List of people with synesthesia explained

This is a list of notable people who have claimed to have the neurological condition synesthesia. Following that, there is a list of people who are often wrongly believed to have had synesthesia because they used it as a device in their art, poetry or music (referred to as pseudo-synesthetes).

Estimates of prevalence of synesthesia have ranged widely, from 1 in 4 to 1 in 25,000 – 100,000. However, most studies have relied on synesthetes reporting themselves, introducing self-referral bias.^[1]

Media outlets including Pitchfork have critically noted the considerable numbers of musical artists from the 2010s onwards claiming to be synesthetes, observing that "without literally testing every person who comes out in the press as a synesthete, it’s exceedingly difficult to tell who has it and who is lying through their teeth for cultural cachet" and that claims of experiencing synesthesia can be employed "as an express route to creative genius".^[2]

Synesthetes

!Name!Type!Lifespan!Country!Profession!Notes!Source

Richard Feynman	grapheme-colour	1918-1988	United States	Physicist	"When I see equations, I see the letters in colors. I don't know why. I see vague pictures of Bessel functions with light-tan j's, slightly violet-bluish n's, and dark brown x's flying around."	^[3]
Frank Iero	Chromesthesia	b. 1981	United States	Singer-songwriter, guitarist		^[4]
Tilden Daken	Multiple	1876-1935	United States	Artist	Painted to orchestral music.	^[5] ^[6]
Syd Barrett	Multiple	1946-2006	United Kingdom	Singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist
Vladimir Nabokov	Grapheme-Color	1899-1977	Russia/United States/Switzerland	Novelist, poet		^[7]
Alessia Cara	Multiple	b. 1996	Canada	Singer-songwriter		^[8] ^[9]
	Chromesthesia	b. 1981	United States	Singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress		^[10] ^[11] ^[12] ^[13]
Charli XCX	Chromesthesia	b. 1992	United Kingdom	Singer-songwriter		^[14]
Jennifer Cook O'Toole	Multiple	b. 1975	United States	Author		^[15]
Marilyn Monroe	Taste to colour	1926-1962	United States	Actress		^[16] ^[17] ^[18]
Jack Coulter	Chromesthesia	b. 1994	United Kingdom	Artist		^[19] ^[20]
Marina Diamandis	Multiple	b. 1985	United Kingdom	Singer-songwriter		^[21] ^[22]
Patricia Lynne Duffy	Unspecified	b. 1952	United States	Author	Wrote Blue Cats and Chartreuse Kittens, the first book by a synesthete about synesthesia.Co-founded the American Synesthesia Association.	^[23]
Mary J. Blige	Sound to colour	b. 1971	United States	Singer-songwriter, actress		^[24]
Billie Eilish	Multiple	b. 2001	United States	Singer-songwriter		^[25]
Kanye West	Multiple	b. 1977	United States	Rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, fashion designer		^[26] ^[27]
Nikola Tesla	Chromesthesia	1856–1943	Austria/United States	Inventor		^[28]
Eves Karydas	Chromesthesia	b. 1994	Australia	Singer-songwriter		^[29] ^[30]
Duke Ellington	Chromesthesia	1899–1974	United States	Composer, pianist, bandleader		^[31]
