Music divides, according to the various genres of music and the type of instruments used, for example.
But music also unites.
People get together because of their passion for music - at music festivals, at concerts, and at impromptu jamming sessions.
And music can transcend barriers, allowing people to appreciate songs from different cultures and in different languages.
The Australian city of Perth played host to the first-ever One Movement for Music, dubbed the "largest music industry and showcasing festival in the southern hemisphere".
Joyce Ong spoke with some musicians there about the power of music.
Energetic dance numbers in English, soothing ballads in Thai, and a sexy, glittery dress.
Thai superstar Tata Young is on a mission to break into the Australian and European music markets next, following her success in Asia.
But few Asian artists have managed to penetrate the major English music markets, and language is often quoted as an explanation.
Tata recognises this as well, but she says she's lucky as she has some advantages that she hopes will help to pave her way forward.
"I think a lot of the Asian artists have a lot of talents but a lot of them do struggle with the language, the language barrier you know, when doing interviews and all that. It's been tough for a lot of people. I'm lucky, you know, I speak English so hopefully I don't have that problem. (And) I'm half-Thai, half-American so it's much easier for me."
Tata was among the many Asian artists invited to perform at the inaugural One Movement for Music held in Perth, Australia.
Over two days in October, more than 180, mostly indie, artists entertained an enthusiastic crowd of music-lovers.
And fostering greater interaction between the Australian and Asian music scenes was a key theme at the event, realised through some musical collaborations.
One of these was between Japanese singer-songwriter Kat McDowell and Australian band Old Man River.
Ohad Rein, the band's frontman, says it was an eye-opening experience.
"Basically, they put us together and we came up with a couple of songs. I think here's another way to, kind of, bridge the gap. We came up with these songs that are half English, half Japanese. I reckon it could appeal to both markets easily."
Ohad concedes that music can sometimes cause divides, such as when more and more music genres pop up, in turn creating smaller and smaller circles of fans.
Or when the listeners simply don't understand the lyrics because they don't understand the language the song's sung in.
But Ohad points out that music is more than about understanding the words; it's also about feelings.
"Music is the best thing to bring people together, to take down these false walls of differences that we have between us. Because whether you're from Istanbul or from Beijing or from Toronto, when you hear a song that comes from the heart, it's going to hit you in your own heart. So, it just crosses over all these barriers. I love the artists and the songs that can transcend and cross over like that. I always found it fascinating that English dictates, you know, fashion and most music genres. I actually enjoy listening to music where I don't understand what they're singing about because I'm feeling it, rather than just thinking about what they're singing."
Ohad is passionate about music and he believes strongly in the uniting power of music.
He emphasised that people should strive to 'see' their commonalities, even as they maintain their differences.
"You know that U2 song 'One'. They say we're one, but we're not the same. And I think that's a good motto. (sings) We are one. We should always aspire to see the similarities between us. Let's not think that we are different or separate. We're just not the same, but we're 'one'. So it's a paradox of life, isn't it?"
Singapore's homegrown pop-rock band, Electrico, shares Ohad's passion.
The three-man band fired up the stage with their enthusiasm at the One Movement festival.
And frontman and guitarist David, bassist Desmond and drummer William were full of praise for Australian musicians.
Dave says Electrico's first overseas tour in Melbourne in 2004 was a pivotal point.
"I think that tour changed us completely as a band. It was the Aussie bands that kind of showed us how much we have to raise the bar for ourselves, and i mean we realised the amount of professionalism and the amount of effort and hard work that goes into being a high-level, professional band. We took a lot away from that. I mean, Australia is the home of ACDC and Men At Work, so there's a lot to learn from."
Des also points out that Australia is the most accessible of the 'Western' music markets for Asian musicians.
"Because their culture is very much like the States or the UK scene and a lot of the Australian bands are being tapped by the UK scene. They're the closes we can learn from. Quite a lot of promising bands here (Australia) that we draw a bit of inspiration, I guess. Bands like Screamfeeder or Cannon - very indie bands who you've never heard of before. But when you see them play, you're like 'Wah!' Even though they're indie bands, very underground, they still put up a great show, great musicianship. We want to be something like that."
But Electrico says that before Singapore bands can expect to make major inroads overseas, the Singapore music scene needs to be further developed.
The band says the key players in the music industry here need to work together to achieve this.
And a key word to remember is "nurture", according to Dave.
"I mean, you need to nurture the scene. You need to understand that sometimes these things take time and if you have faith, you can create something a lot bigger. But if you are perpetually thinking of 'I want to see results now', 'I want to see profits now', that's not going to happen, as with anything you know. I mean, if you wanna nurture a child, it takes time before they grow up and become a big rich doctor who'll leverage you the rest of your life. I mean, it's the same thing."
Another key phrase: "support local".
"Yeah, support local! I mean, as cliched as it sounds, we gotta do it because if we don't support our own music, who else is going to right?"
But Electrico's upbeat about the future for the Singapore music scene.
Many musicians here have been working hard, and Dave says the local indie music scene has seen good progress, especially in recent years.
"The indie scene in Singapore has reached a new high. I think it's definitely reached a point where the media in Singapore should start taking a longer look at what's happening in Singapore, because we've progressed by leaps and bounds, I can tell you that, in the last maybe five, six years. There are a lot of bands in Singapore who've taken it upon themselves to work hard and try and finance their way and get themselves heard, not just in Singapore but (also) overseas. I think that's a testament to the aspirations and the dedication that a lot of bands in Singapore have now that they never had before."
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