Get ready to drop the bass Penn State! This week I will be exploring the genre of Electronic Dance Music while focusing on the DJ Avicii!

Electronic Dance Music, also referred to as EDM or just Dance music, is music produced for use in a nightclub setting. According to EDMmusicjunkies.com, electronic dance music is a set of percussive music genres that stem from disco, techno, trance, and house music. These types of music became popular in the 1980s during the nightclub and warehouse party scenes. As the disco genre began to fade, electronic music began to become main stream in the mid-1990s. The term “electronic dance music” was first used in American in 1985, but peaked in the late 2000s when EDM was now considered a common music genre.

Now that EDM is becoming a recognized genre, award ceremonies began to make new categories to accommodate EDM artists. In 2005, the Grammy Awards added a ‘Best Electronic/Dance Album category, with some of the winners being Lady Gaga, La Roux, Skrillex, and Daft Punk. In 2012, the American Music Awards added a ‘Favorite Electronic Dance Music Artist’ category, which David Guetta won. EDM is also being popularized by music festivals and raves. Some of the EDM centered music festivals include Electric Daisy Carnival, Ultra Music Festival, Electric Forest Festival, Lollapolooza, and Coachella. Rawley Bornstein, an MTV talent and music programmer, has described electronic dance music as “… the new rock and roll.”

The electronic dance music disc jockey that I will be focusing on is Avicii. Avicii, or Tim Bergling, was born in 1989 in Stockholm, Sweden. Avicii only began to create music when he was 18. He would write and remix songs in his bedroom and then put them on music blogs to get noticed. Avicii looked up to EDM artists such as Daft Punk and Steve Angello before being recognized and supported by the artist Tiësto. Tiësto even invited Avicii to perform a weekly residence at Privelege in Ibiza. Avicii then started to remix tracks for Little Boots, Robyn, and Dizzee Rascal. His first mainstream instrumental track that he released, “Seek Bromance” became a huge hit in Europe and the United Kingdom. In 2012, he released a song titled “2 Million” after he reached 2 million followers on his Facebook page. One of Avicii’s more famous singles, “Levels,” was also released in 2012. “Levels” was nominated at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, and also at the 2013 Grammy Awards for Best Dance Recording.

Avicii continues his musical success with his famous top hits, such as “Wake Me Up” and “Hey Brother.” He released his most recent album, “True: Avicii by Avicii” in September of 2013. This album has remixed versions of songs from his album “Levels,” with the tracks having a more dance club atmosphere to them. If you would like to check out some of Avicii’s music and listen to his amazing talent, check out his YouTube page! http://www.youtube.com/user/AviciiOfficialVEVO

It is sad to say, but this is my last passion blog post! This blogging experience was great, I think I’ve grown as a writer, and gained new knowledge about many music artists and their incredible talent. I loved writing about music and will continue being passionate about music every single day of my life!

Sources:
http://edmmusicjunkies.com/?page_id=31
http://www.billboard.com/artist/280336/avicii/biography

¡Prepárate para bailar Penn State! Prepare to dance Penn State, because this week’s music genre is Latino pop!

Latino pop music started to become popular in the United States during the 1980’s-1990’s. Music that was centered in the Texas and Mexico/United States border region, known as Tejano music, started to become popular with the introduction of synthesizers into the music, which gave the music a more urban feel. In the 1980’s, Latin clubs were starting to open in New York City and Miami. According to AllMusic.com, this led to the rise of the Latin Freestyle, which was club-oriented dance music that had its roots in Latin music. The first major crossover star of Latin pop music was Gloria Estefan, who was popular in the mid- to late 1980’s. The blend of Latinized pop music began to mix with contemporary ballads to create the sound of Latino pop in the 1990’s. Many of these Latino artists sang their songs in English, but sang in Spanish to their Latino audiences. Many artists today have a fair mix of Spanish and English in their songs. There was a Latino Pop ‘explosion’ in 1999 thanks to the famous artists Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin.

One of the Latino pop artists that I want to focus on is Enrique Iglesias. Enrique was born in 1975 in Madrid, Spain, and later moved to Miami, Florida for security reasons. His father, Julio Iglesias, is a famous Spanish singer who was on tour for most of Enrique’s childhood. Enrique dropped out of college after one year to pursue a music career. Instead of using his famous father as a claim to fame, he began sending cassette tapes to record companies under a false name to show his hard work and dedication. This paid off because he was offered a record deal in 1995, and released his first album shortly after.

