There is so much music out there to discover. With the recent rise in streaming sites such as Pandora Radio and Spotify, it has never been easier to get plugged into the new music that is put out on the market every single day. Although there is constantly new music that can be discovered, it seems as though there is the same sounding stuff put out time after time.

Music seems, to the radio user and streamer, that it has lost its heart and soul. Pop music takes over most radio stations and it, to me, feels like there is a disconnection with the lyrics and with something that has meaning. I’m not saying there is not a time and place for pop music. It’s catchy, is well publicized, and most people enjoy it. However, pop music is surface music. It only grabs people’s attention because it has a good beat. It’s party music and although there is nothing wrong with that, there needs to be more in our music. There needs to be more meaning. There needs to be more music that makes us cry because we are overcome with emotion.

For me, I try to listen to music that is, in my opinion, well rounded and has significant meaning to my life. My music speaks to me, every time I listen to it. It makes me feel strongly, one way or another. I have no issues with people who feel strongly from pop music. I believe the sole purpose of music is to say the words that are hard to say when we are speaking. Pop says some of the things we cannot say, but I feel that pop can only go so far, because it does not allow artists to fully express themselves. If you want to fully express yourself, artists must use some other type of musical genre to make themselves known. EDM has broken into the pop music scene and it has started to let artists become more diverse.

Diversity is everything. Donald Glover says, during one of his standup comedies, that we need more weird stuff. Weird music has its place in the musical spectrum because it lets artists show that they do not have to conform to the usual style of music. It lets the artist gain its heart and soul and really show who they are as a person. There are so many underrated and under-appreciated artists that only have a few fans because they break away from the norm. They have their own message to sing, but since they do not sing it in the same way as the artists on the radio, they do not get publicized as much. To anyone looking for new music and new artists, find something that inspires you and makes you feel the music in your soul. Then find artists similar to them and broaden your horizons. There is so much to find. Don’t limit yourself to what is on the radio. Discover for yourself and share it with others because we all have a message that we don’t have the words to say. You never know, someone else might know how.