100 Ways

27. Listen to different music.

I can't say I've always listened to the same music my entire life. I know people who have listened to certain genres of music or bands since practically the day they were born. There are people who have always listened to punk music or The Beatles or whatever have you. Though I was raised on oldies music since...well, since birth, I can't say I have the same connection with it that other people might have with it.

As I grew up, I had different phases with different genres of music to love. When I was young, I did have that phase that almost every young kid had. I listened to those boy bands and Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. The usual for the average six year old girl, right? (And I can't even say that it was horrible. I loved every minute of it. All hail Christina.)

But as I grew older, my tastes in music drastically changed. When I was a kid, I was influenced by the adults around me. When I was a pre-teen and then hit my teenage years, I was heavily influenced by my friends and my older cousins. However, the one who started it all was my neighbor, who introduced me to Evanescence for the very first time. It was Bring Me To Life. It started everything. From there, I was hooked.

I connected to Evanescence in a way I never thought possible. The lyrics were beautiful. The music was haunting. It was everything I could ever ask for in a band. So imagine my surprise and enthusiasm when I found yet another band that I could connect to. It was My Chemical Romance. My best friend at the time bought me the Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge album for my birthday. That night, I listened to the entire album and immediately, I was obsessed.

So throughout high school, all I listened to was rock music. I listened to bands like From First to Last (when they were good), The Used (always), A Day to Remember (took me a while to get into them), and Attack Attack! (just the first album). And, you know, I was such a...I was such a little prick in high school. I was one of those pretentious assholes who sneered at people who liked rap and pop music. I was the kind of person who said Justin Beiber was a tool and anybody who liked him was tone deaf and stupid. And anybody who listened to bands people had never heard of were annoying hipsters. That was the high school me. I'm glad I'm not like that anymore.

After graduating high school, I didn't talk to my friends the way I used to. So I started talking to strangers online and I got addicted to Tumblr. From the people I talked to, I was introduced to many new musicians and from those new musicians, I found new bands on my own. And none of them were anything like what I used to listen to.

The first band I was introduced to was Mumford and Sons. I only saw the lyrics for Winter Winds pop up all over my Tumblr dashboard - "And my mind said let love grow, and my heard said this time no." I was intrigued. But not enough to look them up. It wasn't until I saw the lyrics for White Blank Page - "You desired my attention but denied my affection" and "So tell me where was my fault in loving you with my whole heart - that I knew that I had to look up this band. I listened to Winter Winds first and it was just so beautiful. I downloaded the album immediately and I was in love. I listened to it constantly. And they were just the first.

From there, I began exploring my options. I found bands on my own. Bands like Peter the Wolf, Forest City Lovers, and Amos the Transparent. But my absolute favorite find is Ohbijou. I don't know exactly how to describe them other than...sweetness. They sound like sweetness. A woman's voice whispering poetry in your ear with music that sounds like home.

And I was also introduced to the great music from Korea, also known as k-pop. SHINee was the first. Then I found f(x) and Super Junior and FT Island (though FT Island isn't exactly pop). I'm not as into k-pop as I'd like to be but I'm glad that I found the few groups that I did. I can honestly say that I never thought that I would ever have listened to Korean pop music. But now I can't imagine never listening to it.

So...

Let me tell you about Homestuck.

Yes. I am a Homestuck fanatic. If you don't know what it is, Homestuck is a web comic. It's really hard to describe without giving away a lot of details. The best I can describe it is...it's a bout a group of kids who play a game that affects their world and they have to play in order to save the universe. That's nowhere near as complicated as it actually is but I can't say too much. Homestuck has a huge fanbase and amongst the fans, there are numerous albums dedicated purely to Homestuck. I have to say that even if you don't like Homestuck itself, you have to appreciate the music that comes with it. My favorite album has to be Homestuck vol.8. Even if you haven't read Homestuck, or if you don't like it, I highly recommend listening to the music.

The latest band I've been introduced to is Sigur Rós. This is a band from Iceland and all I can say is, oh, my God. The music sounds like...nature. And peace. I feel completely at peace whenever I listen to Sigur Rós. Have you ever ever been really sad and you just went outside and sat in cold air and suddenly a breeze went by, the chill blowing against your face and through your hair, and suddenly you just feel totally at peace? That's what the song Dauðalogn sounds like to me. I feel like a whole new person since Sigur Rós. That might sound dramatic to some but it's true for me. I feel happier, more peaceful. And that's thanks to this band. I

Well, I still listen to rock music - my favorite is Pierce the Veil - but I have to admit, all this new music is taking me over. And I like it. I even started to give rap, country, and pop music a try, even though I hated it. And I have to say, it's not bad. A lot of it is quite catchy or have great meanings behind him.

But it's okay to not like these genres or certain bands. You are entitled to your own opinion. Like what you like, dislike what you dislike. It's okay. But, you know, all I have to say about it is don't be a dick. If somebody talked shit about your favorite music, you would be upset. So don't talk shit about other musicians. You hate Selena Gomez but that girl over there likes her? That's cool. Just don't talk about Selena Gomez. One of my close friends loves Bring Me The Horizon. I can't stand Bring Me The Horizon. And that's okay. Know why? Because we don't talk about Bring Me The Horizon. And we're fine. Magic.

So if somebody likes music you hate, let them like it. Their personal preferences will not affect your life at all, I promise you. This is not politics, people. It's music.

Anyway, I encourage you to listen to bands you never though of listening to before. Give everything a chance. You might hate it. Like I said, I can't stand Bring Me the Horizon. But I decided to give them a chance and I did not listen to one or two songs, no. I listened to an entire album. And I didn't like it. But I gave it a chance. I acknowledge them as musicians and respect them for the music they make and lives they have touched but I personally do not like their music. And then I moved on. It's that simple.

And then you may find bands you love. Like I did. Like the way I love Ohbijou and Sigur Rós. And if you find bands you love, that's awesome.

So go experiment with music. Discover new musicians. Fill up the memory on your mp3 player (or buy more CDs and play them on your CD player? Man, I miss those things...). And just have fun.