Artists I Hated but Loved After a Second Listen

Music is so subjective, not only from person to person, but with your own self. Sometimes your own opinions change over time. Personally, I’ve gone through many stages in my music life, from listening to whatever my parents/siblings listened to, to what was on the radio, to finally developing my own sense of music. I still can’t define my music taste into one genre. I like a little bit of everything and there are definitely some artists on this list that I thought I would never listen to. Each video included is the song that got me into the artist. 

Lana Del Rey

It’s crazy to think that at one point in my life I absolutely hated her music! Now she’s one of my favorite artists. I remember when I hated her voice and her aesthetic. My opinions changed when I randomly got a song of hers stuck in my head. (It was “Blue Jeans,” by the way.) So I looked up the song and just remember thinking, “Why did I hate her so much? This is actually good.” My love blossomed from there; I just dove right into all her music and haven’t looked back since. 

Twenty One Pilots 

I never really hated them, it was more like I thought that I wouldn’t like their music based on the few songs I had listened to. At the time, the song “Stressed Out” was everywhere, and I enjoyed it but felt it got old fast. It wasn’t until a few months later that I was casually listening to music on YouTube that I came across some of their older songs. This led me down a rabbit hole of songs that I still love and listen to today. 

Hozier 

This is another one that would surprise me if I told my old self that Hozier is a favorite of mine. I thought his music was too mellow and boring, but was I wrong. The subtleties in his music are what make it so great. Sometimes I have to be in a certain mood to listen to his music, but it was through one of these moods that my love bloomed. There is so much more to his music than just “Take Me to Church.” 

Cigarettes After Sex

Similarly to Hozier, I thought their music was too niche for me. But as I’ve gotten more into indie music I’ve grown to like them as well. It was actually through one of my summer jobs a few years ago that I got to love them so much. My boss would put on Tame Impala’s Pandora station and Cigarettes After Sex came up a lot and I realized I didn’t hate it at all. 

Gorillaz

I’ve tried many times to get into Gorillaz’s music but it just wasn’t working for me. I love the art style and how there’s lore and the whole virtual aspect of it. I’ve always loved that part of the band, but just not the music. That is until I recently heard a mash-up of one of Gorillaz’s songs with another song I love, and thought maybe I just started in the wrong place. I’m still getting into their music and I don’t love everything I’ve heard, but the majority of it is amazing. 

I hope this inspires some of you to listen to an artist you thought you hated, only to realize you like them now. Happy listening! 

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