Close your eyes and think of a place. What does it sound like?
Is it possible to soundtrack a place? And how important is the music we listen to?
These are thoughts I have almost daily. Several studies argue that the stories we read (ExcellerBooks) and the music we listen to impact our thoughts, mood, and thinking (TMH). Now imagine all your life you have listened to music by Danish artists and that all books, including school literature, are written by Danish or those who only grew up on Danish literature. It is reasonable to assume this person has a Danish lens on the world and how it is constructed.
Then one day, you read two books by two Swedish authors, and the first book completely contradicts everything you have ever learned. The people you read won, apparently lost, and the people were not so happy to learn Danish after all, but did so to survive. In the other book, you see nuances of what you were taught, but it is not completely the same. How will you react to this? How will this impact your view of the world?
This is but an example, and NEITHER side need to be fully right, everyone has biases and agendas; there are many across history (just ask a Scandinavian what they call Christian II of Denmark (here’s a hint: Some call him Christian The Good and others Christian The Tyrant), or a French compared to an Algerian about General Charles de Gaulle). It is the same with the music you listen to. It will impact not only your mood, but also your thoughts. If all your thoughts are influenced by someone else’s, where are your own? What is yours?
So: what does Cyprus sound like?
When the island has millions of visitors each year, did they hear any Cypriots playing at the beach bar? Were they able to buy literature written by a Cypriot? When they look back, is the soundtrack going to be made up of I Adore You (Hugel; French, Topic; German-Croatian, Arash; Swedish-Persian, Deacolm; Zimbabwean-New Zealander), KUSURA BAKMA (BLOK3; Turkish), POIOS NA SOU TO PEI (TOQUEL; Albanian-Greek, LILA; Greek, Beyond; Greek), Raindance (Dave; British, Tems; Nigerian)? And for those of you in Cyprus, did you hear any on the car radio, at the supermarket, have you saved a modern Cypriot song on your phone in the last year?
There is nothing ill, bad, or wrong about listening to these songs or including them, but where are the Cypriots? We argue that there is a significant export, and more importantly, an income source being missed here. 66% of all revenue made by Swedish artists on Spotify comes from outside of Sweden (Spotify, 2026) (however, we do want to note that means still 1/3 comes from Sweden. Can Cypriots say the same?). In 2025, more than 9 million passengers passed through Larnaca airport, over 5 million Nicosia airport, and nearly 4 million Paphos airport, according to Cyprus Mail (2025). (And let’s remember passengers are not unique persons) However, if even 5% of the confirmed 4.5 million tourists in 2025 (Tourism Statistics 2025) were to listen to Cypriot artists, that would be about 225 000 listeners (consumers). Not including the potential growth of the local listeners.
Do you see the vision?
Finland has a new vision to make its industry more equal and accessible (Aalto), while the Greek music industry held its 8th Athens Music Week, 8 – 10th of May, to foster and discuss the future of the local scene. The Turkish music industry has slowly become more local, at least while looking at Spotify stats, since the company launched in 2013. In 2025, 65% of the total streams in the country were Turkish artists, and almost 90% of the top 50 are Turkish artists; and in 2024, Spotify alone paid 49.7 million US dollars to the industry (Digital Music News). All these countries are not only building and preserving their culture but also monetizing it.
As Larnaca is to be the European Capital of Culture 2030, is it not time for Cyprus to also have visions, reports, and projects to better support the music industry and Cypriot creators? According to Euronews, “Larnaca’s main objective is to redefine the city’s identity and restore its self-esteem, using art and culture as drivers for radical change and development“.
It is not enough to leave cultural heritage mostly to private establishments and individuals. Now is the time to act. Three years until Larnaca is the Capital of Culture. Should Cyprus not then present its musical culture more deeply?
It is not only about what Cyprus sounds like. It is also about who profits from, and who decides, the soundwaves.
So. What does Famagusta, Paralimni, Kiti, Limassol, Polis, Tseri, Kyrenia, sound like to you? And does that sound involve any Cypriots?
All photos in the featured collage are taken by me.