This album was a huge success for Iglesias. The album sold over six million copies worldwide, and went gold in Portugal in just one week. This album brought him many awards, including Billboard’s “Artist of the Year,” “Album of the Year,” a pair of American Music Awards, and a 1996 Grammy Award for best Latin performer. His next album, titled Vivir (to live) was just as successful, registering five million in sales and it launched his first world tour! Enrique’s career continued to be great with the release of several more albums. By 2012, Enrique Iglesias had sold over forty million albums worldwide. Some of the songs that Iglesias is most known for are “Bailando,” “Tonight,” “Hero,” “I Like It,” and “Do You Know.” He also collaborates with other Latin artists such as Pitbull, Romeo Santos, and Jennifer Lopez to improve his music.

Enrique Iglesias had created an empire for himself thanks to his hard work. Billboard has even called him “The King of Dance” and “The King of Latin Pop.” Enrique continues to create music, with his most recent album “Sex and Love” being released in May of 2014. Check out Enrique Iglesias’ YouTube channel if you want to listen to his music! http://www.youtube.com/user/EnriqueIglesiasVEVO

Sources:
http://www.biography.com/people/enrique-iglesias
http://www.allmusic.com/subgenre/latin-pop-ma0000004461

Clap your hands together Penn State and make your way down to church! This week’s genre will be Christian/Gospel music, and the artist will be Steven Curtis Chapman.

Christian music has evolved over the past 40 years. Pianos and Pipe organs have been replaced by drums and electric guitars. The hymnals and psalms have been traded for more meaningful lyrics that speak of today’s religion. Christian music can be sang in any genre, such as rock, rap, metal, country, and pop, so it appeals to everyone, regardless of their music tastes. In the 1970’s, there was a “Jesus Movement,” when Christian music started to become an industry. Larry Norman is considered to be the ‘father of Christian rock’ when he started his career in the 1960’s. Another famous Christian musician is Marsha Stevens, who is considered to be the ‘mother of contemporary Christian music. By the 1980’s, rock and metal groups were starting to find their niche in Christian music. Christian music continued to grow and explore more genres throughout the 1990’s and 2000’s. Today, it is popular with many genres and played on radio stations throughout the country.

The artist that I want to focus on this week is Steven Curtis Chapman. He is a very successful Christian musician who has sold over 10 million recordings, won 5 Grammys, 56 Dove Awards, an American Music Award, and the list goes on. Chapman has released 18 albums, his most recent being “The Glorious Unfolding,” released in September of 2013. Most of Chapman’s latest songs have been about a terrible tragedy that happened in 2008. In a horrible accident, Chapman’s son Will, 18 at the time, accidently hit his little sister with his car while in their driveway. Maria, who was one of the Chapman’s adopted daughters, was only 5 years old when she died. This had a tremendous impact on his family and his music; he frequently writes songs about heaven and keeping faith nowadays.

Although I do not regularly listen to Christian music, one of Chapman’s songs has stuck with me over the past 6 years. I was very involved with my church’s youth group all of high school, and we occasionally would listen to songs that pertained to a lesson we were learning about that night. But in 8th grade, one song really stuck out to me. The song “Dive” by Chapman was the theme song for our confirmation, and they played it at every meeting and practice for confirmation. This was a very special time in my faith, so the song reminds me of a defining moment in my religion.

Even though Chapman has been through many hardships, he continues to have faith and help people all over the world through his music. Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, have used this tragedy to open a nonprofit ministry called “Maria’s Big House of Hope” to help other families going through similar situations.

Here is a link if you would like to check out Steven Curtis Chapman’s music! http://www.youtube.com/user/SCChapmanVEVO

Sources:
http://christianmusic.about.com/od/trivia/a/ccmhistory.htm
http://christianmusic.about.com/od/alprofiles/p/prscc.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Entertainment/steven-curtis-chapman-healing-death-daughter-album/story?id=9329578

