The song "Pumped up Kicks" by Los Angeles band Foster the People was a response to school shootings in the United States. It contrasts an upbeat melody with a dark message.

Jack Johnson performs live on the Jimmy Kimmel show. His song My Mind is for Sale has sharp lyrics, but he delivers them gently, over what Rolling Stone calls "an effervescent instrumental groove."

This video featuring Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award in the Best Pop Video category. Without being explicit, the song addresses abuse and violence in relationships.

In this music video, clips from home videos show Ed Sheeran throughout his childhood. As an adorable ginger-haired kid, he plays with cats and is seen busking on the streets before stardom.

From 2009, this punk rock song from the album "21st Century Breakdown" was a hit single, and nominated for a Grammy. This music video also won several MTV awards in 2009.

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" is a duet from Canadian singer Shawn Mendes and Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello.

Aura Dione is a Copenhagen-born singer of Faroese, Spanish, French and Danish origin. According to Aura, the song, which she sings in English is about staying true to yourself and living out your dreams.

Latin Quarter perform live at the Full House club in Hannover, Germany. The British band has a big fan base in Germany.

The British synth-pop band Tears for Fears released the song "Mad World" on their debut LP "The Hurting." At the time, they had little idea that it would become a hit single.

At an intimate open-air concert, Jack Johnson sings about the simple things in life that fascinate us.

"Need You Now" is a Grammy-award-winning country pop song performed by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It tells the familiar story of being lonely enough to make a late night phone call you might regret the next day.

K'naan is a Somali-Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Here, he performs a version of his hit song "Wavin' Flag" from his album entitled “Troubadour."

Listen to the new song by American singer Ariana Grande “No Tears Left to Cry.” Dave Meyers, the director of the music video, states, "What we wanted to explore was the disorientation that you go through in life, and the quest we all go through to find the ground again."

Eminem performs "Stan," a song written from the perspective of a fan, live at the BBC's Maida Vale studios for Radio 1.

Here is the video for the song “Colors” by Haitian-American singer Jason Derulo, which was chosen to be the anthem for the FIFA World Cup.