On any given day, while I am scrolling through Instagram and tapping through stories, I will see several stories from people I follow that include nothing but a screenshot of a song playing on Spotify. It may not seem like it accomplishes much, but this screenshot serves a significant purpose regarding the expression of oneself. Similarly, I follow over a dozen of my favorite artists, and they all post snippets of upcoming songs and previews of music videos to express themselves and their brand on social media.
Self-expression is a two-way street when it comes to music. On the one hand, artists are able to express their thoughts, feelings, opinions, and experiences through their lyrics and beats-- music is their medium to communicate with the rest of the world. On the other hand, listeners are able to express themselves by listening to music privately, playing it around others, singing along to their favorite songs, and attending concerts-- the possibilities are endless. Let's dive deeper into each.
At the core of every artist's music is self-expression. Sure, they may have other motivations, such as making money and gaining fame, but regardless of the genre, each song has lyrics that represent what the artist is feeling and observing around him or her. Some artists take their lyricism beyond the norm and to the next level through storytelling. Artists such as Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole are most notably known for their ability to literally tell a story throughout a song, whether it is about a childhood experience or a recent heartbreak. Songs can be extremely vulnerable or personal, or they can be more boastful and braggadocious. And that is the beauty of music-- it is so versatile, and every song is unique. The beat has significance too-- whether it is hype and upbeat or slower and mellow plays a part in expressing the artist's feelings throughout the song. Many artists have musical idols that they looked up to when they were young, and a distinctive way to pay homage to them is through the sampling of their old songs. In music, sampling is the reuse of a portion of a sound recording, such as rhythm, melody, or lyrics, in another recording, and it allows artists to express their admiration or respect for other musicians.
Making music is not the only way to express yourself. Just by sharing their musical tastes with those around them, people are able to convey a part of themselves to the world. They get to choose what to express and how they want to be viewed-- most people have a certain playlist they prefer to listen to in private, while there are other songs they are eager to play when they are handed the aux cord. In fact, one of my friends is known as the guy to play the music for the night whenever my friend group hangs out, and I think we have all developed a collective identity through our shared appreciation for music. Personally, I love singing along to songs while I am in the car, and I know plenty of people who belt out the lyrics with their friends. Tens of thousands of strangers belt out their favorite artists' songs together at concerts. Music offers people the opportunity to express themselves to people they do not even know, and sometimes it empowers people to open up to others when they would be too shy to do so otherwise.
Music is ubiquitous-- it is found everywhere, all over the world, in every culture-- and it is a staple of any social gathering, so it is easy to see how critical it is to self-expression. However, self-expression is just one component of personal identity. In my final post, I will uncover the compelling relationship between music and the development of identity.
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