“If you man do it first, I’ll do it.” Am I influenced or do I influence?
Original (/əˈrɪdʒənl/)
Adjective: present or existing from the beginning; first or earliest.
Noun: the earliest form of something, from which copies may be made.
I often consider the meaning of the word original. Particularly because the definition of original can, at times, be conflated with the word ‘new’. Yet, if going by the noun above, originality is the earliest form of something. Thus, I would argue against the adjective of original because this does not necessarily mean that thing is ‘new’. My interpretation is that the ‘earliest form’ is merely what was publicly known or recorded first —sometimes ‘new’ does not mean first, especially if the first time something was actioned or achieved was not recorded for public knowledge but the second time was. Of course, to the public, we would think the second time was the first time, but is it really?
Thinkers such as Mark Twain have argued that no idea is truly original, exerting that new ideas are a combination of old ones, he probes that it is “the same old pieces of coloured glass that have been in use through all the ages.” If this is the case, then would the earliest form of an idea not be original? Or is it a snowball effect of something ‘new’ that may have inspired or influenced us?
I open this article with a dialogue on what it means to be original because of a question that has plagued my mind in the past few months. What shapes our taste in music? It’s funny how the brain works because this stream of thought is interlinked to my belief that we, as humans are somewhat wired to be influenced by something or someone else because nothing is truly original. This has nothing to do with the opening of this article and everything to do with it. What a paradox.
I am aware that whilst we live in a society where people have made a career from influencing, there is still a a negative connotation to this viewpoint; with some arguing that to be influenced, is to stray away from original thought [to some extent] and that in itself can be deemed verboten.
When exploring what shapes our music taste in more detail, I concluded that a combination of environmental factors played into this. For instance, if you are a Tik Tok user, more often than not, your ‘For You’ page - though generated by an algorithm centred around what the app thinks you would prefer to see (based off your user journey) - may expose you to ‘trending sounds’. These sounds could be renditions of songs that we come across every few scrolls. Depending on how your brain is wired and your preferences, you might be someone who hears a song repeatedly and adds it to their playlist, this can then spiral you into becoming a fan of the artist and therefore attend their concerts. Or you may be someone who hears a song repeatedly and finds it annoying, therefore trying to avoid it at all costs. If it is the former, then your music taste has been shaped by consumer behaviour, which in turn means that you were somewhat influenced.
Environmental factors such as where you grew up or have lived and the musical influences that have ascendancy over that area are another contributing factor I would like to focus on in this article. Personally, I noticed a significant shift in my ‘go to’ music in London compared to when I used to live in Manchester. This is not to say that I no longer like the music I used to listen to in Manchester, it was simply no longer in my music rotation.
To expand on this, growing up in Manchester during my ever turbulent teenage years meant that I was someone who indulged in, what would be considered ‘white people’ music — which is usually just code for Indie Rock music. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my fair share of The 1975s, You Me At Six and Arctic Monkeys (and if they were to tour today, I would seriously consider fulfilling my inner teen’s desires by attending a concert). Growing up as one of the few black people in a predominantly white area, I can’t help but wonder how much of my music taste at that time was shaped by a desire to want to fit in with my peers. At least as much as race would allow me to.
Now, this is not to say that I did not listen to music by black artists at the time. Nor is it to feed into the harmful and sheltered conviction that only one type of genre is celebrated in cities with a larger black population. Or that certain races lack versatility when it comes to listening music. If we’re talking genre wise, when it came to pop music during those years, my playlists were equally dominated by the likes of Beyoncé, Rihanna and Katy Perry. Over time this has evolved as I met people from all walks of life who introduced me to genres I may not have necessarily discovered on my own or considered listening to by myself (in my case, Portuguese music) but came to love regardless. Nevertheless, I say this to say that, the mainstream music that shaped my adolescence as someone that grew up in Manchester, may be marginally different to that of those who grew up in the capital.
The same can be said for the events we attend. I noticed, for myself at least, that when I started to attend various types of events (e.g: RnB Slow Jams and SlowJameswithA), I was listening to a lot more R&B and slow jams than in previous years. To elaborate, in 2022, Afrobeats prevailed my music taste and Spotify wrapped more than any other year. In making this observation, it would be fair to say that my personal experiences has played a hand in my preferred music rotation. For instance, 2022 was a very fast paced and enjoyment filled year for me, this to me mirrors a playlist that is prevalent of Afrobeats and Dancehall artists. Whilst both of these genres are nuanced in their tempos and storylines, oscillating between love songs and songs about overcoming tough times, let’s just say that the songs I was more drawn to in the early 2020s were songs that the DJs at events such as Recess, DLT, Brunch and Vibes and such would play. These were no doubt songs that you could sing out loud and dance to.
Whereas 2023 was without a doubt, an emotionally awkward year for me, from friendships to relationships heartbreak — I saw it all. Therefore, I can see the parallels of me leaning into R&B music during this time, as I found solace in a more slow-paced environment (whether this be a candlelit night in with a friend whilst this type of music played in the background, or attending music events designed for fellow lovers of slow jams). This isn’t to say that you cannot dance or sing to your heart’s desires to slower jams, but let’s be honest, the tone is different.
Aside from the rise of new black events that pander to wider audiences and their multifaceted predilections, I equally wonder how much the popularisation of these events feed into their increasing audience. Are people more inclined to attend events that are influenced by their playlists? Within that, are these playlists curated by their own personal tastes? Or, is there a banality to this that is generated by what is ‘popular’ at the moment? Do we live in an age where people would prefer to be ‘seen’ any, and everywhere, therefore being influenced by others, rather than what they, themselves are more drawn to? Or, is it a portmanteau of the above?
Whilst no human is the exact same, despite the overconsumption of trends, paradoxically, I would argue that we are influenced everyday — much more than we realise anyway. When it comes to our interests, in this case, music interest, this is shaped by what we are exposed to on a regular basis and our personal experiences. Thereby meaning, we have been influenced.
One thing is for certain though, my taste is my taste for a lifetime. Whilst the genre of songs I rotate ebb and flows, sometimes I have ‘Arctic Monkeys Days’ or ‘Amy Winehouse Days’ — what is clear to me is that, even in adulthood, I still appreciate the music of the artists that shaped my personal experiences.
And speaking of this, ironically whilst continuing to write this article on my walk, I was listening to classical music. A genre that I neglected to remember had helped me to concentrate during my studies.
Do you think your music taste has changed over the years? Would you still enjoy the music you used to listen to when you were younger? Let me know.
