The Spark Parade

GRAMMY-Award winning songwriting and composing duo, Barlow & Bear (Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow) have been breaking boundaries in musical theater by independently carving their own path in the heavily male dominated space. Part of their success is their vastly different tastes and influences, as evidenced by their Spark choices. Abigail absolutely loves Katy Perry's breakout album One Of The Boys, with its massive pop hits "I Kissed A Girl" and "Hot N Cold." In contrast, Emily Bear has always adored the 1961 film version of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's musical masterpiece West Side Story. Those opposing forces blend together perfectly in their music for Disney's highly anticipated sequel Moana 2!

Bastille front man Dan Smith first saw Scream as a pre-teen and instead of being terrified, he was instantly hooked on the horror genre. It was also his gateway to a whole world of cinema, including films by directors like David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick. Scream had a huge influence on his approach to music making, helping him to infuse his work with references from other mediums.

Singer and songwriter Rosie Lowe became infatuated with Erykah Badu's second album Mama's Gun at an early age. She's continued to love its eclectic musicality and powerful melodies into adulthood. But it's the lyrics that hit her the hardest. Badu talks about body image, heartbreak, motherhood and other weighty topics with humor and joy. It's a combination that has had a profound impact on Lowe both personally and professionally.

Irish singer, songwriter and musician Orla Gartland has always been fascinated by Imogen Heap's unique approach to music making. Her use of ambient sounds and new technologies has always pushed Heap's work to the forefront of the musical landscape. Gartland is enamored of Heap's lyrics and her forward thinking production and has taken inspiration from both in her own work.

Singer/songwriter KIMBRA loves the creativity and experimentation that runs through The Love Below, Andre 3000's half of Outcast's monster hit double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. She loves his fearlessness and its served as a model in the creation of her own work. Andre 3000 took a left turn from hip hop to genre's including r'n'b, soul and jazz. The experiment paid of an the double album has become the highest grossing rap album of all time.

Maxïmo Park front man Paul Smith's first CD purchase was George Michael's legendary album Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1. The album imprinted itself on his brain because of Michael's skill as a lyricist and musician. But he was also infatuated with the album's weirdness. Excluding the hit single Freedom '90, it's an album full of ballads and meandering melodies. It was a radical act for one of the biggest pop stars in the world and it's influence continues to reverberate across a broad swathe of musical genres.

Travis front man Fran Healy first heard about the Academy Award nominated film Aftersun in an interview about the importance of music in film. This reference would resonate through Healy's relationship with the film. It spoke to him and sunk into his consciousness in a way that only music had done before. He watched Aftersun over and over, getting something new from the narrative and performances with each viewing.

Singer, songwriter and producer Noga Erez first taste of Kendrick Lamar's masterpiece To Pimp A Butterfly came when its smash hit single Alright was played for her on the set of one of her music videos. From there, she quickly became infatuated with the beats, rhymes and broad range of sonic influences evident in each of To Pimp A Butterfly's tracks. She's drawn inspiration from Lamar's work for her third studio album The Vandalist.