Music is a form of vocal or auditory art. It’s been a part of human society since the start of life. Music comes in different genres, such as religious music or traditional cultural music. From the music we listen to on our phones, the radio, or simple taps and beats to create a rhythm or melody, the ability to make and listen to music has become part of human nature. Music now has a wide range of genres, a wide variety of BPM, and many unique styles due to the Internet. Some genres are more popular than others, but people have their preferences. From our recent survey, here’s some of the most popular genres of music today:

POP MUSIC

Pop, which originated in the US in the early 20th century, is one of the most popular genres of music today. Pop music usually has good rhythm, nice tempo, and a catchy beat. But within pop there are many subgenres such as pop rock, psychedelic pop, country pop, operatic pop, bubblegum pop, and so much more. Some popular mainstream pop artists include Taylor Swift, Rhianna and Beyonce. 

“These genres always have different aspects and many different types and concepts of music videos. They also make me happy, and these types of songs are very catchy.”-Freshman 

HIP HOP/RAP

Hip hop and rap music originated in the mid-20th century. Artists began adding spoken word over a beat in the 1970s. Today this genre is called Hip Hop or Rap. The genre expresses feelings of the world, other people, oneself, world problems, or different perspectives with the use of spoken word or rap. Some popular rappers are Travis Scott, Drake, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj and Lil Uzi Vert.

“I like the sound of the beat and how different types of instruments complement each other. Also, the lyrics an artist is rapping can be empowering.”-Anonymous

K-POP

K-pop, a genre that has taken the music industry by storm, originated in the 90’s by the Korean group “Seo Taiji and Boys.” Now these days, Korean music is not just K-pop, other forms of Korean music is really popular in forms of K-bands, ballads, and many concepts of K-pop. Boy/girl groups like BTS,  EXO, TWICE, and BLACKPINK have left their marks on both the K-pop and pop industries as some of the most popular groups of all time. 

“It sounds good, even if you don’t understand what’s being said, it’s still likeable. There are a variety of groups in the K-pop industry as well, you have many people to try and listen to. The K-pop idols also have talent in many areas, singing, rapping, etc. The music videos are really creative and unique. When you listen to this type of genre, it can also give you the motivation to try and learn the language, wanting to be able to understand”-Sophomore 

ALTERNATIVE ROCK

Alternative rock, which originated in the 1970s in the US and UK, became an independent genre from rock music. The word “alternative” means that rock artists can be creative in their own ways, usually known as DIY ethos of punk rock. This means that new concepts of rock were being created other than punk rock, thus falling into the “alternative” section of rock. Rock artists can freely express their creativity through this newfound genre of music. Some early and modern popular alternative rock artists are Nirvana, Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day and R.E.M.

“I love these types of genres because the lyrics are always meaningful and deep; plus, it has an amazing beat. Even though the beat is a big part of music, I feel that its lyrics are the biggest part. These genres mostly use deep meaning in their music because other modern music doesn’t have meaning outside of drugs, sex, money and alcohol. I’m stuck on 2005 emo alternative music and I love it because I love analyzing lyrics with deep meaning”-Jaqueline Varela Solis (Junior 11th)

“I listen to music because I like the songs I can relate to. The artists sometimes show lyrics that we can relate to, with topics like anxiety or depression. It’s important to my life because songs can make me feel better if I’m feeling stressed or angry, and the music I listen to can help me feel better.”-Sophomore 10th

These are some genres that the majority of HMSA students consider as their favorite. Music can define who we are and help us cope with stress. We may not like some genres, but we come to respect and acknowledge all genres of music. Music shapes the way we see the world and ourselves, and music can even give us an identity. Through music, we experience many things. Even though this is a short list from the hundreds of genres out there, different groups of people have very diverse preferences.