It’s a sunny summer day in July and a famous singer just came out with her new song. For a while, it’s OK — the lyrics are basic, but it does not sound too horrible.
The radio plays this song over and over again. It starts to drive you crazy — you can’t hear another word to the most ridiculous breakup song of the summer, so you turn off the radio.
Artists like Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo make millions of dollars by releasing mediocre songs. They play on the vulnerable emotions of their audience: teenage girls.
Swift has produced more than 200 songs with about 30% of them being break up songs. This may not seem like a lot, but that is 60 plus songs just about breakups.
Rodrigo has only produced breakup songs with few to no exceptions. She has made a whole career on one break up that happened years ago.
Rodrigo’s songs “Driver’s License,” “Vampire” and “Good 4 U” were all number-one songs for weeks. They are all about a breakup. If you asked me to place one of her songs in an album she has written, I would not know where to start. Breakup songs are just one cliché that artists use in their music.
Then there’s the issue of artists like Eminem: the main subject of their songs disrespects women.
In multiple songs, Eminem’s lyrics have been controversial because they include “every last woman on Earth I’ll kill off,” “I’ll punch Lana Del Rey right in the face twice,” and “you think I won’t choke no girl/’Til the vocal cords don’t work in her throat no more?!”
Phrases like these hurt women in society by degrading them.
People idolize these second-rate songs while small artists with unique ideas are overlooked. I personally know people who have Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus on repeat.
Instead of listening to the same singer for hours, try looking into smaller artists with a similar style of your interests.
If you are interested in pop music try listening to Zoe Clark, Emlyn, Kaylee Federmann, Andi or Emmy. These are all female artists who create pop-style songs in a unique way. While they all write about breakups, they take a different approach than you normally hear.
If you listen to more alternative music and softer songs, try Alec Benjamin, ASTN, Keegan Allen, Jace June or Beenson Boone. These are male artists who share their emotions in a softer way. An alternative to offensive rappers like Eminem is the artist Paul Russell.
Also, don’t forget about the oldies — music throughout history has been similar. Try listening to John Mellencamp, Freddie Mercury, Bruce Springsteen, Journey or Styx.
Although mainstream artists can have music you like, don’t forget to listen to other musicians as well. Just because the song you are listening to is catchy and popular does not mean it is produced in a unique way.
Many artists do not even write their own music; instead, they have writers they pay for with the money they make from their audience.
Instead of playing into the multi-million dollar-scheme of mainstream music, try the alternative of unique artists.
