When an artist first releases a single, they are forced to operate under the whims of the producer and/or record label in charge. This one song is played over and over again on the radio, in malls, essentially everywhere you go. There comes a point where you would actually rather stick nails in your ears than listen to that song one more time. Consequentially, most people begin basing all of their opinions about that artist on one song. Most people turn to bashing the lyrics, the tune, and extend their negative comments into that artist’s personal life and character.
We all have our preference of music, and I’m not saying that you have to like every song out there. Personally, I’m not a fan of country, EDM, R&B, hip-hop, reggae or metal, and I don’t think I ever will be. I have friends who hate musicals, jazz, pop, and would die if you made them listen to classical/orchestral music (despite my many pleas). Yet, there is a certain level of understanding for each person’s preferences. I’m not saying that there’s no judgement, but there is respect. And obviously, what I listen to isn’t limited to the genres I listed and I don’t vehemently refuse to listen to genres of songs that I don’t like. My taste in music completely varies, as does most people’s, I’m sure. In my opinion, the genre of music you like doesn’t necessarily say anything about you as a person. I listen to whatever speaks to me and I don’t listen to the music I find annoying.
Previously, I wouldn’t have given these “annoying” artists a second glance. Recently, I’ve tried stepping out of my musical closet and listening to the other songs off these artists’ album(s). Wanna guess what the result was? That’s right, I found songs that I actually liked. Shocking, I know.
Today, I’m going to share some songs by certain artists that showcase a different side to their talent, that’s not captured very well by the radio or other media.
{Meghan Trainor | Like I’m Gonna Lose You}
After the release of “All About That Bass,” people didn’t know how to react. Many thought that it was an empowering song for all body types, but others argued that it discriminated on smaller frames. Personally, I didn’t take offence in her song and found it extremely catchy. Although certain lyrics can be controversial, if you were to look at the entire song and analyze it critically, you would find that it addresses body image with an “I don’t give a care” attitude. It’s okay if you’re not a super-nerd and don’t analyze the lyrics to songs like I do, you don’t have to like that song. “Like I’m Gonna Lose You (feat. John Legend)” really showcases Meghan Trainor’s sweet voice and higher register. It doesn’t capture her modern do-wop/pop style, which people don’t seem to appreciate, but it’s still an awesome song.
{MAGIC! | Don’t Kill the Magic}
I may be misinterpreting the meaning, but the song “Rude” gave me a terrible first impression of MAGIC!. Neither “Don’t Kill the Magic” nor “Let Your Hair Down” corrected their bad image for me. I guess I’m just not a fan of their slightly Jamaican sound, nor their lyrics. “No Evil” is a bit more bearable for me, but I still can’t say that I like the band. Nonetheless, it has a catchy chorus and deals with an interesting topic. On a completely unrelated note, did you know that the monkey emojis are actually representative of the saying, “speak no evil, see no evil, and hear no evil”?
{Ariana Grande | My Everything}
I love Ariana Grande, and not just because she’s absolutely adorable or of the fact that she’s a vegan. From her days as Cat on Nickelodeon, I was cheering her on. Some people complain that she has a nasally voice or that she sounds weird when she sings, but I think her voice is beautiful and unique. People might have found “Problem” or “Bang Bang” annoying but “Love Me Harder” is receiving good feedback. “My Everything” is a heartfelt song about her grandpa and she shows off her lower range, which people seem to like more than the “high pitched screaming” in other songs.
{Shawn Mendes | Handwritten}
If you didn’t know, Shawn Mendes is a 16 year-old boy from Toronto. On the radio, his voice sounds a lot deeper, so only after listening to a few more of his songs have I realized how young he does actually sound. People are calling him a “little Ed Sheeran” and I agree that he does have a lot of potential. (Let’s hope he doesn’t turn out like Justin Bieber… Sorry, Beliebers.) His full album doesn’t get released until August of this year so I didn’t have much to go off of. After listening to “Life of the Party” for the millionth time, I was about to give up on him. After listening to “A Little Too Much,” I felt my heart break and immediately gained more respect for him. The content of his songs is genuine and tackles some emotional subject matter. I’m definitely looking forward to what the rest of the album has to offer.
{Carly Rae Jepsen | Kiss}
“Carly Rae Jepsen is so 2012,” is probably what you’re thinking right now. I know that she’s old news, but I feel like people still have a terrible impression of her. “Call Me Maybe” was one of the most annoying songs I’ve ever heard, I’ll admit, but her acoustic songs are amazing. The first album she ever released had mostly acoustic songs and her voice is so adorable. The weird synth-pop songs from her collection are what gets featured on the radio, and if she wants to do that I can’t stop her. But I do wish that she would do more of these slow and sweet songs. Don’t let Justin Bieber dissuade you, “Beautiful” is a lovely song and their voices actually compliment one another fairly well.
{Hozier | Hozier}
Alternative and indie music are two genres that are either a hit-or-miss for me. When I first started hearing “Take Me to Church” I wasn’t really sure what the song was about. Then, I looked up the lyrics and it turned out to be a super cool song. “Work Song” is just another example of the interesting lyrics that come from Hozier. In my opinion, most of the songs on his album follow the same progression and has that whole clapping thing going on in the background. Hozier has still got me a bit confused and I’m not entirely sure whether or not I like his music.
{Miley Cyrus | Bangerz}
After the world saw the new Miley in “We Can’t Stop” and then saw a bit too much of Miley in “Wrecking Ball,” there haven’t been many great opinions about her floating around. She’s migrated from her country roots into the dance-pop genre and no matter what she does in her spare time, her album isn’t bad. “Drive” has this fast-tempo background track but slow and edgy vocals. It may not by Hannah Montana, but it’s who Miley is now and, as she’s said many times, she doesn’t care if you like it or not.
{Sia | 1000 Forms of Fear}
In case you were wondering about why you can barely understand her sometimes, Sia is an Australian woman with quite a heavy accent. But she has this rich, deep, scratchy voice that isn’t really complimented by the style of music she produces. Although, I do have to say that “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart” are both great songs. She doesn’t hit as many high notes in “Eye of the Needle,” so you can appreciate the richness of her voice.
{Nick Jonas | Nick Jonas}
I love the falsetto high notes that Nick Jonas hits in “Jealous” but I understand that some people may become agitated after listening to it for a long time. For some reason, most of these pop artists only do acoustic songs when they collaborate, so that’s why there are so many collaborations featured. Demi Lovato may be stealing a bit of the thunder in “Avalanche” but it also shows what Nick can do.
And that’s all! Maybe I will do a second part to this list, but I feel that this post has gone on long enough.
There are certain artists that I didn’t include on this list for a variety of different reasons. For example, both Nikki Minaj and Iggy Azalea’s albums are too explicit to be featured on a youth blog and Taylor Swift has made a major crackdown on copyright infringement. I’m not judging any of these artists and I still believe that they are all talented people, in their own way, who deserve a lot more credit than people give them.
I don’t think human beings will ever stop judging a book by its cover, but unless you actually read the book your judgement should stop at the cover. Don’t go attacking people when you are not a trained musician in every genre and when you don’t know what that person is like beyond his/her music. And especially, don’t shun those who do like the music you don’t. Rant over!
(P.S. When I say “overrated”, I mean it in the most endearing way possible. Personally, I like most of these artists, but I still get annoyed sometimes when their songs are so overplayed.)