Ascending Bird" is an arrangement of a traditional Persian folk melody by Silk Road Ensemble members Colin Jacobsen and Siamak Aghaei.

The sweet and seductive violin solo in "Rustem" gives a glimpse of a musical culture that is uniquely global while also rooted in local tradition.

For "Silent City," the kamancheh (Persian spike fiddle), Western strings and percussion join in a meditation that is created anew with each performance.

Partition" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her self-titled fifth studio album released in 2013. Beyoncé co-wrote and co-produced the song with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, Dwane "Key Wane" Weir, and Mike Dean, with extra writing from The-Dream and extra production from Jordy "Boots" Asher. The song was sent to urban contemporary on February 25, 2014 as the third single from Beyoncé by Columbia Records.

What Do You Mean?" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Justin Bieber for his fourth studio album Purpose (2015). The song was released on August 28, 2015, as the album's lead single by Def Jam. Written by Bieber, Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd and Mason Levy, the song was produced by MdL and co-produced by Bieber. "What Do You Mean?" is a pop and tropical house song, with its instrumentation consisting in light flourishes of panpipes, looped vocal samples, piano chords, fervent synths, bass and "slick beat" elements with the sound of a clock ticking, while Bieber uses a smooth, soulful vocal. Lyrically, "What Do You Mean?" talks about not being able to figure out the opposite sex with Bieber asking a girl why her body language is conflicting with her words.

Hold On, We're Going Home" is a song by Canadian recording artist Drake, featuring the R&B group Majid Jordan. The song was produced by OVO Sound's Majid Jordan, Nineteen85, and Noah "40" Shebib. It is the second single from his third studio album, Nothing Was the Same, and was released for digital download on August 7, 2013[3] following the 2013 OVO Fest. It was later released to mainstream and rhythmic contemporary radio on August 13, 2013, and received positive reviews from music critics. The song peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was named the best song of 2013 by Pitchfork Media

Dark Horse" is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry featuring rapper Juicy J. It was originally released on September 17, 2013, by Capitol Records as the first promotional single from Perry's fourth studio album, Prism (2013). Three months later, it was released as the third official single on December 17. Both artists co-wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin, Cirkut, and Dr. Luke, alongside Sarah Hudson. It was conceived by Perry and Hudson during a writing session in Perry's hometown of Santa Barbara, California, and Juicy J was later commissioned for a verse on the song.

Super Bass" is a song by Trinidadian-American recording artist Nicki Minaj from the deluxe version of her debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010). It was sent to US rhythmic radio stations as the album's fifth single on April 5, 2011, while "Girls Fall like Dominoes" was released in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The song was co-written by Minaj, along with Ester Dean, Roahn Hylton and Kane Beatz, who also produced the song along with JMIKE. According to Minaj, the song's lyrics detail the story of a playful romance between a male and a female. The pop-rap song contains electronic influences, while Minaj raps over a hip hop beat.

Hotline Bling" is a song by Canadian Toronto-based rapper Drake, which serves as the lead single from his fourth studio album Views. While the song itself is only credited as a bonus track to the album it is present on all editions of the album.

Yo-Yo Ma was born in France cellist, virtuoso, orchestral composer ancestry Chinese, and winner of multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.