Arts & Life
April 9, 2025 by Adekunle Yusuf
What if music could do more than just entertain us? What if it could heal, guide, and transform the emotional landscape of our lives? This idea has driven artists for centuries. Sound, after all, is not merely a form of entertainment. It has the power to express emotion and, more profoundly, to shape and soothe it. As science and art continue to converge, we’re beginning to truly understand the depth of sound’s impact on our bodies and minds. From ancient chants to modern sound baths, artists have long sought to turn sound into something far more than mere noise—something that heals.
Today, there’s a growing movement of sound artists turning to their craft to provide emotional release and healing within communities worldwide. One compelling example of this transformative use of sound is the Lagos Sound Artists Collective (LSAC), a group of artists based in Lagos, Nigeria, who have taken sound beyond entertainment, making it a tool for resistance and reflection in the face of ongoing societal challenges. In a world where the socio-political and economic struggles of daily life can seem overwhelming, sound is offering a powerful avenue for introspection, healing, and reconnection.
A recent performance by the LSAC, titled Echoes and Balance, took place at the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History in Lagos. The event was more than just a performance; it was an attempt to create a communal space for emotional release and social reflection, using sound to address what the artists call the “normalisation of challenges” in Nigeria. Issues like insecurity, the cost of living, and gridlocked city traffic have become constant burdens, so much so that they often go unnoticed in their weight. Nigerians, in many ways, have become numb to the everyday struggles they face. Yet, through sound, the LSAC sought to offer a moment of pause, an opportunity to confront and reflect on these challenges, and perhaps find a way to reconnect with what’s been buried beneath the noise of daily life.
Tosin Oyebisi, a member of the collective, explained that the performance wasn’t just about providing entertainment but about confronting the daily burdens people carry. “People are carrying a lot—cost of living, insecurity, traffic. We’ve become numb to it. Through sound, we create space to reflect and possibly reconnect with what we’ve suppressed,” Oyebisi said. The intention was clear: to help people confront and release emotions they might not even have been fully aware of, allowing sound to open up the possibility for healing.
Qudus Onikeku, the director of the J. Randle Centre, encapsulated the ethos of the event by describing the performance as “sound as material, not information.” He emphasised that it is not about what is heard, but what is felt. Sound, he explained, has the power to communicate deeply personal messages to each listener, shaping internal conversations based on individual memories and experiences. “It’s not what you hear but what you feel. The sound becomes a personal message to each listener.” This was not just a concert; it was an immersive sonic journey. The performance featured a unique blend of indigenous instruments like agogo, dundun, djembe, and bata drums, fused with modern electronic sound technology, inviting the audience to actively participate in their own emotional journey. Instead of passively listening, they were encouraged to become co-creators in their own healing experience.
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For LSAC, sound is not simply a medium of expression; it is a weapon of resistance, a tool for challenging the status quo and providing release to those overwhelmed by modern life’s pervasive difficulties. The use of sound as a form of emotional medicine is not unique to Nigeria. Artists around the world are tapping into the transformative power of sound to address the emotional needs of communities, guiding individuals toward personal and collective healing.
Sound, however, is more than just an auditory experience. It is a vibrational force that affects us on a cellular level. The frequencies, rhythms, and tones we hear influence our neural pathways, alter brainwaves, and even trigger emotional and physical responses. The scientific community has long recognized sound’s power. Fields like music therapy and neuroscience reveal how certain sounds can reduce stress, improve mental clarity, and even aid in trauma healing. In this context, sound becomes a form of “vibrational medicine,” grounded in the belief that our bodies are energetic systems, and sound waves can interact with and recalibrate our energy fields, restoring balance and well-being.
One of the most captivating examples of this healing power is the practice of sound baths. In these immersive experiences, participants are enveloped by resonating tones from instruments like crystal singing bowls, gongs, and chimes, each designed to resonate at specific frequencies aimed at reducing stress and promoting relaxation. The vibrations travel through the body, helping to clear energetic blockages and restore emotional clarity. Many people report feeling profoundly rejuvenated afterward, as though their emotional state has been cleansed and realigned. These experiences remind us just how deeply sound can influence our emotional and mental states.
