The favorite music of the world's most powerful people is often kept a secret, as one controversial faux pas could be the death of a political career. Things have started to warm up however, as the leaders of the free (and less than free) world have taken to filling the general public in on their Facebook favs. David Cameron told the world this week that he preferred Bryan Ferry over Jay Z, and even Vladimir Putin has warmed enough to inform his constituents that he was "a Russian man and I listen to Russian music." French President Francois Hollande used "Niggas in Paris" as part of a campaign commercial during 2012 (although we doubt he personally is a fan of Jay and Kanye).
Few people in general are comfortable naming one act their sole favorite, politicians included. But we can use previous reports to guess who might be the favorite performer of some of the world's most important leaders.
Barack Obama, President of The United States: Stevie Wonder
President Obama has most certainly been the most forthright of American Presidents, both in terms of personal humor and personal tastes. He'll readily admit that he's got controversial figures such as Jay Z and Eminem on his iPod, and he's even been known to seduce the nation with his impression of Al Green. If we had to take a stab at what performer the president enjoys most however, we'd have to say Stevie Wonder. He described the Motown star as his "ultimate music hero" while he was a student in the '70s and it's not tough to see a fan of soul and jazz taking a liking to Wonder, as he had a front row seat in his formative years for the release of classic albums including Innervisions and Songs In The Key of Life.
David Cameron, Prime Minister of Great Britain: Pink Floyd
David Cameron has been another influential political figure not afraid of sharing his music tastes with the public, as evidenced by his earlier approval of Ferry. Although he may not count Jay Z among his favorites, that doesn't mean he's necessarily going with the safer option: Ferry was also part of the occasionally controversial Roxy Music outfit, and Cameron has listed albums by both Radiohead and The Smiths among his favorites (the latter is especially noteworthy, considering the band's most acclaimed work is titled The Queen Is Dead). The prime minister holds one album especially dear however: Pink Floyd's classic The Dark Side of The Moon.
Xi Jinping, President of China: Peng Liyuan
Cracking the shell of Chinese President Xi Jinping isn't the easiest, so no one's entirely sure of what he likes to do with himself behind closed doors. Still, he actually shows emotion and appreciation for China's wonderful cultural history, which puts him a step ahead of the nation's previous premieres in the minds of those familiar with Chinese politics. Popular wisdom suggests that there's one person even he bows his will to: his wife, Peng Liyuan. We can imagine how young Jinping fell in love with the acclaimed soprano, watching her perform every year during the annual CCTV New Year's Gala. She performs less now of course, being the first lady of China and all, but her true musical expertise can't be questioned: She was the first in the country to earn a master's degree in the study of Chinese ethnic music. She's a keeper.
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India: Lata Mangeshkar
India is a land where the heads of state have traditionally been a tad more friendly in appearance than those of the other BRIC giant to the northeast. Narendra Modi of the BJP comes across as more hard-nosed than his predecessor however. That hasn't stopped him from admitting a love of India's classic Bollywood films however and he even cited a soundtrack number from the film Jai Chitod as his all-time favorite song. "O Pawan Veg Se." That song was written by Bharat Vyas for the 1961 film and was recorded by Lata Mangeshkar, one of the most recorded performers in Bollywood history, appearing in more than 1,000 films. One of the few vocalists who have recorded more than Mangeshkar is her sister Asha Bhosle, one of the most well-known vocalists outside of India. (The song below is not the same track, but gives you an idea what the Prime Minister enjoys)
Tony Abbott, Prime Minister of Australia: Katy Perry
Tony Abbott is yet another example of Western leaders (Australia, regardless of geographic location, is a Western government in both style and demographics). It almost got him into trouble during 2013 when the prime minister had the chance to speak with pop star Katy Perry during her Australian tour. He immediately professed his fandom to the vocalist, declaring that he'd like to make "Hot N Cold" his official anthem. Perry wasn't about to make this interview an easy one for the politician however, confronting him right off the bat regarding his policies on marriage equality, one of her favorite battles. He later admitted that perhaps he didn't fully grasp the lyrics of the song, which references menstruation among other things.
Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia: Napalm Death
Even in instances where leaders cite occasionally controversial performers such as Jay Z and Perry as their favorites, at leads those acts are mainstream and acceptable. Rappers can sing about drug dealing and murder as much as they want, but at least they believe in God. No American politician would go out of their way to promote their love of a genre as anti-Church and anti-conformist as metal. Joko Widodo, the recently elected President of Indonesia, doesn't hide his love for the most brutal of bands, ranging from Metallica to Lamb of God. We opted for Napalm Death as his "favorite," considering how often he wears the grindcore band's T-shirts. Let it be noted that Indonesia has more Muslim citizens than any other nation in Earth, so next time you want to argue that Islam and Western culture, just remember what country elected a Napalm Death fan as its president.
