As 2024 enters into full swing, students are looking forward to the year ahead, but one thing many people look back on is the music they listened to over the year and many people look forward to sharing that music with others.
Freshman Iris Cox has been listening to Nirvana a lot over the past year. She said she liked the lyrics, and the fact that it’s good rock music. “It’s a classic and I feel like people should listen to music that was around back then more.”
Nirvana has been publishing music since the late 1980s, harsh guitar and gruff vocals a hallmark of their style ever since. Though the band has since disbanded, their music still inspires the modern genre of grunge and punk rock.
Sophomore Jayden Southerland recommended Evanescence, specifically the 2003 album Fallen. “They have an ethereal sound that’s different from a lot of music,” Southerland said. “There’s nothing else like it.” Southerland also said she loves the voice of Amy Lee, the band’s lead vocalist.
Evanescence has been a front runner of the Nu Metal Genre (a genre that combines elements of metal with elements of grunge, industrial, and even hip-hop) since 2000, with distorted vocals and smooth synths paired with energetic guitar riffs.
Senior Paris Nguyen recommends an artist named Sir Chloe. “She introduces rock into indie music well, and makes a more energetic beat than traditional indie,” Nguyen says. She also says “I like that when I sing along with it, I feel like a rockstar because of the bass and drums.”
Sir Chloe has only been producing music since 2020, but has already made a name in the indie music scene. Her soft, emotional lyrics and upbeat guitar build a solid blend of rock and alternative.
Junior Nicholas Lau recommends artist Metro Boomin. Lau says “It’s comfort music to me, with a good rhythm. It gets you in the feels, and it’s really catchy.”
Metro Boomin began publishing music in 2013 and has evolved into a hip-hop/rap artist with a unique orchestral style. Although he was popular beforehand, he gained a lot of fame from making music for the soundtrack of Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and its sequel.
Finally, senior Brock Gowens said he enjoys listening to artist Kendrick Lamar. “I think a lot of his songs have interesting messages, and there are songs that evoke a lot of emotion,” Gowens said. “I like his rhythm and the way he keeps the beat.”
Although Lamar began publishing in the early 2000s, he has gone through many stylistic changes since then. He currently is a big name in the rap genre. His rhyming skills and sense of rhythm place him in a prominent position in the community.
2024 shows to be a promising year for music, with many popular artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Mitski, among others, going on tour, and new music lined up to be released.
