Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lana Del Rey are more familiar to students than Saint Motel, Milky Chance, S.P Balasubrahmanyam, or HARDY. The popularity of an artist or artists—especially nowadays—is heavily influenced by their presence in the media.

But popularity doesn’t necessarily define the quality of their music nor how often a person would listen to them. The weeping waves of sad songs have at least once crashed into the shores of SLHS students’ playlists. The following responses are taken from a survey of Spartans’ different music preferences.

“I love sad music because there is always some deeper meaning behind it,” a sophomore said. “There is always some really good lyricism that makes you feel what the artist is feeling and I just love how poetic and beautiful it is.”

On the other hand, some students enjoy the feeling of sad music.

“I would listen to sad/heartbreaking music because it makes me feel better sometimes,” a freshman said.

“Heartbreaking music gives you a chance to feel. Perhaps it’s sympathy or something like that,” another sophomore said. “[B]ut knowing that music alone is making tears well in your eyes and your heart ache is really really cool”

“I feel like sad Country is most relatable to me,” a senior said.

Contrasting with some of the melancholically empathetic and poetic listeners are those who listen to more positive and high-spirited music.

“I listen to upbeat and joyful music because it makes me happy, and I like the positivity and energy it gives off,” another freshman said.

Whilst the vibrant notes of joyful music may bring happiness, some may prefer this genre due to its calmer waves of melody and peacefulness.

“I like to listen to […] folk genre and calm and soothing songs because they can help me get in the right headspace and calm my mind,” another senior said.

Up next is a genre that still lingers today but is a little more scattered in popularity. Rock is still popular amongst those who have grown up with it, but students nowadays are more exposed to pop, electronic, rap, R&B, and indie music which explains the scarcity of those who listen to rock—not to say any form of organic music.

“I really like music that matches my mood, and rock can be happy or super angsty or angry—its versatility is what really draws me to it,” a junior said.

Whether it be the environment one grew up in, the presence of music artists online, the thinning number of people listening to radio and the increasing number of people having instant access to their favourite genres through music platforms, one can still have authentic opinions on what music really means to them.

“I […] like listening to 80s Tamil songs because it’s the music my parents listen to and I’ve grown up listening to them too,” another junior said. “Furthermore, South Indian classical music is a big part of my music taste because I learn it myself, and I really like the kinds of emotions it brings out.”