By Ariana Rathan
To occupy their time, people everywhere have started to listen to new types of music that they may have not listened to before. The pandemic and quarantine provided a time to try something new. Music has also become a common hobby for people as well. Music has also connected all different types of people with the same liking for an artist or genre of music.
We asked Barons to tell us about what artists and music that they have started to listen to recently and here’s what they said.
All photos are provided.
“I got more into this one group called NCT Dream and they are a K-Pop band. I really liked their bond together and I was watching a lot of videos of them and I just got into their music because it was really catchy. I saw a fancam. I was watching it a lot, and then I just got into the group. I would say the group is definitely more pop, I wouldn’t say the lyrics are that deep but I like the catchieness of it and it’s good study music for me. I always listen to hype music while I study. I started listening to NF as well. His songs are really meaningful to me,” senior Ashley Phan said.
“I generally like to listen to classic rock, emo rock/punk and alternative rock but I branch out to other stuff sometimes. Some music I’ve started to listen to since the pandemic is this [electronic dance music] (EDM) alternative rock artist called Grandson. One of my friends who is way more into the EDM scene than I am, suggested Grandson and I was hesitant at first but his music and lyrics were so good and I got hooked and luckily he put out a new album during the pandemic. What attracted me to Grandson was not only the awesome music with amazing drops and hooks, but the lyrics. His songs are very against the norm and one against the many feel kind of feel to it and relate to the lyrics a lot which is what I want when I’m finding music to listen to,” senior Michael Mockus said.
“Overall, I like K-pop. There are many genres of music and artists within K-pop that I have discovered and grown to love, which expanded my taste in music. Since the pandemic started, I have started to listen to more R&B and Indie music. I started to listening to R&B and Indie music because they are generally mellow, which is perfect for me to study to or relax to at home, especially during the pandemic. Artists that I gravitated toward are Keshi, BTS and offonoff. The opportunity to reflect on and express my current state of emotions as I listen to music is what attracts me to it. It allows me to express how I feel in that moment, whether that be hype, sorrow, etc. I recommend everyone to listen to TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s new album “The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE.” Collectively, the tracks exude nostalgia and excitement, which personally gets me pumped up for summer break,” freshman Kelly Tran said.
“I like Bossa Nova, alternative R&B [and] R&B/soul. I’ve started listening to Bossa Nova a lot since the pandemic. I started listening to this music because it has a really fun and chill vibe. I already liked jazz music before, but when I heard a more Brazilian and samba tone, I started to love it,” junior Cameryn Nguyen said.
“Honestly, it depends on what kind of mood I’m in but I usually like listening to R&B, rap and alternative pop. During quarantine, I listened to a lot of SZA, Jeremy Zucker and Giveon. I’ve always liked their songs but they hit differently during quarantine. I’m on TikTok a lot so I actually discovered a lot of songs through that. I really like the vibe of the songs they make, their songs make me feel safe, they help me express my emotions especially when I’m sad. I think music is such a great form of self-expression, you can definitely tell the type of person through their music taste,” sophomore Charlene Vo said.
“I like bedroom pop. I’ve started listening to 70s music because my mom likes it. My mom introduced it to me. I like how the music has a weird disco touch to it,” sophomore Lila Coates said.
“I like to listen to rap, but I’ve started to listen to jazz more. It helps me focus on homework. The relaxing yet lively sound is what I like about it. My music taste depends on my mood and what I’m doing,” sophomore Lori Shirikan said.
