Music & Me

Hello everyone! For my first blog post, I thought I would include a short introduction so I can get to know everyone better. I'm Anna and I'm a junior here at Converse, I currently pursuing an Individualized major combining Healthcare Administration, Creative & Professional Writing, and Psychology. I also have minors in Dance and Theatre (little bit busy haha!). I'm originally from Spartanburg, and I have a really cute dog named, Lily, who I rescued! 

Here is a picture of my friends and I (I'm in the middle).

Here is my dog!

If I try to think of one thing that is consistently beautiful and mesmerizing throughout my life it would be music. No matter morning or night, summer or winter, music has been a constant in my life. Although I do not have a formal background in music, music has always been there for me during my very darkest and very brightest days.

The artist that is my current go-to to simply get my day started is Dua Lipa. I enjoy the faster pace of her music and the timbre of her voice. Before knowing the term timbre, it was hard for me to describe her voice, but now that I know that timbre means color/tone it is easier to understand why I like her voice. A lot of her songs contain heavy beats which I enjoy. As a dancer, I often migrate to songs that I can easily hear the beat in. For me, beats are like a roadmap to which a song (the car) travels along. It makes sense that Dua's music has heavy beats because she is known to choreograph a lot of dancing to her songs. 

Something I like about Dua Lipa is her ability to create songs that are upbeat and motivational in addition to creating songs that are slow and reflective. If you need motivation at the beginning of your day, her songs "Levitating" and "Don't Start Now" are a good choice, but if you need to wind down your day, her songs "We're Good" or "Cold Heart" are good options.

An example of music that is personally very meaningful to me at the moment is Elvis' music. After seeing Baz Luhrmann's new biopic starring Austin Butler, I begin to listen to his music again.

One of the big connections I had to his music was the fact that he was my grandma's favorite singer. My grandma and I were extremely close, and when she passed away two years ago I felt like I lost a part of myself with her. Being able to connect to the music she loved brings me a lot of comfort. I have many memories of listening to his music with my grandma when I was younger.

I also have a love for the way Elvis didn't shy away from creating new types of music by combining as he says "gospel, rhythm, and blues" genres. His music is like a melting pot of rhythm, words, and culture.

One song of his that is particularly meaningful to me is, "If I Can Dream". This song is originally written by Walter Earl Brown and later covered by Presley. The song runs parallel to Martin Luther King Jr's speech, "I Have a Dream," making the song a ballad about change and social justice. The song echoes with hope and resilience in a time an uncertain time. For the film, Måneskin also does a moving rendition of, "If I Can Dream." 

Attached below:

1) Movie version (starts around 2:30)

2) Original version 

3) Måneskin version 

It is really hard for me to pick an artist, genre, or piece of music that I don't connect with because my music taste changes so often. One musical genre that I don't connect with too much is country music. For me, sometimes country music is not as upbeat as I would like. Part of the reason I might not connect with it as much as other genres is because I didn't grow up listening to a whole lot of country music. 

I have a great deal of respect for country music because of the story-telling aspects of the song-writing and the authenticity of the genre and the culture. I love country artists like Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, or even more southern rock bands like the Marshall Tucker Band.