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Madonna talks about how Debbie Harry inspired her attitude and her image (popelinedejersey, 2020). Madonna admired her confidence, wittiness, street-smarts and post punk style - blonde hair and red lipstick, paired with punk rock styling.   In my opinion, Debbie’s image profile as a musician fit with who Madonna was and who she thought she could successfully emulate.

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According to Madonna in Savage (2016), watching David Bowie in concert as a teenager single-handedly changed the course of her life. His theatricality, originality, androgyny and boldness in his expression inspired her to play with her own ideas of gender, sexuality and self-expression in her musical career.

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O'Brien (2012) describes how Christopher Flynn first introduced Madonna to the freedom and hedonism of the underground gay culture in Detroit. This exposure helped to open up a side of herself that had been previously stifled by familial and societal expectations. This influence can be seen in Madonna's flamboyant, sexually forward and theatrical style and image.

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Sampa describes Fela Kuti as ‘the King of Afrobeat’ (Kale, 2021). In Kale's article, Sampa wrote that she admired his ability to break barriers and create a whole new genre, by blending Jazz with African music. Similar to her other influences, he was proud of his cultural heritage and used his music to bring to light political conversations from around the world.

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In Sampa’s own words (Kale, 2021) - “Thandiswa is Cultural music embodied in woman form. Vocal heaven. She is a strong African Woman. One word describes her ORIGINALITY. I look up to this woman for words like fearless, unapologetic and original.” It is clear that Thandiswa gives Sampa courage to pursue her own strong brand of individuality.

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American rapper Tupac Shakur was the gateway into rap music as a medium for empowerment for Sampa (Cool Accidents, 2015). As a teenager she first started writing poems and learning rhymes after being exposed to his politically charged song Changes. She commented that “it sounded like he was having a conversation” (Kale. N, 2021).

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According to the New World Encyclopedia (n.d - a), an earlier stylistic influence on Debussy was Russian composer, Alexander Borodin. In his youth, Debussy was taken on by a wealthy Russian benefactor, who took him on frequent trips throughout Europe, including Russia (Lockspeiser, 2023). This exposed him to Borodin’s passionate, strong lyricism and rich harmonies (Museum Collection, 2016), which were unconventional by Western European standards (The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Brittanica, 2023).

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The New World Encyclopedia (n.d -b), entry on Claude Debussy writes that stylistically, Debussy was majorly influenced by Javanese gamelan, a small orchestra comprising bells, gongs, and percussion. It also claims that after he was introduced to this style, Debussy began to use the equal-tempered pentatonic scale in his music. And that many of his refined and gentle melodies were achieved through using these scales and modes, not before heard in Western classical music.

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Lockspeiser (2023) explains that Wagner’s influence on Debussy was in relation to his philosophies on the creation of art as a whole. He encouraged artists to call upon their emotions and bring to light their “hidden dream states” (Lockspeiser, 2023). He gave artists permission to enter and share these sensuous, often otherwise forbidden spaces, bringing the ideas of Impressionism to music.

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Sampa the Great’s politically inspired and sometimes imperfect vocals, allow me to connect to my true authentic and imperfect artistic expression. Her confidence and boldness in the lyrics, imagery and videography she uses encourage me to experiment and be open to trying new things. I admire the way she layers textures to create a full soundscape.

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Claude Debussy's Clair de lune has had a subtle yet profound influence on the development of my creative expression. It’s gentle and deceptively simple melody, captivates and transports me into a peaceful state of mind. It impressed upon me that music need not be complex in order to evoke strong feelings in the listener.

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80’s Madonna showed me how music can be used as a communication device to evoke powerful feelings in others, be they comfortable or uncomfortable. She was pop, but with an edge to it. Her lyrics and image were controversial, rebellious and provocative to me as a teenager, giving me permission to lean into those previously hidden parts of me.