Music and Emotion: Part Three (The Audience)

By Elias Lopez

What would be the point of music if there was no audience? This blog entry focuses on the audience, the people who listen. What is the point? What draws millions of people in to listen and bond over these musical notes and lyrics? It may be the connection between the lyrics and the relatability of a certain song. Or it could be the inspiration these artists give to their audience. It’s a passion for creation and the prestige of a title, or the interpersonal connection of music and the community around it. It may just be that the music is good and helps people connect over it, helping to form new relationships or strengthen existing ones.

An audience to a composer is like a moth to a flame; the brighter it burns, the more people are drawn in. We can’t help but be drawn toward good music, it’s a core part of our lives. Creativity inspires creativity, and there is no greater creative at this moment other than Tyler the Creator. His fashion, cinematography, and his music are all an inspiration for new artists. Take his latest album release, Chromakopia, specifically one song, “Like Him”. There have been many covers, opinions ["Like Him" is a Masterpiece], and online coverage describing the deep emotional connection people have with this song. User rhxzsznn on Tik Tok, one of many people who made a video with this audio [LIKEHIIIIIIIIM], reached around 446.5k views, 84.6k likes, and 199 comments with a specific point of “Like Him” playing in the back where the lyrics go “So do I look like him?” Tyler is singing about the absence of his father and asking the question of whether he looks like his father. In the comment section and other online spaces, this user, along with many other fans, talks about how they had to pause the song to cry or how at that point they were already crying, and they describe the relatability to this experience they share with the song of looking like that one person in their life, whether it be a late father or an absent father. Even his other albums –  IGOR (2019), Flower Boy (2017), CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST (2021) and CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale (2023) – always foster inspiration, whether it be fashion, new interviews with new takes and advice for those aspiring to create, the stories told, new eras, or new personas that are starting to show their influence. Take detahjae, an upcoming artist with two recent music videos: “Janice” and “Abyss,” with both videos reaching a total of 734,000 views together. The cinematography and color grade of both videos are very similar to Tyler’s “See You Again” music video (2018). However, even with the obvious influence, they still stand as their own musical inspiration from this artist. In this age of social media fueled by giant creatives such as Tyler, this type of style is only expected to grow as time goes on.

Social media is a great way to find creative works and also to create your own content. Every time I’m on any social media platform, I encounter music one way or another. From edits and music videos such as the KISS ME DUNGEON LORD | Dungeon Meshi Music Video, performances such as Doechii: Tiny Desk Concert or Tyler, The Creator - CHROMAKOPIA Live at Camp Flog Gnaw 2024, or even just regular releases and drops of new singles and albums, there’s an audience, an audience with hunger for the art that creators upload into these creative spaces. The attention to detail and care in edits and music videos, why they chose a song and how it’s relevant to the overall story of the video, is admirable. It’s clear that there is a certain audience that not only listens, but is inspired in turn to create something as well, especially for personal things like how someone was able to fit the entire plot of your favorite show in a 2-minute video playlist designed around specific situations or people.  Bonding with others over mutual favorite artists is something music can really facilitates.

In the audience, there is also you and your bonds with other people. Whether you are connected to other people by shared cultural background, religion, friendship, or other connection, music is a bonding tool. Music is often used in religious spaces, whether for dance and worship or for celebration and connection to a community. Dance can be a very spiritual activity and according to Maximilien Laroche (1992), who writes “Thus, if we believe the poet, one speaks and hears the language. But to ‘feel’ it and to make it be felt, one must dance, make it run, swim, fly away.... This language is truly that of ideal communication!’’ (P 809). That level of spiritual engagement can enrich our sense of community and our sense of self. Music fosters connections to your cultural background and to the creativity and re-creativity of societal connections (Campbell, 1990). Even simple gym playlists or those shared playlists between two partners are ways you may engage with music on your own and put a little piece of yourself in it.

References

Campbell, P. S. (1990). Cross-cultural Perspectives of Musical Creativity. Music Educators Journal, 76(9), 43–46. https://doi.org/10.2307/3401077

Laroche, M. (1992). Music, Dance, Religion. Callaloo, 15(3), 797–810. https://doi.org/10.2307/2932022

Hello, I’m Elias Lopez. I’m from Stratford, Connecticut, and I’m currently majoring in English at the University of Bridgeport. I plan to graduate in 2028 to go on to earn a degree in Civil Engineering. I’m a big fan of writing, especially fantasy and poetic pieces, as well having other hobbies such as roller skating, crocheting, drawing. Though I’m still beginning, I hope the work I do can eventually inspire others and show the joys that come with writing.