Oliver Coan (286)

Music has been playing in my household my whole life. I still remember it from when I was younger, and even now, I wake up and hear my dad playing music downstairs on weekends. I have been exposed to a wide array of music genres that have brought happiness and excitement into my life. I find myself anticipating new music releases more eagerly than big sports games. I even make music of my own now. Nonetheless, I’m curious about how music influences other people at Central, so I interviewed some students to get their perspectives.

What are your feelings about music? Everyone I asked had a positive response to it. Shaddai (285) said, “I like music. It’s cool, I like the vibes.” Despite the positives, some people wished to see changes. Sadie (284) said, “I love music. I listen to a lot of music, mostly older music because I feel like music has kind of gone down in quality a little bit recently.” Dante (286) said, “My feelings on music are very positive. Music is a way to express your feelings and this is important for people.” As seen here, some have strong opinions about music while others don’t mind that much.

Which genre is your favorite and why? Do you even have one? Rap was a common favorite genre for everyone that was interviewed, but some people had more niche genres as their favorite. Kalani (284) said he favors breakcore, which is music with a mix of jungle, drum, and bass. Josie T. (286), on the other hand, leans towards rap and pop, but she said, “It depends on my mood and the day.” Sadie likes rock, stating “Usually, I find the lyrics more interesting.” Genre is something that is so subjective yet so similar, making it insightful to hear everyone’s varying opinions.

Who are some of your favorite artists? For Josie, she really likes Taylor Swift, Chris Brown, and Mac Miller. Dante said “My favorite artists are Lil Uzi Vert and Ken Carson.” There are some people who loved artists I hadn’t even heard of, like Shaddai, who responded with “Wave to Earth.” Hearing someone mention an artist I hadn’t heard before was surprising, and even listening to familiar artists was entertaining.

Who’s an artist everyone should listen to? For this question, there were also varied responses. When asked, Kalani instantly responded, “BabyTron, absolutely. Everybody needs to listen to him.” BabyTron is getting mainstream, but he’s still not nearly as listened to as the artist mentioned by Sadie. “Everyone should listen to The Beatles. They deserve more recognition, still.” Charlie (283) felt strongly about people listening to JID. “He has such a special gift of storytelling, and the flow that he puts into his songs is incredible to listen to, along with the fact that he is very versatile[…]it completely changed my perspective on music.” This question generated the most opinionated responses, and it’s evident here.