By Tyler Kacalek
As of recent, lots and lots of mainstream music has been pushed out rapidly by many famous artists including people like Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Sabrina Carpenter and more.
But with these new releases into the music industry, it can be easy to become lost in the endless void of popular music that somehow all sounds the same. Mainstream music is becoming more and more popular and broad, but also losing tons of quality as it expands, to the point where it hurts to listen to it.
According to BHS student Joseph Zhang, “Everything that gets put out nowadays lacks meaning and purpose and people need to stop only listening to it and branch out more.” Mainstream music is falling off and becoming way too accepted, and it needs to be spoken about.
One main aspect about recent music being released is the concept of what these songs and albums are about, and how the artists deliver the music. Some of the music in our society today is so washed over by topics like fame and sex. Which glorifies and oversexualizes modern topics, eventually becoming mainstream and showcased to the public at a large scale, eventually polluting the minds of young listeners around the world.
The second way that mainstream music is decreasing in quality is that artists try to be way too original and unique, that they end up creating something terrible for the world to hear.
An example of this can be shown by Young Thug’s new album, “UY SCUTI” which showcases some of the worst lyricism to ever grace his catalog, shown in lines like “Whatever you want (huh) I buy her whatever she want (whoopty-doo) I buy her whatever she want (yeah, whoopty-doo) I fly her wherever she want (whoopty-doo).”
This album from Young Thug was very anticipated and even had people predicting that it would become album of the year for 2025. But this is just another example of how when artists try to be too unique or stylish, their music plummets in quality.
But how can we fix this problem of oversaturated, low quality mainstream music coming from almost every popular artist nowadays? The answer is simple. People need to resort to more traditional styles of music, whether it be jazz, rock, blues, classical, folk, or anything else.
These types of music contain structure and value that has been scientifically proven to have more benefits on people’s minds than modern pop or rap. Even today, we have seen a resurgence of people resorting to 80’s alternative rock, such as bands like Radiohead, Alice in Chains, Pink Floyd, and other bands that typically fly under the radar of the storm of modern garbage being released in recent times.
Listening to alternatives to modern rap and pop music can hugely change behavior in society, as people are constantly surrounded by people rapping and singing about sex, money, drugs and fame.
Another thing people need to understand is the power of the feeling of songs, and attributing them to scenarios in their life, or situations that they find themselves in.
For example, listening to calmer, slower music during a late night drive would fit much better and make that person feel more connected to their present moment than listening to something like slow classical music during a car chase. Music is a powerful tool and has been scientifically proven to alter one’s feelings, mood and emotions, so using it in the right ways is very important.
Music needs to be explored further past mainstream garbage, and people need to explore niche genres of music and use it to connect with their life better.
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