Music is dying — let’s save it

Eric Saetern

By Eric Saetern
SYLP student

Music is something that we depend on to help us get through rough times, something to sooth our minds, but where has it all gone?

I grew up with a love for music from different types of genres. My dad introduced me to classic rock. My uncles got me into hip-hop, R&B, and pop.

Today, music is gradually dying. Music just seems tedious, predicable, and generic. I have trouble listening to the majority of the new artists today, which is why I listen to the classics. Today, everything is turning into pop, and artists are making music for the radio.

When our parents were our age, rock music was golden. Guitarists played the guitar for their love and passion for music, like Jimi Hendrix and Slash from Guns and Roses. Rock currently consists of alternative and punk rock. You don’t hear many guitar solos.

SYLP student Ashley Ashi and SYLP volunteer Vincent Kwan listen to a song over a shared pair of earbuds. (Photo by SYLP volunteers and Amy Lu)

Hip-hop is my favorite genre in music. The 90s was the best decade for hip-hop. I’m happy I had a chance to listen to great artists such as Jay-Z, Nas, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Notorious B.I.G., and the Wu-Tang Clan. Back then, hip-hop had substance, meaning, and something we can relate to. Today, people just want to get more money and radio play.

Music is the most important type of art form to me. I know that there will always be music out there that I haven’t heard, but the new music I have heard doesn’t feel inspirational to me. I feel like it doesn’t come from the heart. That’s why I’m afraid that, in the future, I will not be able to listen to music with the same passion I do today.  ♦

Eric Saetern can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

(The stories in this issue are written by SYLP students, not Northwest Asian Weekly staff.  Opinions herein do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of the newspaper.)