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Synesthesia is a unique neurological condition where one sensory experience triggers several other senses simultaneously. For example, individuals with grapheme-color synesthesia may associate each letter of the alphabet with a specific color—such as seeing the letter 'A' as red or the number 3 as blue. Some synesthetes even experience taste from sound or smell from sight, like tasting chocolate when hearing a guitar or smelling rubber with the sound of an engine. A popular variation of synesthesia is sound-to-color, where sounds evoke the perception of colors.
Lately, numerous musicians have openly shared their personal experiences with synesthesia. For many, this phenomenon is not just a curious part of their identity, but also an essential, cherished tool in their creative process. Here are ten musicians who leverage their sensory overlap to enhance their artistry.
10. Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish stands as a global icon in pop music today. The Grammy and Oscar-winning artist gained fame in her teenage years with her hit song “Ocean Eyes” and has since amassed numerous accolades, a devoted following, and widespread recognition.
One of the key elements of Billie’s creative brilliance is her synesthesia. During a recent chat with Jimmy Fallon, she revealed that she experiences various forms of synesthesia. To her, every day of the week corresponds to a specific color, certain sounds evoke distinct smells, and most sounds trigger color associations in her mind.
She even entertained Fallon by telling him that, in her mind, she associates him with a vertical brown rectangle.
In a more serious conversation, Eilish shared that her synesthesia plays a vital role in guiding her creative choices. From the color scheme of her albums to the stage lighting, everything she creates is in alignment with her sensory perceptions—literally.
9. Pharrell Williams
Musician and producer Pharrell Williams is another well-known synesthete. He experiences sound-to-color synesthesia but tends to downplay it, dismissing it as something extraordinary.
In a 2013 conversation with NPR, Pharrell Williams delved into the science of how nerve endings in the brain can lead someone to experience both auditory and visual stimuli. He explained that for most babies, nerve endings in the brain organize themselves as individual sensory receptors. However, for a few, they remain interconnected.
This is true for Pharrell, and he has embraced it throughout his career as both a songwriter and a producer. He sums it up simply: 'When you hear sound, you see color.' For example, he uses color to identify a pitch. He can tell when he's in the right key because the colors he sees will match.
While some may view this as a superpower, Pharrell insists that it’s not anything out of the ordinary. He believes it’s just a part of who he is and a common experience for many brilliant artists or academics, provided you take the time to listen to their stories.
8. Patrick Stump
Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist of Fall Out Boy, is another artist who creates music influenced by synesthesia. He describes his version of synesthesia as a 'mild' form of grapheme-to-color synesthesia. This means that different letters and symbols are associated with specific colors. For instance, Stump perceives the letter 'W' as blue. Even if the letter is written in yellow, it will always appear blue to him.
When it comes to his music, or music in general, colors are triggered alongside the lyrics. Whenever he hears or reads song lyrics, his brain connects those words with a color, sometimes transforming the entire song into a color. For example, he describes his own track, “Love From the Other Side,” as having an orange hue. Stump mentioned in an interview that these colors have actually influenced his ideas for merchandise and album artwork.
7. Lorde
The young New Zealand artist is a synesthete who deeply relies on her sound-to-color synesthesia when creating music. Much like other musicians, this means that she perceives colors when she listens to music. She’s described these colors as being like a gas that fills the room, taking on different shades and forms.
Lorde has been very transparent about how synesthesia influences her creative process. For her, the colors are as important as the sound in deciding whether a song is 'right.'
Lorde shared on her Tumblr: “If a song’s colors are too oppressive or ugly, sometimes I won’t want to work on it—when we first started 'Tennis Court' we just had that pad playing the chords, and it was the worst textured tan colour, like really dated, and it made me feel sick, and then we figured out that pre-chorus, and I started the lyric, and the song changed to all these incredible greens overnight!”
6. Billy Joel
Billy Joel, the celebrated Hall of Fame artist, is not only a musical genius but also a talented synesthete, experiencing two forms of synesthesia: sound-to-color and grapheme-to-color. For him, both sounds and written words create vivid, visual representations.
Author and fellow synesthete Maureen Seaberg, who wrote Tasting the Universe: People Who See Colors in Words and Rainbows in Symphonies, spoke with Joel about his synesthesia and how it has influenced his creative process and music-making throughout the years.
