I was listening to CBC radio yesterday when an interview with a singer came on promoting her new album. Here's a link to a sample:

http://rpm.fm/music/stream-tanya-tagaq-uja/

My first thought hearing this was 'cool'.

Tanya Tagoq sings in a very distinct way. That of Iniut throat singing sampled/paired with contemporary styles.

My second thought, proving how much a star wars nerd I am, is "I have to play an ithorian throat singer!". I mean why wouldn't a species with four throats develop a music style like that. With the performer for the colonist coming out I figured perfect!

Then I started to think about other real world entertainment from cultures around the world that can be adapted to some star wars species. I was drawn to the prominence of twi'lek dancers and thought, why not fuse them with Bollywood, which is of course a fusion of different dance styles and currently influenced by modern styles as well.

With so many artistical expressions availiable, that many are not exposed to, fleshing out a culture from star wars with real world influences, need not be a bad thing if done right.

I'm lucky to have traveled fairly widely and been exposed to a lot of different things that many have not. It's time that I start using my expwriences with different cultures as fodder for my adventures and to flesh out my alien species. Many of my friends, sadly, haven't been exposed to the diversity I have, and won't know where I got the idea. But, maybe I can bring some culture to my gaming group.