At BCA, many students have headphones or earbuds in their ears during class, lunch, or even at home, certainly listening to music. From rap to indie pop to classical music, there is so much variety in the world of music for BCA students to pick and choose from. With many different playlists being listened to throughout the hallways, any plain moment is turned into one filled with symphonies of enjoyment.
Everyone knows that there are hundreds of streaming platforms for anyone to use. In a BCA survey, 89.4% of student respondents said that they enjoyed utilizing the platform “Spotify,” which is the world’s number one streaming platform for music and podcasts. The service has over 500 million active users as well as over 8 million artists. One of the most popular features on this app is “Spotify Wrapped,” which is a data collection that highlights one’s favorite songs and artists of the year and how long they spent listening to music for that year.
Since music is something that is available to almost everyone, it has become integrated in many students’ routines. In fact, based on a survey of BCA students, over 92% said that they spend anywhere from one to six hours a day listening to music. In particular, one sophomore in AEDT, Micah Wu, said that he spent a total of 157,516 minutes listening to music on Spotify in 2023. That’s about 109 days straight!
Among BCA students, some popular artists included Taylor Swift, Drake, SZA, and Laufey, with many of them listed as top artists of the world. In fact, the artist “Laufey” has helped to revive the genre of jazz, especially towards students of this generation. Many teens often mention that her music is relatable and powerful.
“I think that Laufey is an amazing singer and that she provides a different genre from what we often hear today,” said Annabella Cappola, a freshman in AMST. “As a BCA student I find her music relatable and nice to listen her on the bus rides. Her jazzy style of music is very calming and nice to listen to while doing work like math since it’s not too distracting. One of my favorite songs she wrote was ‘A Letter to My 13 Year Old Self’ because it reminds me that everything’s going to be okay. Overall I think Laufey is going to have a big impact on the public and definitely win some Grammys.”
Aside from the jazz queen, Taylor Swift’s impact on the music industry is unparalleled. Throughout the 2023 season, she performed over 150 shows on her Eras Tour and became a national treasure. Even so, at just 33 years old, she is the first artist to become a billionaire solely based on her musical earnings. Some of her most famous albums, including “1989,” “Red (Taylor’s Version,” and “Evermore” have not only dominated the charts, but have served as a collection of music that reflects emotions, experiences, and memories. “The first concert that I ever saw live was Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour,” said Simeona Angeleska, a sophomore in ABF. “It felt so cinematic, almost like a movie, and the crowd was very united and that sort of sense of community is something that I love.”
Even more, popular genres among BCA students include pop, indie pop, rap/hip hop/r&b, and K-pop. In particular, the culture of K-pop has had a large influence on its fans in terms of fashion, entertainment choice, and identity.
“After moving from Korea, I felt really detached from my Korean identity and anything that related to Korea, but K-pop reintroduced the things that made me feel Korean and feel like I’m at my home away from home,” said Sophia Lee, a freshmen in AVPA-V. “Before K-pop, I don’t think I ever listened to music and I just watched what was available on television channels, but now I tend to listen to Korean music more than any other genre, watch Kdramas, Korean youtube videos, and any Korean program I can find on my computer or phone.”
There were also many ways in which music positively affected the mental and physical health of those at BCA. For example, listening to music has numerous health benefits such as lowing blood pressure, stress, and anxiety. Scientific research has also shown that listening to music has helped students to regulate their emotions better.
“I think that music has affected my mental health positively,” said Micah Wu, a sophomore in AEDT. “It has helped me to better focus on my studies, alleviate my stress, and also my mental health.”
As the final notes fade out, the diverse songs choices in 2023 truly shaped the year into another amazing chapter at BCA. Although some may experience a tinge of sadness in the leaving behind of the year 2023, it is now time to anticipate the rise of 2024, which is bound to have a new rhythm of experiences for BCA in the realm of music.
