and most importantly, unique.

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Kimbra has become a recent influence on my musical endeavours. Her vulnerability and openness to mistakes
in her live performances conveyed an amazing fearlessness and passion that I would love to possess. Her music is incredibly rhythmic, tribal and, although considered pop, ranges from jazz to rock, soul to metal; each of her albums are unique which speaks to her curiosity and willingness to evolve and explore. She explains this perfectly in a ‘BillBoard’ interview from this year: “The sonic identity is ever-changing, because I’m ever-changing” (Stern, 2023). I aspire to have this confidence and fluidity in creativity.

Additionally, I admire how Kimbra has been unafraid to be controversial throughout her career, writing about patriarchal, feminist issues, the nuances of heartbreak, loss, and personal, global or political power, all in a graceful and thoughtful manner.

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The tactile and thoughtful observances found in Joni Mitchell’s lyrics transcend in Jeff Buckley’s album, ‘Grace’; the melancholic overtones and unpredictable melodies of Buckley’s songs remind me of Mitchell’s album, ‘Hejira’. The sweetness and sensitivity of Mitchell’s album seem to be present in Buckley’s tracks, ‘Dream Brother’ and ‘The Last Goodbye’.  Both artists share a similar musical composition style of poetic lyrical phrasing and arpeggiated guitar chords. A quote from Lloyd Whitesell’s book, ‘The Music of Joni Mitchell’ captures what I believe both these artists share, even if their musical context is different: “conceptual depth, structural sophistication, stylistic dynamism, and aesthetic ambition” (Whitesell, 2008, p. 5).

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During the making of her album ‘Back To Black’ Amy Winehouse was deeply influenced by the theatrical Motown tracks of “sixties girl groups such as The Ronettes and The Shangri-Las” (Parry, 2021, p. 108). You can hear the theatrical and gut-wrenching instrumentation influence in such tracks as ‘You Know I’m No Good’ and ‘Back To Black’. Amy Winehouse captures the vulnerable and deeply dramatic expressions of heartbreak that is rooted in The Shangri-Las melancholic tunes. Winehouse conveys a similar intimacy in feelings of love and loss as the girl group, creating a “unique blend of darkness and humour, blunt lyricism and idiosyncratic phrasing” (Parry, 2021, p. 108).

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Amy Winehouse once said she “learned to sing from Dinah Washington” (The Guardian, 2012); you can hear the influence of Washington’s stretched out and liquidy vibrato in Winehouse’s first album, ‘Frank’ and that similar cheeky pronunciation of words. Dinah Washington speaks to Amy Winehouse’s jazz roots and 60s musical sensibility, what has been deemed “golden-age material” (Parry, 2021, p. 19). Additionally, Amy Winehouse shares a similar resonance and emotional range to Dinah Washington; that smokey texture and deeply romantic and soft yearning that was so potent in 50s-60s jazz music and more specifically Washington’s cover of ‘Teach Me Tonight’.

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Erykah Badu’s influence over Amy Winhouse is undeniable; Winehouse even mentions Badu, in her song ‘You Sent Me Flying’, which conveys a “similar female perspective on broken relationships” as Badu in most of her songs. (Parry, 2021, p. 51).
Winehouse shared Badu's ability to express raw emotion through soulful, jazzy vocals and honest, gritty lyrics. What strikes me the most is their intelligent confidence in honouring their unique musical styles, and their drive for expression rather than perfection. Additionally, Winehouse and Badu share an incredible range for vocal improvisation, creating powerful and stirring live performances that can never be repeated.

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Amy Winehouse has become a strong influence on my musical style in terms of lyrics, guitar, rhythmic vocals and beat-making. Her transparency in emotional expression and rapid-fire wit were unique to pop music back in the early 2000s, creating an impenetrable legacy around her sound and unique personality. Winehouse inspired me to write lyrics playfully as well as truthfully; to think about the nuances of certain subjects, such as love and loss. Winehouse’s jazz roots resonated with my own jazz sensibility in musical expression; I became in awe of her fearlessness in vocal improvisation and I aspire to exhibit that same freedom. Her smokey, gritty voice along with her moody cursive vocal style influenced my understanding of melodic structure, and how rhythm can help elevate the emotional and passionate side of vocal arrangements. The dramatic and apprehensive instrumentation and drum patterns, both on her albums ‘Frank’ and ‘Back to Black’ influenced me to think bigger in terms of production; to think about the importance of audio mixing in order to create or enhance the feeling and nature of a song. As written by Emma Garland of VICE Magazine, in the book ‘Amy: Beyond Black’, “As a solo artist with a nostalgic sound, Amy was peerless” (Parry, 2021, p. 23).

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Nina Simone remains a powerful force in music; her deep, resounding voice and potent lyrical and instrumentation work became an important influence in Jeff Buckley, even claiming himself as the "warped lovechild of Nina Simone" (Ferrier, 2022). This admiration is greatly expressed in Buckley's cover of 'Lilac Wine', which was most notably sung by Nina Simone, from her album 'Wild Is The Wind'. Nina Simone represents the melancholic jazz and soul  influence in Buckley's music; although Simone and Buckley are generally categorised in different musical genres, they both share an outspoken and fearless nature when it comes to their musical endeavours and lyrical messages.

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In Interview Magazine from 1999, Jeff Buckley shares thoughts on Robert Plant's significant influence over his music, claiming Plant as the "one that showed me that there aren't any wrong notes" (Rogers, 2013). From listening to Robert Plant's independent work from Led Zeppelin, you can hear how both Buckley and Plant shared an experimental, folk-rock sensibility. My analysis is mostly based off listening to Plant's album 'Fate of Nations' and Buckley's only studio album, 'Grace'. Buckley's vocals are softer, but there is a similar vibrato and lilting tone to their voices. Additionally,
you can hear the similar melancholic folk sound in their music through the use of weeping strings and arpeggiated, steely guitar melodies.

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From his hypnotic, pure, watery vocals to his beautifully poetic, sensory and soulful lyrics, Jeff Buckley has been a huge influence on deepening my understanding and love for spirituality and sensuality in music, specifically vocals and guitar. His voice both soothes and haunts; his lyrics convey the universal message of love, but more through metaphor, symbolism and imagery rather than forward declaration. When I first heard his song, ‘Forget Her’, I was deeply inspired by the raw and untamed nature of his voice, and I became very interested in learning more about eclecticism in music. Although Buckley's music is very much considered rock, I believe that his music transcends genre, especially when it comes to his instrumental arrangements. His style is classical and nostalgic; his strong steely arpeggio-guitar style, suggesting jazz, soul and blues influence inspired me to experiment with the guitar, and explore the possibilities of vocal and guitar arrangements. Each of Jeff Buckley’s songs, specifically on the ‘Grace’ album, are a world of their own. This is something I aim for in my own musical endeavours; to create an immersive, spiritual experience for the listener. According to Jordan Runtagh of Rolling Stones Magazine, Jeff Buckley once said, “The best art comes from artists who have an unending, life-or-death urgency to speak their heart” (Runtagh, 2019). I believe Jeff Buckley created a body of work that fully embodies this idea.