To say teenagers are stuck in their ways is an understatement, and I openly admit to being one of these stubborn teenagers. With the amount of artists that are new to the music scene, along with those that earned a name for themselves years ago, limiting the music we listen to limits our enjoyment of one of the best guilty pleasures life has to offer.
“You and Me” from Marc E. Bassy’s
Gossip Columns, 2017
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The spectrum of music genres and of musicians is infinite, therefore having a closed-minded taste in music will inevitably lead to a mental roadblock. This past September, I hit that road block. I spent hours upon hours listening to the same music. My “recent searches” on Spotify were repetitive and soon became a bore.
“Paris in the Rain” from Lauv’s
I met you when I was 18. (the playlist), 2018
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While sitting in my college dorm, a song I had heard twice within a single cycle of studying played, yet again. I came to the immediate realization that my taste in music was so limited and I decided to use my resources, meaning my friends and Spotify, to widen the range of music I listened to. In order to explore these horizons, I created two playlists: one labeled “Let’s See” and the other labeled “Yes”.
“Homesick” and “Garden” from Dua Lipa’s
Dua Lipa, 2017
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A detailed explanation is not needed: “Let’s See” consisted of hundreds of songs from artists I wouldn’t usually listen to, mainly from my friends’ recommendations. As I listened to this playlist, songs that intrigued me were then placed in the playlist “Yes”.
“Casual Affair” from Panic! At the Disco’s
Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!, 2013
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Not only have I successfully added over 200 songs to my master playlist, but I can confidently consider a handful of these songs to be new favorites of mine. Personal songs and artist recommendations of mine are present throughout this article, as a result of the musical “experiment”. As someone who listens to music constantly, this is definitely something I would recommend to anyone interested in something new.
“Say it First” from Sam Smith’s
The Thrill Of It All, 2017
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