Listening in The Ears of Gen-Z

In today’s fast-paced world, music trends come and go faster than a catchy tune. From listening to trending TikTok songs to going down memory lane with old jams, rhythms and melodies continue to shape our lives. In 2024, Pop, Hip-Hop/Rap, R&B, Indie Rock, and Country are the leading genres of music in the industry. 

One disappearing genre of music is Rock ‘n’ Roll. Since the early 2000s, rock music and artists have been declining. The last rock song to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 100 is Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me” on December 21, 2001. With pop culture revolving around Pop/Hip-Hop music, it is harder for rock bands to have a breakthrough and gain popularity. In the mid-1960s, numerous English artists created a musical movement consisting of British Rock ‘n’ Roll that became tremendously popular in the United States, called the British Invasion. These artists include The Rolling Stone, The Beatles, the Who, and much more.

Numerous up-and-coming musicians are snatching top spots on various music charts. In spite of this, famous pop stars like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are making big comebacks by branching out into new musical genres; these new releases are always hit-or-miss, as controversies surround Beyoncé's country debut song, "Texas Hold 'Em”, for example.

To learn more about trending music, Ke Ali’i spoke with Damien Memorial’s upperclassmen, Lauren Lau (senior) and Aidan Aquino (junior), who gave us insight to their opinions as part of Generation Z. Both Lauren and Aidan have musical backgrounds; Lau is self-taught on the piano and guitar, and Aquino does theater for Pac5. Furthermore, both students are a part of Damien Memorial’s Music Ministry. Knowing this, Ke Ali’i asked Lau, “Do you think the radio should incorporate a bigger mix of music genres?”, she replied, “Yes, so the future generations can grow up with such beautiful music”. Lau and Aquino have a love for many music genres, however, the genre they listen to the most is pop. 

Pop is currently the leading music genre, swapping places with genres whose popularity has disappeared. Social media plays a significant role in the rise of pop music, top songs that are snatching the No. 1 spot on top charts are being streamed from apps such as TikTok and Youtube. Lau’s favorite artist, Billie Eilish, is one of many rising pop artists from the past few years with multiple songs claiming high spots on the Billboard 100. Nevertheless, older pop artists are making severe musical comebacks, dipping their toes into different genres. An example of this is Beyoncé’s newest debut country song “Texas Hold ‘Em”. This song has brought attention to the genre of country music, along with Luke Combs’s cover of “Fast Car” originally written by singer-songwriter, Tracey Chapman.