How to Widen Your Music Tastes | Alyssa Cho

How to Widen Your Music Tastes

by Alyssa Cho

With repetitive electronic pop music dominating the Top 50 charts, I can understand why you might be craving some new and original beats. Okay, who am I kidding? We all love a good pop song. But even if you are obsessed with the easy-to-listen-to pop sounds of Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift, diversifying your music knowledge is always a great way to expose yourself to different styles, grow more open-minded, and strike up interesting conversations with more people, who also share a love for music. Here are a few suggestions to help you broaden your musical horizons:

Music Apps: Pretty much every music app out there has something akin to a Browse feature. As a loyal fan of Spotify, I can say that the app has helped me discover so many of my favorite songs through their multitude of playlists based on moods and genres. If you’re feeling a little less adventurous, you can always rely on the Daily Mixes, Recommended Songs, and other features that utilize algorithms to find new music similar to what you already listen to.

Learn About Different Genres and Artists: Treat Google like it’s your best friend. Sites like Reddit and Quora can be infinitely useful in finding music genres explained in lay terms. Eventually, you’ll find that the lines between genres are very blurry, but learning about them can be fun and help you discover new music while defining your own tastes. If you watch a movie and like the unique soundtrack, Google it. If you’re captivated by a certain song you heard once at a local coffee shop, Google it. You might end up liking the stuff made by the producer or composer of that movie soundtrack, or you might find that the coffee shop song is the only song you like by that artist. But either way, you can take satisfaction in the fact that you’ve tried something new in music.

YouTube: There are a lot of brilliant content creators out there who also happen to love music. YouTubers who upload non-pop song covers often have very distinct or diverse tastes, so subscribing to them is a great way to pick up on a few new favorite artists. There are also channels dedicated solely to showcasing certain styles or sounds in order to give artists and producers more exposure (think MrSuicideSheep or Majestic Casual). Try checking them out!

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