Hey Oh Penn State, this week’s music genre will be alternative, and the featured artist will be the Red Hot Chili Peppers!
Alternative music is pretty much a name given to rock music that doesn’t fit into a sub-genre. The term “alternative music” was first used in 1979 by music journalist Terry Tolkin. Starting in the 1980’s, it was being referred to as “college rock” or “new music.” Alternative rock was born out of underground punk rock in the 1980’s. The genre can be described “… as music that rejected the commercialism of popular tracks,” so there’s no defined style of alternative music. It has sounds that vary from dirty grunge, to gothic rock, to pop. Most of these songs had lyrics pertaining to depression, drug abuse, and even saving the planet.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers or RHCP for short, first got started in 1977. The main members of the band are Anthony Kiedis on vocals, Michael Balzary (also known as Flea) on bass, John Frusciante on guitar, and Chad Smith on drums. They are considered to be one of the “most popular and inventive groups of modern time.” They have sold over 60 million albums all around the world, and 5 of those albums are multiplatinum in the United States. They say that their music reflects Southern California living, from hard-partying skateboarders to those wanting uplifting grooves to listen to. One music critic summarized their music lyrics as “sex, good times, rock and roll, and more sex.”
The RHCP created two albums that were said to define the 1990’s; Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and Californication. I grew up listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers because my older brother really liked them. I can still remember waking up early on summer mornings to watch music videos on MTV (yes, they actually played music videos on the Music Television at one point in time). I vividly remember seeing the “Californication” music video every day because the song was so popular. I was only 5 or 6, but my brother liked the song so I had to like it too! I can picture parts of the music video to this day, with images of the members in a video game, to the guys swimming in the ocean with sharks. It will always be one of my favorite songs.
The RHCP also had countless other hits, one of my other favorites being Dani California. This song was on the album Stadium Arcadium, released in 2006. This song was made popular by the video game “Rock Band,” where players use instruments connected to the game console to play along with the songs.
Although the Red Hot Chili Peppers were mostly famous in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, they continue to be a part of the pop culture today. They released their latest album in 2011, titled I’m With You. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 27th annual induction ceremony in April of 2012. They even had a short performance at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. If you want to check out their music, here is the link!! https://www.youtube.com/user/RHCPtv

Sources:
http://rockmusic.mu/alternative-rock-music.html
http://music.answers.com/history/alternative-music-history
https://rockhall.com/inductees/red-hot-chili-peppers/bio/
http://redhotchilipeppersweb.yaia.com/biography.html

Get ready to harmonize Penn State, because Boyz II Men will be the featured artist this week for R&B music.

Rhythm and Blues, or R&B for short, was a term coined in the 1940’s by Billboard Magazine. When R&B first started, it was mainly African American urban sound that evolved from jazz and blues. It started to become more popular in the late 1940’s because it was very easy to dance to. The R&B songs were mainly about everyday life: sex, work, and drinking. The first R&B songs were considered very risqué and raunchy for the time period. R&B developed into a mix of many different styles of music throughout the late 20th century. By the 1950’s, R&B started to define the sound of Rock and Roll music, by the 60’s it included soul music, and by the 80’s, Rhythm and Blues music started to include disco, funk, and pop music. By the start of the 21st century, R&B was mixing vocal harmonies, Neo-Soul, and hip-hop to create some beautiful rhythm and blues music. Many famous artists are given credit to the popularization of R&B, including Mariah Carey, Bell Biv DeVoe, TLC, The Temptations, and my personal favorite, Boyz II Men.

Boyz II Men, a group started in 1988 at a Philadelphia Performing Arts High School, is an icon of the R&B music genre. The five original members were Nathan Morris, Marc Nelson, Shawn Stockman, Wanya Morris, and Michael McCary. They got their big break in 1989 in a very interesting way. The actually snuck backstage at a Bell Biv DeVoe concert, where they sang an a cappella song to Michaels Bivins of the group. He thought that they were great and offered them a deal right on the spot! Unfortunately, due to conflicts, Boyz II Men lost Marc Nelson very early into their career.

They started their career by releasing their first single “Mowtownphilly” in 1991. This single was in the Top Five Pop hits and number 1 for R&B hits, and was on the way to platinum sales. The album that this song was from, “Cooleyhighharmony,” won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a group. They continued recording and came out with the famous single “End of the Road” in 1993. This song became one of the biggest hits in R&B history, breaking Elvis’ record of holding the number one spot on the pop charts, landing the spot for 13 weeks. In 1994, Boyz II Men released their next album, “II,” which features one of my favorite songs by them. “I’ll Make Love to You,” which was number one on the charts for 14 weeks, is one of the best songs by Boyz II Men. The harmonies in the song are perfect; there is a very sensual and warm tone to the song that just makes you feel good. Definitely check this song out if you’ve never heard it!