David Hockney	Chromesthesia	b. 1937	United Kingdom	Artist, stage designer, photographer		^[32]
Greg Jarvis	Sound to shape	b. 1944	Canada	Musician	Founded the Canadian Synesthesia Association.	^[33] ^[34] ^[35]
Ramin Djawadi	Chromesthesia	b. 1974	Germany	Score composer		^[36]
Billy Joel	Multiple	b. 1949	United States	Singer-songwriter, composer, pianist		^[37]
Bloem de Ligny	Multiple	b. 1978	Netherlands	Singer		^[38]
Franz Liszt	Sound to color	1811–1886	Hungary	Composer, pianist		^[39] ^[40]
Lorde	Sound to color	b. 1996	New Zealand	Singer-songwriter		^[41] ^[42]
Olivia Rodrigo	Sound to colour	b. 2003	United States	Singer-songwriter		^[43] ^[44] ^[45]
	Sound to color	b. 1963	United States	Singer-songwriter		^[46]
Ida Maria	Sound to color	b. 1984	Norway	Singer-songwriter		^[47] ^[48]
Marian McPartland	Sound to color	1918–2013	United Kingdom/United States	Jazz pianist		^[49]
Bea Miller	Sound to color	b. 1999	United States	Singer-songwriter, actress		^[50]
Stephanie Morgenstern	Multiple	b. 1965	Canada	Actress, filmmaker		^[51]
Finneas O'Connell	Multiple	b. 1997	United States	Musician, record producer, actor
Frank Ocean	Sound to color	b. 1987	United States	Singer-songwriter, producer, artist	Released Channel Orange in 2012, an album themed around his own synesthesia	^[52]
Adil Omar	Multiple	b. 1991	Pakistan	Singer-songwriter, record producer		^[53]
Andy Partridge	Multiple	b. 1953	United Kingdom	Singer-songwriter, musician		^[54] ^[55]
Itzhak Perlman	Sound to shape	b. 1945	Israel/United States	Violinist, conductor, music teacher		^[56]
Jon Poole	Sound to color	b. 1969	United Kingdom	Musician		^[57]
Osmo Tapio Räihälä	Shape to sound	b. 1964	Finland	Composer		^[58]
Maggie Rogers	Sound to color	b. 1994	United States	Singer-songwriter, record producer		^[59]
Jean Sibelius	Unspecified	1865–1957	Finland	Composer, violinist
Holly Smale	Emotions to color	b. 1981	United Kingdom	Writer		^[60]
Carol Steen	Multiple	b. 1943	United States	Artist	Co-founded the American Synesthesia Association.	^[61] ^[62]
Daniel Tammet	Unspecified	b. 1979	United Kingdom	Author		^[63]
Brendon Urie	Multiple	b. 1987	United States	Singer		^[64]
Sabrina Vlaškalić	Multiple	1989–2019	Serbia	Classical guitarist		^[65]
Solomon Shereshevsky	Fivefold	1886-1958	Russian Empire/Soviet Union	Journalist, mnemonist		^[66] ^[67]
Richard Wagner	Sound to color	1813–1883	Germany	Composer, theatre director, conductor
Pharrell Williams	Sound to color	b. 1973	United States	Singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer
Richard David James	Unspecified	b. 1971	Ireland	Musician, record player, composer, remixer, DJ		^[68]
Hans Zimmer	Chromesthesia	b. 1957	Germany	Composer, music producer		^[69]
Olivier Messiaen	Chromesthesia	1896-1979	France	Composer, pianist, organist		^[70] ^[71] ^[72]
Awsten Knight	Sound to color	b. 1992	United States	Singer-songwriter, producer		^[73]
Nyokabi Kariûki	Chromesthesia	b. 1998	Kenya	Composer, sound artist		^[74]
J57 (rapper)	Sound to color	b. 1983	United States	Musician

