by Sean Clark

As the hipster fad thrives at LGHS, the word “mainstream” has become synonymous with “inferior.” Our generation tries to be unique in any way possible, but music preference seems to be where most people try the hardest. It seems that many people think listening to underground music makes their taste in music superior.

However, people need to realize that music is art and there is no correct way to make art. There is no rulebook that says, “In order for a song to be good it has to include this, this, and this.” No one can decide whether a song, album, or artist is good or bad. Even though a portion of pop music includes inappropriate content and heavy autotuning effects, it is still music. There is a difference between having an opinion on a certain song, and labeling the song as bad.

It’s clear that many pop artists use autotune, and many people criticize them for this. People argue that using auto tune discredits a musician’s talent. However, autotune is nothing more than a modern tool that artists use to enhance their voices. Most artists, both non-pop and pop, use autotune to some degree, but pop musicians are the only musicians who are lambasted for it. Many of the biggest pop stars like Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and Katy Perry all have a natural talent for singing. If people took four minutes out of their day to watch a video of a live performance, they might see that. If they weren’t talented, they wouldn’t have been signed in the first place.

Songs that are about partying, drinking, etc. are also labeled as bad because they lack deep, emotional meaning. But who said that music has to have meaning? If a musician wants to write a song about what they did last Friday night, then so be it. Music is a way that people express themselves; they are not producing music to please everybody. If you don’t like what someone is singing about, turn it off before bashing it.

Listen to any kind of music that pleases you, whether that be an unsigned, underground band or an international pop star. Don’t listen to a musician because of how it makes you look or just because no one else knows about them. It doesn’t make you unique or quirky, because frankly, no one puts that much thought into what kind of music you listen to.