Everywhere we go, our surroundings are never mute. Whether it is the sound of birds chirping, or that of rain pouring, or even the musical pieces someone put their heart and soul into… Our world is always full of melody. However, as college students, one of these sounds is almost always present in every moment. From the most stressful times to the most joyful moments, our most reliable companion is none other than music.
It accompanies us in various daily activities, like commuting to campus, cooking, dancing, and even studying. Due to its diverse use, many different genres make up most of our playlists. On a late-night drive? Got a playlist for that. Have a big test coming up? Lo-fi will do the trick. Is it a cleaning day? Time for some señora bops! Although we tend to expand our horizons experimenting with different music genres, many aren’t willing to open even further. Forgetting that there’s other places besides one’s homeland and those close to it that are also capable of producing quality music as well around the world, regardless of the language barrier. That is what I like to call, having a multilingual music taste.
Throughout the years, I have noticed that listening to music in different languages can produce a different feeling – even when they belong to the same genre! It’s almost as if it has their own subgenre within them which is able to transport the listener to that place of origin and even connect to a deeper level with your own roots. For some, an American pop song tends to feel more toned down compared to a Korean pop song – where that bubbly and upbeat feeling predominates to this day. A Bollywood anthem may make you feel like you’re the protagonist of your own movie while a French Jazz song transports you to the streets of Paris as if you’re living your best life. Most importantly, all of them could also be perceived vice versa; as its overall vibe is subject to the listeners feelings and backgrounds.
Besides giving off a different vibe and having even more variety to choose from, having a multilingual music taste is a whole new learning experience. One where you can connect and learn with a culture that you’re not native of. Learning about their traditions, their story, and most importantly, how they express themselves through art. In many of these cases, people even end up learning a new language, all thanks to falling in love with what they once heard in a song. At the same time, it makes us connect on a deeper level with our roots. Making us wonder and even discover things we didn’t know about our own background thanks to that one spontaneous spark of interest. Re-evaluating our identity and expressing it with pride.
Based on my own experience, many are unwilling or even scared to widen their field of view in this matter due to the same reason: “what’s the point of listening to something I can’t even understand?!” which I believe is not really that big of an obstacle. Music is one thing that is able to connect different communities, even when they can’t understand each other, one of the very few occasions where barriers can very much be overcome. One of the very few that are capable of transmitting itself without the need for words.