Do you ever close your eyes while listening to a song, and it just seems to take you to another place? Or maybe a certain song comes on that triggers a moment from your past, and you immediately feel sad, remembering the experiences tied to the words or the beat. Well, you aren’t alone. Music is powerful, and I can honestly say that I could not live without music. Sometimes music is all you have. Sometimes music is all you need.
There are a lot of different qualities that make good music: lyrics, production, and mastering are a few examples. However, I believe that the most important quality a song can have is to make the listener feel something…anything. That is how we make connections to songs and can even have deep emotional connections to songs or artists. An artist that has the ability to connect with their audience on an emotional level automatically is truly special. Certain artists have the ability to make music that when you hear it, you think, "Hey, that's me. There are others out there who think or feel the same way I do."
A recent example of the power music has comes from the rapper Kid Cudi. In early October, he announced that he was checking himself into rehab for depression, and his fans poured out tons of support.
What makes Cudi’s situation special is how many of his fans have come out and admitted that his music saved their lives. The rapper is well known for his drug-influenced music that often focuses on topics such as depression or struggling to fit into society. Sharing his own personal struggles through music allows listeners to relate to him and use his work in a therapeutic manner. Just recently, SNL star Pete Davidson discussed on The Breakfast Club how Kid Cudi and his album Man on the Moon saved him from killing himself.
I can't say that music has saved my life, but it has done everything from offering me comfort in times of need to pumping me up before a big game. I get chills when I hear particular songs or sounds, and I can't say that about any other form of entertainment. There's just something personal about music. Listening to music, especially through headphones, can be a very intimate experience; it's just you and the sounds. Sometimes all you need to do is press play, close your eyes, and just let the music take you away.
Also, here is a playlist with a few songs that I listened to while writing this article and have made an impact on my life.
