Music has become a vital part of our lives; it helps us express ourselves, relate to other people, and use as an escape or way to focus when needed. It’s especially useful for teenagers. Have you ever used music to help you work on classwork, or study, or to use as a distraction from stress? Yeah, me too. 

I use my Pandora app almost as much as I use Google or YouTube. I’ll use it all the time, and it’s probably the main reason why my battery is drained at the end of the day. I’m even using music while I’m writing this article. Weird, huh? 

Music has been around for centuries, and with those centuries comes new developments and genres of music. I’m sure you’ve noticed the change in music trends, and it’s been an interesting experience seeing how they change every year. But I’ve never really been swayed by the trends; I’ve stuck with a couple basic genres for a long time, and I have no intention of changing that.

I’ve browsed a wide variety of genres from electro pop to indie to rap, but the one that’s stuck with me like glue is alternative rock. I know, I know, I sound like every other run-of-the-mill emo teenager, but it’s what I enjoy. Listening to an awesome musician shred on his or her electric guitar while they yell into a microphone about life’s problems is kind of relaxing. Yeah, I’m weird, I get it.

Most of my life I’ve been listening to a lot of Christian contemporary, which was enjoyable at the time and what I’ve been raised with. Then I started listening to a band called Skillet, and I knew I had to change what I listened to. I asked for Skillet CD’s every Christmas, because I didn’t have a phone yet, and would blast the music on my radio in the shower or while I did homework. Then, I started really getting into the genre, browsing YouTube videos for new bands to listen to with a similar dynamic. I started listening to Thousand Foot Krutch, Manifest, Switchfoot, Toby Mac, Veridia, and so many more. Once I got Pandora it only seemed to get worse. I started listening to your more popular emo bands, like Twenty One Pilots and Panic! At The Disco. One of my friends even introduced me to Starset, which is one of my go-to bands to listen to. 

My experience with music has been… interesting, to say the least. I’ve tried so many different things while growing up and experimented a lot, but alternative rock has always been my constant. I know most people nowadays prefer rap or pop, but I like the type of music that gets you thinking, and that really has meaning behind the lyrics. And maybe you’re the same way. Whatever genre of music you listen to, be it rap, hip hop, indie, screamo, or even that secret Minecraft playlist you have on Spotify, we can all agree that music is vital, and life would be hectic without it.