My Musical Taste

Hi! My name is Kat and music has been around me for as long as I can remember. From listening to lullabies as a child when falling asleep to learning how to play the flute in middle school to 13 years of dance lessons, I have known music all my life. Now, as a student in university, music helps me in many ways. From focusing on homework to hyping myself up before games, I rely on music on a daily basis. Whether I was creating the music or just listening, I've known since a young age that music would always be in my life.

 

my mom and I in the Scottish Highlands :)

For about the past 11 months, I have delved into the world of K-Pop. K-Pop, aka Korean Pop has taken the world by storm lately with the rise of BTS. What makes K-Pop different from most Western artists is that while they sing or rap, K-Pop idols do it all while dancing. Currently my favorite K-Pop groups include Stray Kids, Ateez, and Tomorrow by Together. 

An example of a song I like right now would be "Thunderous" by Stray Kids. It is the title track of their most recent album, Noeasy. I knew a song I like right now would be from Noeasy but it was actually hard to pick a song, since the entire album is amazing. Even though I have only been a fan of Stray Kids for about 9 months, their music has easily become one of my lifetime favorites. What makes Stray Kids special to me is that they are a self produced group. In the K-Pop industry, for most groups, the company a group is signed to are the ones composing and producing the song and choreographing the performances. However, Stray Kids has a producing team, 3RACHA, that composes and produces the songs and the members work together to choreograph their performances. Their dedication and hard work that makes their group successful has made me love them even more. 

Another song that has been on repeat in my head is Tomorrow by Together's (TXT) "LO$ER=LO♡ER." In TXT's most recent release, The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape, LO$ER=LO♡ER is the title track. It is a repackage of their previous album, The Chaos Chapter: Freeze. The album reflects the quintet's journey and growth from their debut until now as musicians, artists, and people. The song itself is an anthem of Generation Z who go through their youth quickly and those who fill adult shoes that walk in the memories of a youth that they never had. It's grungy and hardcore pop-punk and the type of music I love.

Now, a song that is dear to me. I had to think a while to find one close to my heart. I have three, "She" by dodie, "Mr. Loverman" by Ricky Montgomery, and "I Lost a Friend" by FINNEAS. These songs are close to my heart because they remind me of my two romantic relationships that I have had so far. One we left undefined, separated by thousands of miles as I lived in Virginia and them in California. We struggled to stay in touch, but we were attracted to each other nonetheless. We lost contact shortly after. The other, I could tell that even as much as I wanted us too, we would not last. We grew to be close, close friends quickly, and eventually that grew to more but eventually I realized that I did not feel the same as them, or maybe not as strongly. I didn't want to drag out the relationship, so I cut it off. It hurt, they were my closest friend and confidant. I had very few secrets they did not know. Even though I am in very, very minimal contct with both people, they will always have a small part of my heart.

"She" by dodie

"Mr. Loverman" by Ricky Montgomery

"I Lost a Friend" by FINNEAS

For a song that I don't really connect with, I would say "Jolene" by Dolly Parton. Yes, it's catchy, and yes, it is quite popular, but for some reason I do not enjoy it. I do not care for country music but I respect that people do enjoy it. I think her music is good, but it is not my cup of tea. I'm not sure when I heard it first but I don't plan on listening to it when I hear it. I get people like it, but I just don't.

Bonus!! These are songs that I can't get out of my head and wanted to share. Yes, all are K-Pop but the subgenres are varied. "Alien" by Han is my favorite. The opening part in particular “the only thing predictable about life is its unpredictability, anyone can be anything, you can be everything” is my favorite part of the song.

"Cheese" by Stray Kids

"Lazy" by Woosung ft. Reddy

"Alien" by Han