world music

Popular music that has its roots in folk music, especially non-European folk music. It is usually performed by artists from the country it comes from, and has a distinct regional character. Examples are West African mbalax, East African soukous, South African mbaqanga, French Antillean zouk, Latin American salsa and lambada, and Cajun music, as well as combinations of these with European folk music or rural blues.

The term is used primarily by the music industry and media. It is sometimes used to include non-Western classical music, such as the Javanese gamelan and Spanish flamenco, or simply to describe any music other than Western classical music or pop music.