Let me start this off by saying yes, I like One Direction’s music; I've been listening to them since I was 15 years old, and I'll even go as far as to admit that I was a Directioner (I know it sounds even more embarrassing now that I’m writing it down). However, even if you're one of those people who are arrogant enough to believe that your music taste is better than that of the stereotypical boyband, their songs are catchy AF and you know it.
Nevertheless, although I listen to One Direction and a numerous amount of other mainstream artists, there are so many lesser-known artists that I love and so many other genres of music that I'm interested in. For instance; Birdy is an extremely underrated Indie artist with one of the most unique voices I’ve ever heard. Daughter, The Lumineers, and Bon Iver are some of my other faves in the Indie/Folk category who don’t get enough recognition in their genre. The Maine (AKA one of my favorite bands of all time) has released some of the most lyrically and melodically diverse songs within their genre (Alternative), and Kehlani is one of the coolest up-and-coming artists in the music industry at the moment. Not only is she a good performer onstage, but her songs are a mix of Rap and R&B she truly is a musician who sings with soul. Country music is known for its ability to tell a story and make you feel like you’re always having a good time, and EDM is great for pre-gaming or hitting up the clubs.
Personally, Folk; Indie; and Alternative are three of my absolute favorite genres because the lyrics behind each track are derived from raw emotion, and no song ever really sounds the same. You’re able to feel both happy and heartbroken all at once. The melodies behind each and every song are different as well, even if many songs tend to have the same vibe. However, just because most Pop songs are horribly constructed with repetitive lyrics that don’t make sense, the use of samples from other songs, atrocious singing, etc. doesn’t mean I don’t have the right to enjoy them. These songs are catchy because of the lack of effort that goes into them, and here’s a perfect example: Anyone who has listened to Good For You by Selena Gomez has gotten the lyrics stuck in their head because of the song’s repetitiveness. Let’s face the facts; Selena Gomez can’t sing. However, the lack of any real depth within the song and the track’s sultry vibe has gotten you to sing the song’s chorus to yourself over and over again, and that doesn’t have to necessarily be a bad thing.
If you don’t like listening to mainstream Pop/Top 40 hits, that’s completely fine, but remember this; just because you don’t enjoy blasting Zayn’s or Beyonce’s masterpieces in your car with the windows down doesn’t give you the right to bash others for doing so and loving every minute of it.
