Do you happen to have a playlist called “2010s bangers” or something similar that serves as an ode to music past? This is likely because the music that played on the radio when we were younger was much more appealing than today’s music, and created a connection of culture among many age groups.
Pop music was big in the 2010s, but that didn’t necessarily mean that all music was happy and upbeat. Many songs on the radio were simultaneously heartbreaking, filled with emotion and passion, while being exciting. Some examples of artists which demonstrate this duality include The Script, Coldplay and even Katy Perry at times.
Along with the radio, clubbing in the 2010s was popular too. It pushed artists like Pitbull, Enrique Iglesias and Neyo to create fast, bright, hype music. Today, music lacks this passion – or rather, popular artists seem to push out songs for the sake of going viral, or just money in general. In opposition to this, Gotye, known for his track, “Somebody I Used to Know” featuring Kimbra, actually made little profit. This was due to his decisions to not monetize the music video on Youtube and his priority in making sure to properly split the proceeds with Kimbra and the artists he had sampled to create the song. He had a passion for creating music, not making money. Gotye has seemingly disappeared off of music production since then, but the truth is, he never wanted to go viral- and now continues to make music in a smaller, lesser known band instead.
Nowadays, it’s easy to find music through social media like Tiktok, as different creators post using viral clips from different songs. Oftentimes, the songs that social media influencers post to can earn them money for using them in a post. Recently, Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” has become increasingly popular among the app through this feature. Similarly, rising music artists such as Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, Addison Rae and sombr can all thank social media in part for their popularity. Actually, sombr openly admits to his usage of social media to promote his music. Many people, including me, find themselves questioning the logistics of the lyrics sung by many popular artists. This is really due to their use of lyricism in hopes to blow up as a transition or Tiktok viral song, rather than just being from the soul. At times, people online speculate on how songs like “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey and “Mystical Magical” by Benson Boone are able to keep their high rankings on the charts and queue on the radio while also being considered some of the worst songs of the year.
Through a rise in social media attention, the radio and the music that often came with it, has died out in usage among younger generations, as streaming music has become a more favorable way to listen. It allows users to curate music they want to listen to, not just any lackluster song that somehow made its way onto the radio. The radio music back then created connections between all sorts of people, and continues to today. There’s a reason why your “2000-2010s bangers” playlist manages to play every time you hang out with friends. Everyone knows and loves the songs, and it reminds you of the good times. The times when you were young and carefree. The times when the music that played made you actually feel something, made you feel like you were capable of anything. 2000-2010s music, across all genres, had us singing our hearts out at the ripe age of 5 in our car seats, and still leaves us doing it to this day.