Similarly, music therapy plays a significant role in emotional healing. For individuals dealing with trauma or grief, music offers a channel for emotional expression and release. Its power lies in its ability to bypass the rational mind, reaching the subconscious in ways that words cannot. Whether it’s a song that resonates with personal memories or a piece of music that facilitates the expression of otherwise inexpressible emotions, music offers a balm for the soul. Music has been shown to help individuals heal in ways that many other therapeutic approaches cannot, offering both release and solace.
Genres of music themselves also carry emotional weight. Classical music, with its intricate arrangements and soothing harmonies, is known for its ability to reduce anxiety and promote focus. Ambient music, with its ethereal, atmospheric qualities, is often used to induce calm and tranquility. Even genres like rock or electronic music, with their intense energy and rhythm, can provide a powerful outlet for catharsis and self-expression. In every case, sound moves beyond being mere entertainment—it becomes a form of emotional medicine.
The healing power of sound isn’t a new discovery. Ancient cultures worldwide revered sound for its transformative qualities. Tibetan singing bowls, for example, have long been used in meditation and spiritual ceremonies, their resonant tones believed to clear energetic blockages and restore harmony. In many indigenous cultures, drumming circles and chanting rituals were central to spiritual and emotional healing. These rhythms and frequencies were thought to connect participants to the earth, the universe, and the divine, facilitating deep emotional release and a sense of unity. Gregorian chants, with their slow, melodic rhythms, were used in monastic traditions to calm the mind and facilitate spiritual connection.
These practices provide a direct link between ancient traditions and modern sound healing. Today, technologies like binaural beats—audio tracks that play slightly different frequencies in each ear, producing a third frequency in the brain—are used to guide individuals into states of relaxation or heightened focus. Such innovations blend ancient wisdom with modern science, expanding the healing potential of sound.
What makes sound as emotional medicine so powerful is its deeply personal nature. A song that touches one person’s soul may not have the same effect on someone else. This personal connection to sound is often linked to our memories, experiences, and physiological responses. Sound has the unique ability to bypass our logical minds and speak directly to our emotions and bodies. It can evoke memories of a loved one, create clarity during moments of confusion, or offer comfort during times of sorrow. Sound connects us to our inner worlds in a way that few other forms of art can, offering a direct line to our emotional selves.
Artists, in turn, are uniquely positioned to channel their raw emotions into sound. Through melody, rhythm and texture, they create spaces for listeners to engage with their own feelings. Whether through a song, a beat or an ambient soundscape, artists guide their audience on emotional journeys, providing a medium for release and catharsis. In doing so, they offer a tool for emotional processing and healing, helping others work through complex feelings and experiences.
As our understanding of the relationship between sound and emotion deepens, it’s likely that we’ll see an even greater integration of sound therapy into mainstream healthcare. In the future, music therapy may become as common as physical therapy or mental health counselling, with sound technologies designed to enhance sleep, focus, or relaxation. Imagine a world where immersive soundscapes—potentially enhanced by virtual reality—can transport individuals to serene, peaceful spaces, fostering emotional well-being. As the boundaries between art and science blur, sound will undoubtedly become an even more powerful tool for emotional and spiritual healing.
Sound is not merely an artistic medium; it’s a potent force capable of healing and transforming our emotional and mental states. Whether through the resonance of a Tibetan singing bowl, the energy of a live concert, or the catharsis of a beloved song, sound has the ability to shape our emotional well-being in profound ways. Artists, through their creative expression, have long recognised this power, using sound to entertain but also to guide listeners toward emotional awareness and healing. As movements like LSAC demonstrate, sound holds the potential to serve as resistance, reflection and healing in the face of personal and societal challenges. The next time you listen to a piece of music or engage with sound, consider this: it might not just be an artistic experience—it might be emotional medicine for the soul.
emotional medicine
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