Over the years, Boyz II Men have grown as a group and in their music. Wanya Morris said “The name Boyz II Men simply means growth, we’re always going to be striving to reach the perfection of being a man…” Boyz II Men have been such an icon of R&B music, and their music is going to be played for many more years to come! Listen to their music if you’ve never heard them! http://www.youtube.com/user/BoyzIIMenVEVO

Sources:
http://genresmusic.com/history-of-rb.html
http://www.npr.org/2011/11/21/142594617/after-20-years-no-end-of-the-road-for-boyz-ii-men
http://www.mtv.com/artists/boyz-ii-men/biography/

Rock on Penn State! This week’s genre will be Rock & Roll, and the featured band will be a classic, The Beatles!

Rock & Roll appeared in the early 1950’s when a Cleveland disc jockey, Alan Freed, starting mixing blues, jazz, gospel, R&B, and country to create a new rhythm. The electric guitar, which came out in the 1950’s, was another key component of the genre. Rock & Roll had its first number one hit with the song “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley. Black R&B artists, such as Little Richard and Chuck Barry, also started to make their debuts. Oh and how could I forget about the famous Elvis Presley? In April of 1956, his first hit “Heartbreak Hotel,” topped the popular charts at number one! By the end of the year, Elvis was the first artist to have nine singles on the Hot 100 list at one time! By 1959, Rock & Roll records accounted for 43% of all records sold for that year.
Rock music continued to evolve throughout the years. In the 1960’s, television shows tried to attract a younger audience by having Rock artists perform on their shows. In the late sixties, the outdoor Rock & Roll music festivals started. It started in 1967 with the Monterey Pop Festival and evolved into Woodstock in 1969. Woodstock was a three day festival that was held in New York, and attracted over 500,000 people.

Rock music started to change in the 1980’s with new music technology and television. Rock & Roll started to have many sub genres, including punk rock, alternative rock, hard/soft rock, and even Christian rock music. The music that is considered Rock music today is nothing like the Rock music of the early fifties.

If you have never heard of The Beatles before reading this blog post, then you may live under a rock (no pun intended). The Beatles were, and still are, one of the most influential bands of the 20th century. They changed the genre of Rock & Roll, and the music industry, forever. I can guarantee that your grandchildren’s grandchildren will still be listening to The Beatles. The original members of The Beatles were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They got their start in the early sixties in the United Kingdom. It wasn’t until 1963 when their song “I Want To Hold Your Hand” became a number one hit in the United States that Americans took notice of the band.

But, not everything was perfect with the band. They had their ups and downs, but they continued to create hit after hit and the fans loved it. According to Rolling Stone Magazine, their most famous album was “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” released in 1967. It spent 15 weeks at the number one spot on the charts in the United States, and won four Grammy Awards.

The music industry would not be the same today without the great influence of The Beatles. So, if you have never heard a Beatles song, please go listen to them right now! You will not be disappointed!  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2XdaAVUannpujzv32jcouQ

Sources:
http://www.rockmusictimeline.com/
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/rolling-stone-readers-pick-the-top-10-beatles-albums-20110223
http://www.beatles-tribute-band-uk.co.uk/history.htm

Hey mon, this week we’re taking a trip to Jamaica to learn about the most influential man in the genre of reggae: Bob Marley!
The term “reggae” was coined around 1960 in Jamaica to describe the “ragged style of dance music.” Reggae acquired the syncopated beat and chanting styles, while also being influenced by African drumming and New Orleans rhythm and blues. Although the term was originally created in Jamaica, the style really has no Jamaican influence; most of it comes from the United States and Africa. Reggae is basically the opposite of Rock n’ Roll because it inverts the role of bass and guitar.
Many of the early reggae artists of the 1970’s incorporated their religion, Rastafarianism, into their music. This religion is very common among Jamaican people who are of African descent. The traditions and beliefs of the Rastafarians can be heard in many reggae songs. One of the main themes of these songs is the use of marijuana. In Rastafarianism, marijuana is used as a sacrament to bring a person closer to God and open their mind to receive his testimonies. Unfortunately, many teenagers throughout the decades have used this music as an excuse to smoke marijuana without knowing the true reason it is in these songs.

