"Thinking of music in Africa, most still have an image dominated by rather traditional African styles or “Africanized” versions of western sounds. Accounting for the striking role of Rock in a foreign setting, it is the central aim of this anthropological research project to rethink the meaning and relevance of popular music in Africa. Based on the interpretation of ethnographic data on Rock and Metal music in Madagascar’s capital city, the project strives for the establishment of an “existential” approach to popular music in Africa that is clearly based on aesthetic experience. Combining theoretical reflections from anthropology, philosophy, musical aesthetics (both of “high” and of popular music) and the ethnomusicology of Africa, the project aims at substantially contributing to cutting-edge debates not only on popular music in Africa, but also on the role of popular culture in anthropology and, subsequently, on the nature of culture more generally. The scientific debate on popular music and its global circulation is vividly advancing in the USA. Being hosted by the Ethnomusicology Dept. at the Univ. of California, an institution internationally recognized for its outstanding expertise, would therefore provide me with the opportunity to develop substantial scholarship in an upcoming field, still widely neglected in European anthropology. Thus, deeply engaging in sophisticated theoretical discussions during a one-year stay at UCLA would not only give me the unique chance to enhance the interpretation of my ethnographic data. It would also allow for expanding and sharpening my academic profile, perfectly qualifying me for reaching professional maturity and independence. Returning to the Univ. of Bayreuth, known for its high expertise on Africa, I will be able to discuss my findings in a larger regional and historical context, feeding my knowledge into various research contexts and networks, by also essentially contributing to a more complex understanding of Africa."