Darwin Day is celebrated each February 12th in honor of the birthday of the legendary author of On the Origin of Species. Largely considered the father of evolutionary theory, Charles Darwin suggested a process of natural selection in terms of animal and plant species, his theory explaining (for example) how many wildly different species of bird could have grown from the same root.

With that in mind, we thought we’d take a look at some unexpected evolutions in the music world, whether that’s from one musical style or persona to another (think the difference between the Finches on the Galapagos), or from music to another effort entirely (maybe the jump from tortoise to giraffe). We’ve come up with 10 unexpected musical evolutions to help you commemorate Darwin Day, including a pop star turned politician and a punk hero turned biochemist.



–Adam Kivel

Managing Editor