One of the most famous artists, whose name is synonymous with reggae music, is Robert Nesta Marley. Bob Marley was born in 1945 in Jamaica, and grew up being teased about his mixed heritage. His father was white, but he was not in Marley’s life. He supported the family financially, but later died when Bob was only 10 years old. With Marley’s hardships, he dropped out of high school and began pursuing a career in music. He joined his friend, known as Bunny Wailer, and one other man to create a band named “The Wailers.” In 1973, The Wailers were signed to Chris Blackwell’s Island label, and released two albums. Bob Marley became an icon of the international music scene after Eric Clapton recorded a cover of one of Marley’s most famous songs, “I Shot the Sheriff.”
Marley became famous in the United States in 1976, when “Rastaman Vibrations” was number eight on the Billboard top 200 chart. During the same year, there was a lot of political turmoil going on in Jamaica, so Marley decided to get involved. Unfortunately, he and his wife were injured in a night-time gun raid, but escaped with minor wounds. He left Jamaica for safety issues and started recording two new albums. One of his new albums, “Exodus,” was named the “best album of the 20th century” by Time Magazine. While his musical career was growing with success, Marley was suffering from a malignant form of cancer. Unfortunately, Bob Marley passed away in February of 1981at the age of 36. Bob Marley’s music is still very popular today, and you can’t walk into a music store without seeing a few iconic photos of Bob Marley on posters.

Sources:
http://www.scaruffi.com/history/reggae.html
http://worldmusic.about.com/od/genres/p/Reggae.htm
http://listverse.com/2012/01/10/top-10-greatest-reggae-singers/

Giddy up cowboys and cowgirls, this week’s featured genre will be country! The artist that I want to focus on is one of my favorite country artists, Florida Georgia Line!

Country music can be traced back to pieces of traditional folk music from England and the recordings of Southern Appalachian fiddle players in the late 1910’s. It wasn’t until 1922, when Eck Robertson recorded the first commercial country song, that country music became recognized as a genre. Country music began to become more prevalent throughout the 20th century, and hit its popularity in the 1960’s and 70’s in Nashville, Tennessee. This movement, called the Nashville Sound, “polished up” the honky-tonk sound of country music by blending it with jazz, swing, and some storytelling. In 1989, many country superstars had country hits that altered the direction of country music, making country seem youthful and ready to become even more popular in the 21st century. Some of the famous artist of ’89 included Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, and Dwight Yoakam.

One of my favorite country artists right now is Florida Georgia Line. I have every single one of their songs on my phone and I listen to them pretty much every day! They are a fairly new band; they got their debut in 2012 when they released the summer favorite “Cruise.” Florida Georgia Line, or FGL for short, is comprised of two members: Tyler Hubbard, from Monroe, Georgia, and Brian Kelley, from Ormond Beach, Florida (hence the name Florida Georgia Line). The two met while they were students at Belmont University in Nashville, and began writing songs together between classes. After the two released an EP titled “Anything Like Me” in December of 2010, they signed a deal with Big Loud Mountain and began creating their first album!

FGL’s first album, titled “Here’s to the Good Times,” reached number one on the country albums chart in the summer of 2013, and was the sixth best-selling album of 2013. This album is not your typical honky-tonk-talking-about-horses-heavy-country-accent country album. FGL still sounds country, but has a youthful, pop-y sound to their songs. They sing about girls, dates, drinking, and their everyday life. I would have to say that my favorite song on this album, and in general by FGL, is called “Stay.” It’s somewhat of an emotional song, about a guy telling his girlfriend that he loves her so she won’t leave him. I just love the lyrics and the atmosphere that the song portrays. Other great songs from this album include “Get Your Shine On,” “Round Here,” and “Tip it Back.”
They released a deluxe version of the album in late 2013 calling it “Here’s to the Good Times… This is How We Roll.” This album has one of my favorite songs on it, called “This is How We Roll” with Luke Bryan featured on the track!
FGL is currently working on their latest album, titled “Anything Goes,” which is expected to be released in less than a month. They released a single from this album, “Dirt,” which was a hit this summer. FGL is a great band to listen to if you’re not a huge country fan, but still looking to hear upbeat music! Check out their YouTube page to listen to some of their songs! http://www.youtube.com/user/FlaGeorgiaLineVEVO

Sources:
http://www.cmt.com/artists/florida-georgia-line/
http://countrymusic.about.com/od/trivia/tp/HistoryofCountryMusic.htm

Hello! This week I will be exploring the genre of rap music, and the featured artist will be Drake! Drake is not only one of my favorite rappers, but also my favorite artist; I listen to him almost every day!

