Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

idk random rant about music
---
over the years, when people have asked me 'what's your favorite genre of music', i've always struggled to answer.

i was raised on, and have listened to and enjoyed, a blend of music, in the years ive been alive. music from several different decades, several different styles, several different artists.

from before i was born to about age 7-8, i listened to 50s, 60s, and 70s music almost exclusively. but it was a blend of so many different styles and so many different artists. rock, pop, r&b, soul, and more.

tbh i found a diary from when i was like 6 where i stated i was very strongly into john fogerty and elvis presley, and i know one of my fave songs when i was that age was build me up buttercup (but i listened to that song again recently after not hearing it for years and its just SO GOOD WHAT A JAM) im pretty sure other kids thought i was rly strange lmao

at around age 7-8, i started a foray into my own identity (since, before then, i was basically a clone of my mom in relation to my interests lmao). i rly listened to a lot of current pop. high school musical was my s**t, but also so were taylor swift and avril lavigne. i also listened to a lot of 90s pop. wannabe was my LIFE and so was bye bye bye. but yeah, lots of spice girls, n'sync, backstreet boys.

at ages 9-10 i started meeting people with very different tastes than mine, but people around me tend to influence my tastes, so i started listening to what they did to see what it was like. that was a rly weird time. lots of rock and metal and rap. tbh their faves were papa roach and metallica and flo rida. people RLY must have thought i was strange. but i also still listened to pop a lot too. miley cyrus, ashley tisdale, vanessa hudgens were new faves

around age 11 i began to develop the ill-advised 'music snobbery'. i began to actively avoid pop music that wasn't what i had already listened to, and continued to listen to what i had previously. fyi, music snobbery is terrible and i think i've finally managed to get over it after years and YEARS, only after some long soul-searching

at around age 12 i began to slowly come out of my music snobbery (this was a long drawn out process though). i was kind of in love with the stunners for a while. (i also think this may have been the start of my bisexuality becoming blatant lmao)
i had an older friend who took it upon herself to introduce me to more music, too, but it was mostly pop and pop-punk. the downtown fiction, all time low, fall out boy, panic at the disco. all good though

at age 13 i kinda hit an odd phase. i listened to a LOT of all time low (all time low is one of my faves now tbh) but also sleeping with sirens and pierce the veil. i also had a couple friends who were really into black veil brides so i heard some of that too. also i started kinda getting turned off of taylor swift cause i was falling for that MEDIA TRAP

at age 14 i made a lot more effort to get more into the bands my friend had shown me when i was 12. i listened to a lot of panic at the disco, fall out boy, and my chemical romance. also around the time i turned age 14 i discovered 80s movies, and with that 80s music. and a lot of 80s music is SOOO good. girls just wanna have fun anyone??!?!

at age 15 things started to change. i forced myself to get over a lot of my music snobbery by spending the summer listening to what was popular (and im so glad i did. soo many good songs. anaconda, bang bang, etc etc) i also started listening to a lot of what people call 'tumblr pop', that being charli xcx, marina and the diamonds, sky ferreira, lana del rey, etc (so good tho) also i started getting into t swift again!!! 1989 is AMAZING

also i found out about HOZIER who is soo good and my literal #1 inspiration. like i say i have a lot of inspirations but he's the only one who LITERALLY inspired me. like because of him i wanna buy more guitars and learn how to fingerpick and teach myself piano and write more songs. and ive tried to listen to some of his inspirations as well and theyre ALSO good, and some of them i heard when i used to listen to 50s, 60s, & 70s music (the circle of life is COMPLETE). such as james brown. but like he says nina simone's voice is amazing and i just listened to it tonight and it IS. it IS

i still have some music snobbery left over, but im trying very hard to get rid of it. its terrible, its like a disease. when i started getting older after listening to what my mom had had me listen to for years on end, i was actually ASHAMED of what i'd listened to and accused my mom of 'brainwashing' (pls keep in mind i was like 10). but nowadays im like YAS THANKS MOM. especially since i was raised on some of the stuff that hozier was raised on cool

also its important to listen to new & emerging artists!!!! as a singer/songwriter i know how important it is to get an audience. so if you see some artist u never heard of on the radio or something, don't skip over it. take a listen!! and if you like it, then you can be a fan and ride along with them on the journey. due to music snobbery i became a fan of hozier pretty late, and as a result was unable to get tickets to his concert here bc everything was sold out already. so dont be like that
its also just really interesting in general to see an artists journey, you know. like i first found out about tinashe in 2011 when she was basically unknown and just starting out as a solo artist, and i was there when she was posting covers and doing songs with other unknown artists (cake w/ bobby brackins anyone? just me? ok... but that music video tho... DANG) over the years my interest in her kinda faded out, like i still liked her but i wasnt really actively keeping up with her, and now look at her. she b famous! and 2 on is a real jam

but there are some REALLY good new/emerging artists that it does not hurt to listen to!!
here are my recommendations: kitten (if u like 80s music), the aquadolls (if u like surfer-type music, like beach boys style), ryn weaver (if u like tumblr pop), shamir (if u like music that is CATCHY AF AND JUST DONT GIVE A ********)

this got really long and took me a really long time to write lmao. idk why im writing this i just felt like it

basically the lesson is broaden ur horizons!!! listen to new artists, dont be a music snob!!! listen to different styles!!! i have no idea how people can box themselves into one genre (i have that problem about not being able to put myself into one genre as both a listener & a musician lmao) when theres SO MUCH OUT THERE!!!! why avoid the eargasms when u can have ALL THE MUSIC!!!