Answers: World Leaders and Musical Skills

This quiz is inspired by Gabon’s deposed president Ali Bongo’s musical foray back in 1978 while a teenager. Then known as Alain Bongo, he released a funk album titled A Brand New Man.

Here’s a sample of world leaders, past and present with musical inclinations.

Answers

1) This king was a patron of the arts and a prolific singer, composer and lyricist. He was also a filmmaker, directing 19 movies. Deposed in 1970, he returned as a constitutional monarch in the 1990s. Who and which country?

Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodia. More on his music here, here and here. More on Sihanouk the filmmaker here and here. You can see below Sihanouk rendering ‘Monica’, a song he composed in honour of Queen Norodom Monineath Sihanouk.

2) This king from a neighboring country of the king in Question 1 was a jazz enthusiast. He played the saxophone, clarinet, trumpet and piano and had a band called Wong Lay Kram (The Vintage Band). He is credited with dozens of compositions and some of his songs were part of the 1950 Broadway musical ‘Peepshow’. He also performed with jazz greats such as Benny Goodman. Who and which country?

Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX), Thailand. More on the king’s music here, here and here.

3) This president who’s been in power from 1986 turned to rap, crooning ‘U Want Another Rap?’ in 2010. The song in English and Runyankore was a hit and got wide airplay amid his successful re-election campaign at the time. Name the president and country.

Yoweri Museveni, Uganda. Museveni also features in my earlier quiz here on Political Dynasties.

Museveni’s main opponent in the 2021 presidential vote was pop singer-turned-politician Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known as Bobi Wine. He alleged fraud as Museveni was declared the winner with 58 percent of the vote. More here.

4) This ex-president who was succeeded by his son in 2022 performed a soft-rock song dedicated to his favourite horse along with his grandson on state television in 2019. A year earlier he was shown rapping with his grandson. In 2017 a song performed by him was made the official anthem of the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. Name the ex-leader and the country (one of the world’s most isolated countries)

Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Turkmenistan. He stepped down in 2022 after his son Serdar was elected president with 73 percent of the vote. Berdymukhamedov is known for creating a personality cult in his gas-rich Central Asian country, one of the most reclusive in the world. This June, Turkmenistan unveiled a new ‘smart city’ called Arkadag (Protector), a title used by the former president.

Geopolitico meta-trivia: Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov is the only leader who has made it to three of my four quizzes on national leaders. Fictional Pursuits, Political Dynasties and now Musical Skills.

5) This pop star known as ‘Sweet Micky’, notorious for profane and misogynistic remarks on stage ran for president in 2010. His candidacy was initially dismissed as a joke, but anger over the slow pace of recovery from a massive earthquake propelled him to victory in the runoff. Post-presidency, he’s returned to his music career. Who and which country?

Michel Martelly. More here, here, here, here and here.

6) A rapper born in the country in the previous question but raised in New York also tried to run for president in 2010. Though he was still a citizen of his country of birth, he was barred for not meeting residency requirements. A charity he set up closed down amid accusations of mismanaging donations. Who?

Wyclef Jean. More here, here and here.

7) This future U.S. president played the saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show on television, an event that drew further attention to his eventually successful campaign. Who?

Bill Clinton. More here, here, here, here, here and here. Clinton’s saxophone performance in June 1992 came a day after he clinched the Democratic presidential nomination. He was the underdog at the time, trailing in polls behind independent candidate Ross Perot and President George H.W. Bush.

8) Another future U.S. president appeared on ‘The Jack Paar Program’ in 1963 after an electoral defeat. He performed his own composition on the piano, and the appearance helped revive his public image. Who?

Richard Nixon. His piano performance on television came a few months after he lost the race for California Governor in November 1962. After conceding he had told reporters it was his last press conference and that “you don’t have Nixon to kick around any more”.

9) This Indian political figure wrote the devotional song Kurai Ondrum Illai in Tamil (I have no regrets) which was popularised by the Carnatic classical singer M.S. Subbulakshmi. He also wrote the hymn ‘May the Lord forgive’ in English that Subbulakshmi sang at the United Nations in 1966. Who?

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, one of the key figures in India’s freedom movement and the second and final Governor General after independence from Britain. In 1959 he ended his long association with the governing Indian National Congress and set up the pro-business Swatantra (Independent) Party, challenging Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s socialist vision from the right. More here, here, here, here, here and here. Swatantra emerged as the second largest party after the Congress in general elections in 1967 but subsequently faltered.

More on M.S. Subbulakshmi’s UN concert here.

I had explored M.S. Subbulakshmi’s brief film career in my earlier quiz on Films from Southern India and the World.

10) Who released a devotional album in 1999 titled ‘Abba Pater’?

Pope John Paul II. More here and here.

In 2009 Pope Benedict XVI recorded prayers and chants accompanied by music in the album ‘Alma Mater’. It was Pope Francis’ turn in 2015 with the rock album ‘Wake Up’.

11) Old quiz question. Which future prime minister was part of a rock band called Ugly Rumours while at university?

Tony Blair. More here.

12) This renowned pianist advocated for independence for his subjugated country. He played a key role in efforts to persuade the White House under Woodrow Wilson during World War I. He was briefly prime minister of his newly-independent country in 1919 and signed the Treaty of Versailles on behalf of his country. Who and which country?

Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Poland. More on Paderewski the pianist here, here, here and here. Poland regained its independence in 1918, after being divided between Russia, Austria-Hungary and Germany since 1795. More on Paderewski’s efforts to secure independence for Poland and how they were linked to his fame as a pianist here, here, here, here, here and here.

After World War II began in 1939 with Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland, an ageing Paderewski was appointed chairman of the National Council set up by the government-in-exile in London. He died in the U.S. in 1941 while on a mission yet again for Poland’s independence. President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorised Paderewski’s remains to be placed in a vault at Arlington National Cemetery until Poland secured freedom. After the fall of communism, Paderewski’s remains were taken to Poland in 1992 except for his heart, which was relocated to Doylestown, Pennsylvania, a town with a large Polish-American community.

Paderewski played himself in the 1937 British film Moonlight Sonata.

March 2025 update: While researching for another quiz, I came across We Shall Fight HIV/AIDS, a 2005 album featuring Zambia’s first president Kenneth Kaunda. He was one of the first African leaders to acknowledge the scale of AIDS in 1987, after his son died from the virus.