What are your earliest memories of music and how have they formed what you listen to now?

 

What are your earliest memories of music and how have they formed what you listen to now?

By Emma Hendricks

I’m known to have a really bad memory but there are lots of songs that I still listen to that were introduced to me when I was younger. The most popular music I would listen to when I was younger was almost every 2000’s pop song. My mom was the one who introduced music into my life so most of my music taste is the same as hers, besides the occasional country song. There were artists I grew out of like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, even Justin Bieber (we all went through the phase). But for the most part pop music stuck with me. My mom still tells stories of me mistaking words in songs when I was little. Like when I would listen to “Moves Like Jagger” I would say “move my jacket” and she still jokes about it to this day.

But the artist that stuck with me the most since I was little was Bruno Mars. I listened to every song of his on repeat and learned every lyric of every song by heart. So, because my mom new how much I loved his music she saved up to get concert tickets for my grandma, her, and me. I got the concert tickets on my birthday and is was the best thing ever, hands down. I waited till it was concert time and was stoked to be going. We drove up to the hotel and then to the concert. It was my first concert ever and I expected it do be amazing, but when we got there we had to wait because Bruno Mars came on late. But once he came on the music was awesome, everything was going great and I was loving it besides it being extremely loud. Then two women in front of us managed to spill their beer behind them and onto me. That ruined it for me and I asked to go home. We went home and I was disappointed but I got over it.

The concert never affected how I felt about Bruno Mars it just wasn’t a great experience. But music in general was always a way for me to connect with my mom even more than we already did. Every car ride we listen to music and it’s our thing. My whole family has extremely diverse music taste but when we all want to get along we put on 80’s music. I see music as a way that I can connect with my family even if we aren’t in the best mood or if we’re angry at each other. Though sometimes we do argue about who has the better music taste and it gets heated.

Besides all that, my music taste has changed a little over the years. Maybe the reality of life hit, I don’t know but I started listening to songs that meant something to me for often. So I listened to the upbeat and happy music a little less. So I think the music that you are exposed to when you are younger really does affect what you listen to later on in life but you still grow and begin to choose new pathways along with the old ones. It’s cool to look back and see how I grew to dislike some music and figure out new music that I enjoy now, it gives a sense of character. And I’ll probably change more of my music taste as I grow up more, who knows.