Opinion | Having a mixed music taste is amazing

There are many bands and artists within many different genres that I listen to. My music taste is a little weird, but that’s what I love about it. I will listen to bands like My Chemical Romance — my favorite alternative rock/emo band of all time — Lorna Shore, a deathcore band, U2, a classic rock band, and The Smashing Pumpkins, an alternative rock band. Then I will switch to country artists like Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers and Chris Stapleton. I know many fans of rock music may be country and folk music haters — but I am a lover. Having a mixed music taste easily makes someone more interesting. 

Sometimes, someone’s music taste may be a little unexpected. As mentioned earlier, I listen to Lorna Shore — a deathcore band from New Jersey — as well as Zach Bryan, a country artist from Oklahoma. When it comes to Lorna Shore, I genuinely don’t know what the singer is saying most of the time. If I showed my parents this band, they might think I’m crazy. With Zach Bryan, though, I know what he is saying. I enjoy both of these bands and artists and their genres equally. 

I feel as though many people who are fans of rock music despise country/folk music, but I love both. In general, there are many people that hate country music, but there are many aspects of the genre that are amazing to me. If someone says that they hate country music, I just don’t know if I can trust them. For example, some people say that it’s all talk about beer and farms — but it is so much more than that. Country artists and bands are incredibly connected to where they’re from and Southern culture. I find it really beautiful. 

Another good point is to not judge people for their music taste. There are so many bands and artists out there across lots of genres. It’s fun to discover more bands in one genre, but lately, I’ve been trying to discover bands in other genres.

I admit I listen to rock, alternative, indie and other similar genres more than I listen to country music. I enjoy all of the former genres a lot, and they all hold a special place in my heart, but I am starting to listen to more country and folk music though. I started listening to Josiah and the Bonnevilles, an artist from Tennessee, and Turnpike Troubadours, who are from Oklahoma. I also started listening to Caamp more, which is a folk band from Ohio. 

Aside from rock, country and folk, I also listen to some rap. I don’t listen to a lot of rappers specifically, other than Kid Cudi, who is from Cleveland, Mac Miller from Pittsburgh and Pitbull from Miami. 

Overall, if you love all kinds of music, it is a green flag. If you have a mixed music taste, you can fit in anywhere and within any group and enjoy any sort of music in any sort of situation. There are many people out there who will only specifically listen to one genre or its subgenres. There is nothing wrong with that, but if you listen to more kinds of music, you can gain a better understanding of the different genres out there. 

Having the ability to understand different genres is good, but it is also not a bad thing to only be super interested in one specific genre. If you understand and listen to a specific genre more than another, you have more knowledge and can spread the knowledge of that genre. All in all, though, you can meet many people in your life who have a similar music taste to you if you listen to a bunch of different artists and bands. I love meeting people who like the same artists and bands that I listen to — especially if they have a wide range of music taste. 

Have a mixed music taste? Want to recommend some bands/artists? You can email Irene at inm24@pitt.edu.