Pseudo-synesthetes

• Alexander Scriabin (6 January 1872 – 27 April 1915) probably was not a synesthete, but, rather, was highly influenced by the French and Russian salon fashions. Most noticeably, Scriabin seems to have been strongly influenced by the writings and talks of the Russian mystic Helena P. Blavatsky, founder of the Theosophical Society and author of such works as Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine.^[75] The synesthetic motifs found in Scriabin's compositions – most noticeably in Prometheus, composed in 1911 – are developed from ideas from Isaac Newton, and follow a circle of fifths.^{[76] [77]}
• Arthur Rimbaud may or may not have been a synesthete. He wrote a poem about vowels all having colours,^[78] but he might not have actually perceived graphemes in colour.

Notes and References

1. Book: Simner. Julia. Hubbard. Edward M.. Oxford Handbook of Synesthesia. 2013. Oxford University Press. Oxford, UK. 978-0-19-960332-9. 13–17. https://books.google.com/books?id=WXq9AgAAQBAJ&q=Oxford+Handbook+of+Synesthesia. 25 February 2018. en. A brief history of synesthesia research.
2. Web site: What the Hell is Synesthesia and Why Does Every Musician Seem to Have It? . . 31 January 2014 .
3. Web site: Colourful language: U of T psychologists discover enhanced language learning in synesthetes . University of Toronto News . 20 March 2023 . en.
4. Web site: FRANK IERO // Get Yourself Out of Your Comfort Zone at All Times! . 27 May 2019 .
5. News: December 16, 1923 . "Tilden Dakin Says He Can Paint Music." . Los Angeles Times..
6. News: December 17, 1923 . "Music Can Be Interpreted in Oils, Says Artist." . Ohio Chronicle Telegram.
7. Book: Hupé . Jean-Michel . The Five Senses in Nabokov's Works . An Introduction to Synesthesia via Vladimir Nabokov . 2020 . 241–254 . 10.1007/978-3-030-45406-7_15 . https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-45406-7_15 . Springer International Publishing . 978-3-030-45405-0 . 226758119 . en.
8. Web site: Alessia Cara Discusses Having Synesthesia. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/zEC4mwDNIsw . 2021-12-19 . live. YouTube.
9. Web site: Alessia Cara talks about her synaesthesia. December 3, 2020. PopBuzz. en.
10. Web site: Webb. Katherine. June 23, 2018. The Craziest things you didn't know about Beyoncé.
11. Web site: Kosowan. Gene. January 14, 2020. These 10 Musicians & Artists Who Claim To Have Synesthesia.
12. Web site: December 13, 2013. I see music, says Beyoncé as she releases new album and 17 videos.
13. Web site: Does Synesthesia Make You More Creative? | Studio 360. WNYC.
14. News: BBC News - Charli XCX: Pop, punk and synaesthesia. BBC News. 12 December 2013. Savage. Mark.
15. Book: Cook O'Toole, Jennifer. Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum. 4 December 2018. Simon and Schuster . 9781510732858.
16. Web site: Marilyn: A Proto-Synaesthete? « ES Updates . September 2017 .
17. I Have Something in Common with Marilyn Monroe—and You Might, Too . The New Yorker. 31 August 2017 .
18. Web site: How to know if you have synesthesia . 25 January 2018 .
19. Web site: Synesthesia artist Jack Coulter creates 'musical painting' of Glastonbury. Independent.co.uk. 20 June 2016.
20. Web site: McNamara. Brittney. This Is What It's Like to Be Able to HEAR Color. 2020-12-03. Teen Vogue. 13 September 2017 . en-us.
21. Web site: Trust Your Gut: An Interview With Marina and the Diamonds. 25 February 2015. Rookie.
22. Web site: Lancaster. Brodie. 2015-02-24. Rookie » Trust Your Gut: An Interview With Marina and the Diamonds. 2020-12-03. www.rookiemag.com. en-US.
23. Book: Duffy, Patricia Lynne. Blue Cats and Chartreuse Kittens: How Synesthetes Color Their Worlds. 2011-04-01. Henry Holt and Company. 9781429928274. en.
