"We see it in our mind's eye," she says, "and the colors are not the colors of pigment, but rather the colors you see on your computer screen, the colors of light. For Steen, the empty rumble of an 18 wheeler hitting potholes outside of her apartment sends up a black and white and orange static pattern in front of her eyes. So what do sound-color synesthetes actually, you know, see when they hear music? Well, it depends each synesthete has a unique color palette with unique triggers, and the colors and types of sense associations are always in flux. Hallucinogenic drugs have been known to induce synesthetic sensations as well.
Further studies show that we're all actually born with synesthesia, though most of us lose it by the time we're eight months old. Suddenly, Steen-and many others-were vindicated. (Philosopher John Locke was writing about combined senses as early as the 17th century, though the term "synesthesia" wasn't coined until the mid-1800s.) Until about 20 years ago, many synesthetes were uncomfortable sharing their curious gifts with the rest of the world.īut with the advent of advanced MRI machines in the 90s, it was clear that, for some, listening to headphones would not only trigger blood flow in the part of our brains that deals with sound, but the part that involves sight as well. According to Carol Steen, the co-founder of the American Synesthesia Association, there are more than 60 permutations of synesthesia, and recent studies have suggested around 4% of us have it in some form. But while it may seem like tons of musicians are trying to associate themselves with synesthesia nowadays-Steen says she's heard rumors about Beyoncé having it, though "she hasn't been vetted yet so I don't know for sure"-the condition wasn't always seen as an express route to creative genius. They hear a certain timbre or musical note and see a color, or smell a perfume and hear a sound, or see a word and taste a flavor. Blige, Blood Orange's Dev Hynes, and more-have synesthesia, a condition in which a person's senses are joined. Orange is a big one for Frank Ocean.Īll of these artists-along with Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Mary J. When Pharrell Williams listened to Earth, Wind & Fire as a kid, he saw burgundy or baby blue. For Kanye West, pianos are blue, snares are white, and basslines are dark brown and purple. For Duke Ellington, a D note looked like dark blue burlap while a G was light blue satin.
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