When the annual Spotify Wrapped popped up in my notifications, my results were unexpected, to say the least. It’s been a long 2020 full of drama, and my music taste has gone through a rollercoaster of twists and turns, for better or for worse.
Interestingly enough, my music taste in the beginning of the year somewhat mirrored what life was generally like at the time. We were all excited for what 2020 had to offer, and my playlist was filled with artists such as Swae Lee, The Kid LAROI, Major Lazer and other upbeat musicians.
As we all know, quarantine hit in the middle of March, and I found myself spiralling into an abyss of laziness — and what better music for this mood than lo-fi? ChilledCow’s “lofi beats to study/relax to” playlist really carried me through these early pandemic days.
In the latter half of the year, though, I began to mold my music taste into what it is today: a combination of pop, R&B and lo-fi to suit any occasion. Artists like Jeremy Zucker, Chelsea Cutler, keshi, 5 Seconds of Summer and Ruel eventually flooded my playlists.
Still, my favorite part of this journey was discovering a plethora of newer, underground artists. There’s truly something special about listening to a song for the first time, especially when I’ve just discovered the artist.
These new finds include The Band CAMINO’s album “tryhard” and other smaller artists like Boy in Space, SHY Martin, Nightly and Virginia to Vegas. These artists made perfect additions to my end-of-year playlist, rounding out a year of apt music taste evolution.
Now, there’s an entire year of music on the horizon to look forward to. My top two artists, Zucker and Cutler, have already announced their collaboration “brent ii,” a sequel to their previous EP “brent,” that is set to release early this year.
Cutler and Quinn XCII have also recently dropped their banger “Stay Next To Me,” and I’m looking forward to so many more collaborations between different artists. Jeremy Zucker and Alexander 23’s “Nothing’s the Same” further highlights the musical potential that 2021 holds for my music taste.
Of course, a new year often gives new artists an opportunity to capture my attention, and who knows when my new favorite artist will pop up in my recommendations?
What’s more exciting is the thought of in-person events returning to reality. Artists may finally be able to go on tour and perform in concerts and festivals, and there’s truly something special about a live performance in front of a live audience.
Having suffered through the worst of 2020, there is musically so much to look forward to in 2021. My taste is hungry for more tunes to digest, and I’m ready to savor the best this new year has to offer.