24. Web site: Meet the Famous Musicians with Synaesthesia, A Condition That Means You Hear Colours . . 27 October 2015 .
25. Web site: Strick. Katie. 2020-01-28. Synaesthesia: a superpower I share with Billie Eilish. 2020-12-03. www.standard.co.uk. en.
26. Web site: What the Hell Is Synesthesia and Why Does Every Musician Seem to Have It?. www.pitchfork.com. 31 January 2014. 2020-10-23.
27. Web site: Sblendorio. Peter. SEE/HEAR IT: Kanye West sounds off on his synesthesia, the ability to see sounds, in latest rant on 'Ellen'. 2020-12-03. nydailynews.com. 19 May 2016 .
28. Web site: Nikola Tesla, A Trailblazer in Science. Futurism.
29. Web site: Eves Karydas Biography & History. 2020-11-11. AllMusic. en-us.
30. Web site: 2019-04-07. Interview: Eves Karydas (AUS) talks VANFEST, synaesthesia and working on her new album.. 2020-12-03. The AU Review. en-AU.
31. Web site: Synesthesia Digital Library Famous Synesthetes : Duke Ellington. 2020-12-03. sdl.granthazard.com.
32. see Cytowic, Richard E. 2002. Synaesthesia: a Union of the Senses. Second edition. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
33. News: Everett-Green. Robert. For Musician With Synaethesia, The Cello Can Sound Too Fury. Or Too Red.. Dec 3, 2010. December 3, 2015. The Globe and Mail.
34. http://www.metronews.ca/news/canada/2015/01/28/man-who-can-see-and-hear-sounds-shares-his-story.html "Life with synesthesia: Toronto man who can see sounds shares his story".
35. News: For musician with synesthesia, the cello can sound too furry. Or too red. 2020-12-03.
36. Web site: Meet the musical genius behind the 'Game of Thrones' soundtrack who watches each season before anyone else. Kim. Renfro. Business Insider. July 7, 2016. December 22, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20170131113921/http://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-music-composer-ramin-djawadi-interview-2016-7. January 31, 2017. live.
37. Book: MITCHELL, KEVIN J.. Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are. 2018. Princeton University Press. 10.2307/j.ctvc77m71. 978-0-691-17388-7. j.ctvc77m71. 240016216.
38. 1154801323935584258. bloomdewilde. I have this thing called synaesthesia, which means all my senses are delightfully intertwined. Colours numbers soun… . 26 July 2019.
39. Book: Cytowic, Richard E.. Wednesday is indigo blue : discovering the brain of synesthesia. 2009. MIT Press. Eagleman, David.. 978-0-262-25483-0. Cambridge, Mass.. 93. 317116544.
40. Liu. Annie (Yen-Ling). 2013. Listening as Gazing: Synaesthesia and the Double Apotheosis in Franz Liszt's "Hunnenschlacht". Studia Musicologica. 54. 4. 379–388. 10.1556/SMus.54.2013.4.4. 1788-6244. 43289733.
41. Web site: Lorde Talks Curly Hair, Synesthesia & Wanting to be a Comedian in Tumblr Chat. 2015-10-17. Music Times. en. 2019-11-12.
42. Web site: 12 May 2017. Lorde explains exactly how synaesthesia works. NZ Herald.
43. Web site: Olivia Rodrigo Says She Has 'Baby Synesthesia,' Which Makes Her 'See Colors' when She Hears Music .
44. Web site: Olivia Rodrigo reveals she has 'minor synesthesia' . . 13 May 2022 .
45. Web site: Olivia Rodrigo, 19, reveals secret health battle affecting her brain . 13 May 2022 .
46. Web site: 9 Famous Artists Who Have Synesthesia and How It Affected Them . 26 October 2019 .
47. Web site: Ida Maria. 2008-05-22. The List. en-GB. 2020-03-17.
48. Web site: Ida Maria: Seeing Red. 2020-12-03. NPR.org. en.
49. Hasson, Claire. A Discussion Of Marian McPartland's Style in Marian McPartland: Jazz Pianist: An Overview of a Career
50. Web site: Takeover Tuesday: Bea Miller Paints Things 'Yellow' With Upbeat EP-Inspired Playlist. Kelley. Caitlin. 2017-10-10. www.billboard.com. en. 2020-03-17.
51. see Raskin, Richard. 2003. An interview with Stephanie Morgenstern and Mark Ellis on Remembrance. P.O.V., A Danish Journal of Film Studies; number 15 (March): 170-184.
