The Music of Generation Z
Aleesa Azim
What does Generation Z like to listen to among international artists? There’s no single answer to this. No two people have the exact same music taste, but if you ask a teenager what kind of music they like, you’ll definitely notice a few names that come up over and over again.
Firstly, rap and hip-hop. When Kanye West’s album ‘Donda’ came out this August, almost everyone dropped everything to listen to it (and it came out in the middle of our school day). That was reflected accurately on the charts the next week – the album debuted at number one. Other popular artists include Lil Nas X, Post Malone, and Juice Wrld. It’s not just men, though; female artists like Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj are currently dominating the rap game, as well as our Spotify streams.
Then there’s Doja Cat, but should she be include her in the hip-hop genre? Her music is a mixture of rap, hip hop, rhythm and blues, pop and more; but most importantly, it’s all catchy and mind-bendingly popular. Everything she’s released so far is pure gold, or rather – hot pink! Her albums ‘Planet Her’ and ‘Hot Pink’ were the sensations of the last couple of years, inspiring dozens of TikTok dances and other viral trends. Which introduces the question: do songs that go viral do well on TikTok, or does TikTok determine which songs go viral? A modern-day chicken and egg question. Few more of the local favourites from R&B and soul includes Chloe x Halle, H.E.R, Brent Faiyaz, Raveena Aurora, and The Weeknd.
More and more Gen Zs actually love the music of previous generations. Around the time the blockbuster movie Bohemian Rhapsody came out in late 2018, we noticed people starting to listen to rock icons like Queen, David Bowie and Joan Jett again. Music from The Beatles is still liked decades later, which made a comeback after the release of the movie Yesterday. There’s even been a trend of newer musicians borrowing sounds and aesthetics from the 80s. A perfect example is the Weeknd’s hit song Blinding Lights, and it’s just one of many. Pop-punk and alternative rock from the 2000s also surged in popularity a few years ago. Indie rock and alternative are also well-loved by certain crowds. My personal favorites from this genre are Rina Sawayama and Mitski. Mitski, in my opinion, has penned some of the most poignant lyrics I’ve ever heard.
As the name suggests, pop is popular. And when you think pop, Ariana Grande springs to mind first. There are many others, but none that do it quite as well as her, I believe. With her powerhouse vocals and the amazing visuals in each of her music videos, she (as Nicki Minaj famously raps in their song, Side to Side) truly does run pop. Taylor Swift, too, has written some generation-defining music. We’ve all grown up with her, and her songs can be the perfect soundtrack to teen drama and heartbreak. Olivia Rodrigo is a new notable pop artist who released her debut album ‘Sour’ earlier this year, and it was instantly popular. She might just be the Taylor Swift of the next generation. We’ll have to see.
I don’t think this blog would be complete without it, so last but definitely not least: Kpop. It’s arguably one of the most popular genres right now, along with hip hop. The word Kpop is something of a misnomer, as it’s basically used to refer to all genres of music by Korean artists. There’s pop, explosive rap, rock, and more. Despite the fact that it’s not in English, it’s nearly universally popular among young adults and teenagers all over the globe. If you’ve been keeping up with music at all these past few years, you’ve definitely heard of BTS. They have legions of fans and have been breaking streaming record after record with their music – and for good reason. BTS’s discography is incredibly versatile and highlights just why Korean musicians shouldn’t all be shoehorned into the Kpop genre.
Not everyone loves Kpop, however. While some of it is a matter of taste, it’s also that they’re just… different; a different nationality, singing songs in a different language. People also tend to automatically think that having a young female fan base means that they must be no good, and write them off as “just another boy band.” They are of course wrong. They’re breaking boundaries just by doing what they do, and they do it well. One of the defining features of our generation is the fact that we grew up with the internet and social media. BTS’s popularity highlights the fact that the presence of the internet, and global streaming services like YouTube and Spotify have completely broken down barriers of the world of music. Apart from BTS, some popular K-artists include TXT, Day6, IU and Twice.
Our musical world may be expanding, but there’s of course a lot of talent at home. Thanks to Dhaka Sessions powered by bKash, we’re getting to know many of them, such as Embers in Snow, Pragata Naoha, and so many others. We’ve all grown up listening to artists like Habib, Topu, Fuad, Anila, Nemesis, Arbovirus, and Shunno on the radio (to name a few), and somehow unconsciously have each song memorized word for word. There’s also a trend of older folk songs getting modern remixes and going viral. The soundtracks of Bengali and Hindi movies are always instantly popular. More on those later…
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