My music tastes over time

I started to get into music back in secondary school. I remember buying all those lyrics books and trying to learn the lyrics for the songs that I liked. I could only listen to them when I was home, or over radios in boarding school, or on an MP3 player that a classmate had smuggled in. I listened to a lot of Styl-Plus and P-Square back then, and a host of other Nigerian artists. Then, music was kind of an escape for me, as I would imagine myself break dancing to various songs (I can't dance🥲)

By the time I got into university, I discovered Taylor Swift and I was really impressed with her songwriting skills that Nigerian artists stopped cutting it for me. I also started to gravitate towards christian music, as I didn't think that I should have been listening to secular ones. By the time I got to my third year, I went back to Taylor as her music helped me cope with all the mental issues that had come to the forefront of my life back then. I would be walking to my hostel after visiting people and have 'Dear John' blasting in my ears. She got me through a lot back then.

By the time I was done with school and I'd started working, I started experimenting a lot more with music. I was a huge Avril Lavigne fan and I would play her songs at max volume over my headset, to block out sounds from work. I also did a lot of Nicki Minaj, Karmin, and a number of US rap artists. But in May of 2015, I discovered Lorde. I was exploring songs from people who were in Taylor's circle when I came across her. I was immediately captivated by her sounds. She replaced Taylor as my number one artist and its been that way ever since. I could listen to Lorde and be able to cope whenever I was in a dark place.

Cue late 2016 and I discovered Spotify. This was a massive game changer for me as it introduced me to a lot of songs I never would have known existed. I used their free tier for a while and even though I hated the un-skippable ads, it was still refreshing to use. I sometimes get tired of songs if I listen to them too much and Spotify helped with that. It introduced me to some of my favourite acts like All Time Low(my best male band), Kiiara, Chelsea Cutler, Terror Jr and a number of others.

I also relied on YouTube for discovering new songs. I got introduced to Bebe Rexha that way, as well as Fifth Harmony and Little Mix(my best female band). I also made use of the age old tradition of watching shows with great soundtracks and looking for songs that would play during the episodes. The Blacklist was phenomenal at this, as with The Originals. I wouldn't have found Ruelle without them.

I got laid off when the pandemic started and one of the things I did to help keep my sanity in check for the 8 months I was out of a job was to listen to instrumental music. I listened to a lot of Hans Zimmer since I adored his work on Inception and Interstellar. I also tried out Marcus Warner, Lindley Stirling and a number of other composers. Did it help me keep my sanity in check? To a good extent, yes.

I did a lot of walking in 2021 and I curated a playlist, filled with artists who I already liked, that I would play during those walks. Lorde was a constant fixture for me that year but I also did a lot of Little Mix too (I used to listen to Shout out to my ex a lot, even when I was in relationships), Machine Gun Kelly, Elohim (Spotify identified me as one of her biggest fans). I experimented a bit until I discovered K-Pop, another big game changer. Since I met Lorde, no one has immediately drawn me in the way that Twice did. I used to share their songs with my current partner and talk about them with her. We were both amazed at the amount of views that their videos were garnering within short periods of time. I found their songs captivating, even though I do not understand Korean. I spent 2022 trying out different Korean acts from Itzy to Ive and StayC.

I've always used music as a form of escape, that when I find myself in safe spaces, I don't listen to it as much. I realised that after I'd moved to my own apartment, I wasn't relying on music to get through each day. I am putting in more effort to have a healthy relationship with music. I mean, I already have a super healthy relationship with Lorde's music, and I am putting in more effort for the rest.

For someone who's always skeptical about listening to new music from my favourite artists, I've done a fairly good job of exploring new artists and finding songs to get me through sad times. Doja's Cat Juicy got me through the early part of the pandemic. Chelsea Cutler does such soothing music that it calms my soul. Lexis Liu does amazingly well too. I hope to keep on discovering new acts and new songs to listen to. Maybe I should give French songs another go around. Anyways, sorry for the long ramble and see you next time as I delve more into my heart.

Here's a song from Lorde to listen to