Music has replaced journals. Instead of writing what is happening in your life, you are more likely to make a playlist about it. Choosing to publicize it is a statement. You are expressing to the world how you feel.
Spotify is a music community. You can engage with others, but more importantly, there is so much music made and posted that I would have never found on my iPod Nano a decade ago.
People who go through my Songs list are guaranteed to find a song they have never heard before instead of whatever is viral.
The amount of people that become friends or make relationships with people because of their music taste is innumerable. It means you are similar in some way. Whether you have the same hobbies, studies, anger, love, or hardships. Do you know how many times I've seen Drake or Kendrick Lamar be an instant connection between my friends?
People who make music and share it are sharing their personal experiences. They contribute to making the world a little less lonely. They publicize their feelings to allow for these connections to be made—with the artist and the person plugged in next to you.
I listen to songs on repeat just because they explain how I feel so well. They either have a melody or lyrics that I vibe to and need to hear. It's like an addiction, but it is also understanding how I feel and felt.
There are songs that remind me of specific periods in my life and of specific people, and I can't help but think of them when I listen to the song.
There are times where I love to throw it back to The All American Rejects, Kesha, The Script, Beyonce, Sean Kingston, and my Gym Class Heroes phase of life when I watched "Glee" and "Pretty Little Liars." Listening to "Levels" by Avicii reminds me of the first time I went water skiing and when he set the standard for EDM music.
Music aligns with history and personal history. It explores all phases, styles, and aspects of life. That is why people listen to the music they grew up listening to. There is also a reason most kids want nothing more but to turn off the oldies.
Do you ever wish you could live your life to a song? Are there songs in your life that mean more to you than other people? Can music describe how you feel better than words?
If "Crank Dat" by Soulja Boy didn't change your life, I don't know what else will.
These are the reasons music is so personal. These are the reasons it makes someone somewhat vulnerable. It is nostalgic, and it is emotional. Instead of having our iPods stuck on replay like Iyaz, let us move along with all the other All American Rejects.
