OK, I'm about to sound like everyone's mother. Everyone has that moment with a parent as a child where you don't think you'll like what she made for dinner, and she prompts you to eat it because "You'll never know you don't like it unless you actually try it."
This is my plea to diversify your playlist.
giphy.com
OK, please hear me out.
From mainstream to vast obscurity, music is one of the greatest outlets of expression that everyone can experience. Many artists keep music to themselves, but for those that don't and have honed that same talent, we have music playlists on our phones or computers.
Music is like makeup — there really aren't any rules when it comes down to it.
Aside from the instrumental part of music, I think the best part is trying to understand what that artist was going through in their words. Be it country, hip-hop, alternative, or super heavy death metal, there are a lot of emotions in music. There is purpose behind every note, every word — everything.
Shouldn't you try to relate to the people around you?
Shouldn't you try to put yourself in another's shoes?
Listen to everything. Hear people's stories. Hear their passions, heartache, triumphs, and advice.
These perspectives can bring an end to a hateful era. People have been finding their passions as politics, gun violence, sexual assault, police brutality, social injustice, and other terroristic events have torn everyone down in the past year. There has been a consistent rise in activism as the news presents the worst in the world — every negative moment. The international narrative is being rewritten.
giphy.com
And one of the platforms that people are using is music. Artists are jumping ahead with universal issues and talking real talk. Childish Gambino, Shawn Mendes, Harry Styles, Logic, and Muse are doing just that — just to name a few. They're tackling what's wrong with our society and standing up for our future — our people.
It pays to listen to everyone. Everyone has a different perspective. There are many genres that talk about how you could be feeling. No matter how big or small, there are diverse ways to explain those things.
A lot of people shit on country music, but a lot of country music tells stories that are extremely relatable. Not all of them are about getting in a truck with your "sweet thang" and plowing your farmland. Dan + Shay, Chris Stapleton, Brothers Osborne, and Kacey Musgraves are a few country artists who are really pressing inclusivity, addressing mental health, sexuality, and other matters. Whether it be through the song itself or their music videos, they're not sleeping on the issues in this world.
Please, listen to more music. There's more to life than your typical go-to genre. You can find the same powerful lines and beats in other places. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Try a small helping of each music avenue.
