From the time I was born in 2002 to today, I have not gone a day where music has not been played. I remember going to the mall with my mom when I was four, listening to a Bon Jovi album on CD. I remember my siblings and I screaming the lyrics to, “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi until our voices were hoarse. That was the first time I remembered singing along to music. Every day since then, it has been a variety of different songs and earworms that I would sing along to. For me, music has been the one staple in my life that has always made me feel good. Whether it be sad music on a rainy Monday or 2010’s pop music on a Thursday night, I will listen to music for almost everything I do.
I am certainly not the only person who does this. Many students here at Lasell listen to music daily and listen to many different genres and artists. If you walk around campus and listen to the different speakers blasting music from the residence halls, you will hear almost every genre of music, but why? Students here use music as motivation to do schoolwork, to get ready for their day, or to just pass the time. From what I have witnessed and heard from students, artists like SZA, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and Nicki Minaj are a favorite of students. Artists like that are huge names for our generation, so I wanted to know why students felt that way. So, I asked them, “Why do you like this artist?” Many responses I got said that the artists make them feel what the artists are trying to convey in the song. I’d be inclined to agree because when I listen to SZA, I get mad, and I feel the hurt and pain that SZA felt when writing and recording her songs. I can assume that is why many students on campus like the artists that they do because we can relate to them.
Not all the music that people listen to is like this, though. Many rap songs and dance music that I listen to have intriguing beats and rhythms that make me want to dance and sing along. This is why a lot of these songs are played at parties and when you are out on the town. Going out is much more enjoyable when there is good music playing and it can influence people’s mood. Another way music can affect your mood is when you listen to the lyrics. Lyricism, in my eyes, is the second most fascinating part of music, behind harmonies of course. An artist’s use of words to tell and make listeners understand and feel the emotions that the singer is feeling is something of pure artistry. Play the “All Too Well” 10-minute version by Taylor Swift and you will hear people screaming the lyrics, crying, and relating a little too hard to the lyrics. That is why people love Taylor Swift, because she makes songs that are relatable to a lot of people. This is also why our generation of fans are so infatuated with so many different artists because they make music that people in our generation can relate to.
Music is deemed the universal language, especially so with Generation Z. With streaming services and the internet, almost every song ever made is readily available at our fingertips. Music can put us in a good mood, or a sad mood, or can make us feel better with the touch of the play button. The easy access to all different types of music and the depth of artists' songs are why I think this generation loves music so much.
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