The technical definition of rap is: “a vocal style in which the artist speaks lyrically, in rhyme and verse, generally to an instrumental or synthesized beat.” The beginnings of rap and hip-hop music can be traced back to West African griots, who were groups of traveling singers and poets with oral styles similar to present day rappers. Rap music made its debut in the United States around the 1970’s in the South Bronx and New York City areas. African American and Puerto Rican cultures mixed in these areas, and DJs started to isolate the percussion breaks in songs so people could use the beat to start their raps. Rap and hip-hop became more popular as the disco era was coming to age. Since many of the residents of the poor neighborhoods in New York City could not afford to go to fancy disco clubs, they created their own block parties and supplied the music. They used the beats of well-known songs as a basis for their rapping, and their creativity and imagination allowed the raps to start flowing! Eventually rap and hip-hop music began to spread to Los Angeles, and a new West Coast style of hip-hop was invented. Rap music then migrated to Europe, Africa, Asia and other continents and countries. Today, rap music is very popular all around the world, and can be heard on most mainstream radio stations!

Drake, born Aubrey Drake Graham, was originally known for his role in the Canadian television show Degrassi: The Next Generation. In 2006, he released his first mixtape Room For Improvement, which sold around 6,000 copies. He followed this by releasing the Comeback Season mixtape in 2007 and So Far Gone in 2009. This mixtape was the starting point in Drake’s career and he signed a record deal with Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment in mid-2009.
In 2010, Drake released his first studio album titled Thank Me Later, which debuted at number 1 in both Canada and the United States, and has since gone platinum. Drake’s second album, and my personal favorite, is titled Take Care and was released in November of 2011. This album won many awards, including the 2013 Grammy Award for best rap album. The songs on this album are filled with emotion and will definitely be stuck in your head for days. Drake shows us his soft side by singing about emotional break-ups in a few songs, but also brings his energetic rapping to one of the most famous songs on that album, “Headlines.” My personal favorites from this album are “Practice” and “Crew Love.” Drake recently released his third album Nothing Was the Same in September of 2013.

In my opinion, Drake is one of the best rappers in the music business today. He raps about relatable situations that many young people may also be going through. His songs never sound the same; he switches between his “rap voice” and his “singing voice” to keep his songs upbeat and memorable. Check out Drake’s YouTube channel to listen to some of his music! http://www.youtube.com/user/DrakeVEVO

Sources:
http://www.rapworld.com/history/
http://www.hiphop-network.com/articles/general/kurtisblowversionofhiphop.asp
http://www.biography.com/people/drake-596834#chart-topping-success

My passion blog will be exploring different genres of music and highlighting famous artists in those genres. Music is such an important part of my life, even though I do not play any musical instruments or sing (very well for that matter). I am constantly listening to music, whether it is while I’m doing homework, working out, walking to class, or doing chores around the house. There is something about the way that the beat of the song mixes with the singer’s voice to create a sound more beautiful than words could ever describe. The best feeling is hearing a song that allows you to escape reality, even just for a moment, and disappear into a place where you feel free. This is why I feel that music should be an important part in everyone’s life. I want others to be able to discover new artists and genres of music that they would never have thought of listening to. In my blog, I will cover many different genres of music, including: rap, country, Latino pop, alternative, and Christian gospel music.
I think that by writing this blog, I will gain a new appreciation for music. I hope that I will be able to learn information about different styles of music and gain knowledge about new artists of those genres. By researching about ten different genres of music, my musical background will be larger and more diverse. I also hope that I will be able to value the hard work and dedication that artists give to their music careers. I will get the chance to read through their successes, struggles, and why those chose to become a singer in the first place. Hopefully, this will give me insight as to why they write certain songs, or what their motivation behind a specific attribute of their newest album is. Furthermore, this blog should be a great introduction to the blogosphere, which I am not acquainted to. I will be able to gather new experiences as a blogger and see what fellow bloggers are writing about. By writing a weekly blog, I anticipate improving my writing skills while gaining new knowledge about topics that I usually would not emerge myself in.
I feel confident that my blog will inspire at least one person to step out of their music “comfort zone” and explore genres of music that are new to them. Most people only listen to two or three artists, let alone more than two or three genres of music. I hope that readers will be able to appreciate the diverse music genres, and even find their new favorite artist. Even if they do not like a particular type of music, they will still leave my blog will a short background of a new style of music and be able to say they listened to a few songs of that genre. Music is a universal language that every person understands, whether they’re young or old, black or white, male or female. Sarah Dessen, a famous author, said, “Music is the great uniter. An incredible force. Something that people who differ on everything and anything else can have in common.” I hope that my blog will bring together people who share the love of music, while encouraging them to branch out and listen to new music!