52. Web site: On Frank Ocean, Channel Orange, and Taste Synesthesia. Alan. Sytsma. food editor at New York Magazine who has been covering. restaurants. The Way We Eat. Since 2006. Grub Street. 10 July 2012 .
53. Web site: Why we need to talk about Adil Omar . 21 July 2018 .
54. Web site: Montagna . John . A Prediction: "This Is Pop" Will Pull in New Fans for XTC . Culture Sonar . 10 October 2020 . 10 February 2018 . We learn about [...] [Partridge's] own synesthesia..
55. Web site: Sheppard . Amanda . Q: WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT NOISE? A: XTC! . Please Kill Me . 10 October 2020 . 22 May 2019 .
56. Book: Seaberg, Maureen. Tasting the Universe.
57. Web site: Looker . Charlie . Charlie Looker . 17 September 2023 . Last Things Live Stream with Kavus Torabi. . 2:15:33.
58. http://www.sikorski.de/media/files/1/13/27/10031/sikorski_magazin_4_2015.pdf
59. Web site: Pharrell Williams Masterclass with Students at NYU Clive Davis Institute. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/G0u7lXy7pDg . 2021-12-19 . live. YouTube.
60. Smale . Holly . HolSmale . 1401522422273150986 . June 6, 2021 . Finally, the way we process emotions can vary. I have synaesthesia, so I often read emotions as colours. Trying to work out what "dark purple" means can take time. In short, "autistics can't read emotions" is overly simplistic and unhelpful. We can. Just not like you. . en . June 6, 2021.
61. Steen, C.. 2001. Visions Shared: A Firsthand Look into Synesthesia and Art. Leonardo. MIT Press. 34. 203–208. 10.1162/002409401750286949. 3. 57570552.
62. Web site: American Synesthesia Association Official website. November 19, 2010. American Synesthesia Association. January 14, 2011.
63. Tammet, Daniel. 2006. "Born on a Blue Day." London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.
64. Panic! at the Disco: Band Is 'Outlet for Nonchalant Chaos'. Spanos. Brittany. Brittany Spanos . 2016-01-15. Rolling Stone. en-US. 2019-11-12.
65. Web site: Sabrina Vlaskalic's Early Struggles Give Way to New Confidence . classicalguitarmagazine.com. 2019-12-20. 31 May 2017 .
66. Web site: December 19, 2014. du Plessis,First=Susan. Solomon Shereshevsky, the Unforgettable - Edublox Online Tutor | Development, Reading, Writing, and Math Solutions .
67. Web site: October 8, 2019. MacDonald, First=Matthew. Memory Lessons from a Man Who Couldn't Forget .
68. Web site: Synesthesia Digital Library Famous Synesthetes : Richard D. James/Aphex Twin. 2020-11-16. sdl.granthazard.com.
69. Web site: Interview: 'Man of Steel' Composer Hans Zimmer on Hearing Colors | FirstShowing.net. June 13, 2013.
70. Book: Messiaen, Oliviertitle=Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d'ornithologie. .
71. Book: Bernard, Jonathan W. . 1986. "Messiaen's Synaesthesia: The Correspondence between Color and Sound Structure in His Music." . Music Perception . 4. 41–68.
72. Fink. Monika. 2003. "Farb-Klänge und Klang-Farben im Werk von Olivier Messiaen". . Music in Art: International Journal for Music Iconography. . 28 . 1–2 . 163–172 . 1522-7464.
73. Web site: Punk Pop's New Phenomenon: Awsten Knight of Waterparks. 2021-05-18. www.vmagazine.com. en. 2023-09-11.
74. Web site: CHROMESTHESIA EP. 2022-11-22. www.spotify.com. en. 2024-02-23.
75. Dann, Kevin T. 1998. Bright Colors Falsely Seen: Synaesthesia and the Search for Transcendental Knowledge. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
76. B. M. Galeyev and I. L. Vanechkina (August 2001). "Was Scriabin a Synesthete?". Leonardo; Vol. 34, Issue 4, pp. 357 - 362.
77. Scriabin, Alexander. 1995(1911). "Poem of Ecstasy" and "Prometheus: Poem of Fire". New York: Dover.
78. Web site: About Vowels by Arthur Rimbaud. The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation.