It’s been awhile since I’ve shared what I’m listening to these days, for which there are many excuses…mainly that I’ve been procrastinating. I have to admit that I’m slightly embarrassed by the music choices I’ve made recently because in the past I’ve judged others for listening to the same music.
I’ve been listening to pop…a lot. Honestly it’s all I listen to when I’m in the car. The likes of Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, and DJ Khaled to name a few have been blasting through my speakers for awhile. Oh god…I can feel the judging glare of my past self as I write this. It’s true though. I listen to pop music and I really enjoy it. The music I catch on the radio and the songs I have saved on Spotify is not what I call, “great music.” It’s catchy, the chorus is easy to follow, and the beat is, usually, pretty good. The songs aren’t unique or new in any way, except maybe the lyrics, but most pop songs use the same chords in different patterns. I listen to pop music when I don’t want to think. Like when you put on a movie that is fluffy and shallow because you don’t want to have to use your brain, you want to be entertained and enjoy yourself. I listen to JBiebs (Justin Bieber) and other artists like him when I don’t want to think, I just want to enjoy it.
When I was in middle school I would listen to the local pop radio station, 107.5 Kiss FM, because my friends did. I would get so annoyed that the same songs would play over and over again, and they weren’t even that good! As I got older I stopped listening to the radio, and proudly stated that fact to anyone who would listen, and began to listening to mix cds because I thought I was so cool. I have to give thanks to one of my best friends growing up who would give me mix cds every Christmas. That’s how I learned about Iron & Wine, The Avett Brothers, M. Ward and everyone else that influenced my musical taste. When I was in high school I would say, “I had the worst taste in music when I was younger,” when really my taste shifted and with that came a lot of judgement towards what I used to listen to, i.e. pop radio. That judgement was also pointed at people who still listened to pop radio. So as I went through high school it was really hard for me to admit that, although I loved this new folky movement that I had found, I still jammed to TSwift, and other people like her, on occasion.
Everyone has music that they call their “guilty pleasure.” I had a lot of those…and I admitted it with a lot of attitude. Attitude that said, “go ahead and judge me because you can’t judge me harder than I’m judging myself”…so unnecessary. I’m happy, and slightly scared to announce that today I don’t have guilty pleasures. I listen to whatever strikes my fancy and right now it’s pop radio.
There’s a reason that the genre is called Pop. The songs are specifically designed to be popular, that’s why they all sound similar, (there have been plenty of times when a song begins and I have no idea which one it is because they all sound the same). They are using the same equation that thousands of artists have used for the past 20 years or so. I’m talking mostly about pop that started in the 90’s and early 00’s, which has now morphed into the pop that plays today. What I’m listening to today is a mixture of singles released by pop musicians.
I’ve been following Shawn Mendes, who’s a young man from Canada. He does the basic love songs that every teeny-bopper goes nuts for (me included). One of my jams currently is There’s Nothing Holding Me Back, cause I’m a sucker for sweet romance songs. I’ve also been listening to Justin Bieber a lot. Honestly since his album Purpose came out in 2015 I’ve been listening to him a lot. That album is actually really good and he’s created some really fun stuff to listen to. I could go through and list every artist I’m into right now, but that’s kinda boring…so I’ll list it later in this post…heehee.
I’m really into this pop shit guys, and I really really like dancing to it. That’s the main reason why I’m so into it. I love dancing to really good beats and lyrics that I don’t really care about. This past summer while I was working at Camp Unalayee, I was the DJ for the staff dance party near the end of staff training. It was probably one of the best playlists that I’ve ever made, and probably one of the best dance parties I’ve ever attended. I can’t take all the credit as I got suggestions/requests from a lot of my co-workers which helped flesh out the collection. I had a little bit of everything; lots of pop, funk, rock, and even disco! I don’t think it’s a successful dance party until at least more than ten people have jumped up from their seat and yelled, “That’s my jam!”
Pop music is great. If you don’t agree that’s ok, you do you. Although I would have judged others at one time, I’m determined to put a stop to it. It’s not my place to say what you should or shouldn’t enjoy. Of course I can give you strong suggestions to listen to songs that I love, but if you don’t like them no harm no foul. Go forth and listen to all your guilty pleasures and share them with people who have given their consent. And tell the people who are judging you to fuck off. I’m sure they’ve got some of their own musical genres in their closet.
I leave you with a picture of my high school self silently judging your music choices. You can practice telling people to fuck off with her. 
Here are some of my top singles at the moment:
Shawn Mendes – There’s Nothing Holding Me Back, Stitches, and Treat You Better
Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry
Justin Bieber – Friends, Sorry – My friends learned the dance in this music video because they’re awesome
Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman, Honeymoon Avenue
Cheat Codes & Demi Lovato – No Promises
Autumn Micketti 
Love it!