Disclaimer: All data collected for this article was taken from a Google form of which 19 responses were recorded

Music connects us all through emotions, ideas, and important moments in our lives such as senior year of high school. “I feel like music is very broad and always changing – new genres are coming out all the time and it’s very dynamic,” shared senior Anja Trimner. There’s a vast amount of genres of music that continue to grow every day. The most common genres the class of 2024 listens to are listed below. 

Pop:

Pop songs that the class of 2024 listens to include “Good Old Days” by Macklemore, “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, and “내일에서 기다릴게 (I’ll See You There Tomorrow)” by TXT. Senior Cavin Olech mentioned, “‘Flowers’ makes me feel inspired to move forward with whatever you’re going through and [that] it’s okay to be by yourself.” Trimner shared her thoughts about how “It Is What It Is” by Jenna Raine will be the song she’ll remember as the soundtrack of her senior year. “It really resonated because I always try to be a very positive, optimistic person, but sometimes it’s hard to be – it’s [the song] kind of a nice reminder that you can continue to be positive when things get tough,” shared Trimner. 

Korean Pop (K-pop) is another branch of pop that is a popular listen for the class of 2024. “The upbeatness of the song just makes you want to dance and the lyrics especially make it special,” said senior Julia Jones. “The song has all of those [senior year] moments – the lyrics have sad undertones, but the song is upbeat, so it’s all of the things of senior year into one song.” K-pop has skyrocketed in popularity over the past 10 years in Western countries. For example, back in 2012, PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ was released, before then K-pop wasn’t heard about as much. Since then, groups such as BTS and BLACKPINK have risen in popularity with their creative music videos, fast-paced choreography, and fashionable choices. 

Alternative:

Alternative music also known as Alt is another genre the class of 2024 listens to. Some songs include “Super Graphic Ultra Modern” by Chappell Roan, “Borderline” by Tame Impala, and “Tangerine” by Glass Animals. “‘Super Graphic Ultra Modern’ reminds me of spending time with my friends and the song makes me excited in general,” commented senior Sadie Thibodeau. “It’s not even necessarily the lyrics, it’s the memories I’ve had while listening to this song are happy ones with senior year.” Alt music rose to fame back in the 80s and 90s and in present times, the genre has had mainstream access. For example, Faye Webster and Suki Waterhouse were in the line-up and performed at Coachella 2024. From artists like Kate Bush to beabodoobee, the alt genre is continuing and will continue to grow in the coming years. 

Folk:

Songs included in the folk genre that the class of 2024 listens to are “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman, “This Is The Life” by Amy Macdonald, and “The View Between Villages (Extended Version)” by Noah Kahan. “‘This Is The Life’ talks about different people living their complex lives,” shared senior Gelila Solomon. “The different chords of the guitar and her voice just brings not only senior year, but all the grades leading up to it and graduation and everything. It reminds me of all the good memories – it’s just so nostalgic.” Folk music has increasingly become more and more mainstream and has branched out into folk-rock or folk-pop. 

Senior Katelyn Sullivan shared why “The View Between Villages (Extended Version)” by Kahan will be the song she’ll remember as the soundtrack to senior year. “Noah is remembering all the different things that have happened to him in the past,” noted Sullivan. “It’s this in-between period in his life, just like senior year is where you’re in between high school and college. Everything is new and you’re trying to remember all your old memories. I specifically chose the extended version because there’s audio input from an older woman and older gentleman both talking about how special their own towns were to them. It’s really bittersweet – it’s sad, but also hopeful in the same way.” 

Rock/Metal:

The rock/metal genre is listened to by the class of 2024, including songs like “The Garden” by Rush and “March of the Pigs” by Nine Inch Nails. Though rock/metal became popular in the 1960s, the rock/metal music made today is different from then and has been named “modern rock.” According to a blog written by Studio72, rock is the main genre while metal is a subgenre; metal is usually heavier than rock. Both music genres generally feature  an electric guitar – in rock, there are cleaner and softer tones, while in metal there are distorted guitars and double bass. Another subgenre of rock is soft rock; though many listen to and believe that it’s more similar to pop than rock music, an example of this would be “Just The Way You Are” by Billy Joel. Music is a channel to how our minds work. 

Music is diverse and when we listen to it, it reflects our thoughts and ideas. Choosing to listen to music that matches your current mood and then shifting to the music that matches the mood you want to feel is called the “iso principle.” Diversity is one of the many attributes of the Robinson Community. In the results of the Google form, there were no artists or songs stated more than once. “I think that represents the different lives we all have, we all have different music tastes, we’re all very different people and we have different experiences from senior year,” replied Sullivan. “The fact that everybody had a different response is kind of a reflection on our community, how different it is, and how we’re all connected through music.” Let music be the soundtrack to your senior year.