Joel explains that different musical styles or sounds trigger distinct colors in his mind. Ballads and slower songs bring to life shades of blue and green, while more energetic, rhythm-based rock songs evoke fiery reds and oranges. Words and letters—particularly vowels—also spark color associations for him. This dual perception of melodies and lyrics helps him craft his songs. 'Certain lyrics in some songs I’ve written, I have to follow a vowel color,' he says. Just like mellow instrumental tunes, vowels carry cool blues and greens, whereas more intense consonants resonate with the bold hues of red, yellow, and orange, reflecting the essence of hard rock.
Billy Joel’s body of work undoubtedly spans a full spectrum of colors, yet his personal favorite to work with is green. 'Hunter green, kelly green, royal green, deep green…' These shades of green inspire him the most. Perhaps, the next time one of his songs plays, listeners might catch a glimpse of the colors that fuel his creativity, experiencing the world through the artist’s eyes.
5. Kanye West
Kanye West, a figure often surrounded by controversy, is undoubtedly a pioneering artist. His unique gift lies in his ability to blend sound and color, fueling his creative process and musical expression.
He once declared, “Everything I sonically make is a painting. I see it. I see the importance and the value of everyone being able to experience a more beautiful life.” This remark, part of his renowned seven-minute tirade on Ellen in 2016, was not about his music, but rather his grand aspirations to uplift humanity in the next century.
No matter where his synesthesia may lead him, Kanye West's artistic vision and groundbreaking contributions will remain a defining part of cultural history.
4. Olivia Rodrigo
The global pop sensation disclosed her experience with 'baby synesthesia' upon releasing her 2021 album SOUR. Rodrigo shared that when she listens to music, she perceives it through colors. For her, many songs from the album, including “driver’s license” and “good 4 u,” appear as varying shades of purple.
This revelation inspired her to choose purple as the central color for both her album artwork and tour visuals, even sporting purple at the Met Gala that same year.
3. Dave Grohl
Renowned rock icon Dave Grohl has a distinctive synesthetic experience. In his memoir The Storyteller, he recounts how music has always taken on a visual form for him since childhood.
What makes Grohl's synesthesia particularly unique is that the 'colors' he perceives manifest as LEGO pieces, as he describes it.
During his appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Dave Grohl provided further insight into his unique 'building-block' visuals. He gave a brief explanation of synesthesia, describing how 'sensory pathways are sort of mixed up,' before highlighting his personal 'LEGO' experience. For Grohl, the structure and arrangement of songs become clear by visualizing how the vibrant blocks fit together in his mind, corresponding to the sounds he perceives.
This prompts curiosity about what kind of colorful 'tower' might exist behind every Foo Fighters track...
2. Charli XCX
British pop sensation Charli XCX, born Charlotte Emma Aitchison, is celebrated for tracks like “Boom Clap” and “Speed Drive,” as well as penning the iconic anthem “I Love It” by Icona Pop. When asked why she gave away the song, Charli XCX revealed that it simply wasn’t the right 'color' for her.
Though it might sound strange to most, this explanation makes perfect sense to someone who experiences synesthesia.
The singer experiences a unique phenomenon where music triggers color perceptions. These colors influence her creative decisions, with her favorite tunes—particularly her own—evoking hues of pinks, purples, and reds. In contrast, the colors associated with her least favorite songs are greens and yellows.
For Charli, the color associated with a song determines its appeal. If she doesn't like the color, the song simply isn't for her, and her success suggests this method works effectively.
1. Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer, a renowned composer celebrated for his iconic soundtracks in films like *Pirates of the Caribbean* and *Inception*, is an extraordinary musical talent. A significant part of his genius lies in his ability to perceive colors when he listens to music.
Zimmer's synesthesia is fascinating because his musical compositions are already intertwined with the visual world of cinema. His mind's natural ability to assign colors to sound leads him to create scores by essentially using the film's color palette as a guide.
When director Terence Malick requested Hans Zimmer to compose the score for *The Thin Red Line*, Zimmer faced difficulty creating the 'right' piece, as the film had not yet been filmed. He explained, 'I need to see how you light this scene. I need to see how green the grass is in the valley you're asking me to write about.' Reflecting on *The Lion King*, he mentioned, 'I had black-and-white drawings to work with, and I’m still kicking myself about one scene because I got the color in the music wrong. I didn’t get the emotion right because the colors were clashing.'
