What Are Galloway Students Listening to?
The Galloway School is known for having a student body with a wide range of interests, so I wanted to see what students’ opinions were regarding a typically highly disputed matter among teenagers, music. This week, I decided to interview ten members of the Upper Learning student body to learn more about the music taste at Galloway. I asked a number of students who I came across while walking through the Upper Learning hallways about their favorite artists, favorite songs, and why they like the artists they mentioned.
Bay Tilley (‘24)
Favorite Artist:
“My favorite artist is Taylor Swift, obviously.” Her favorite album of Swift’s is “Folklore.” “Every song on this album is so good. Especially when you need a good cry. And she’s [Taylor’s] done it all- Country, Pop, Sad, Indie, Mad, In Love. Whatever you need, she’s got it.”
Favorite Songs:
Some of her favorite songs are “This is Me Trying” and “Mirrorball” from “Folklore.” “All Too Well (10 minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” is one of her top songs by Taylor Swift. She commented, “God, just every song on here is so good” when looking over her Taylor Swift playlist.
Caitlyn Smith (‘24)
Favorite Artist:
“I listen to a lot of music artists,” making it difficult to just pick one. However, she did say she enjoys Pop music.
Favorite Songs:
Some of her favorite songs are “See You Again” by Tyler, The Creator, “Line Without a Hook” by Ricky Montgomery, and “Careless Whisper” by George Michael.
Addie Rosenberg (‘24)
Favorite Artist:
“The Lumineers are my favorite.”
Favorite Songs:
“My favorite songs by them, although it changes all the time, are ‘Rollercoaster,’ ‘Gale Song’ [and] ‘Ain’t Nobody’s Problem.’” She added, “They have a song for every feeling you’ve ever felt. They just hit different. I also like them because the band is like a family and is very close to each other.”
Logan Smith (24’)
Favorite Artist:
“The Marios is my favorite.”
Favorite Song:
“My favorite song by them is ‘Cariño.’” Logan reasoned that it was his favorite because “it slays.”
Emma Stoll’s (‘24)
Favorite Artist:
“It’s hard to pick, but Sylvan Eso is one of my favorite artists. I also like a lot of bands. Some good ones are Phish, Allman Brother Band, and Fleetwood Mac. I think it’s because of my dad because when I was little, [he]always played these bands. I think it came from him.”
Lily Nelson (‘24)
Favorite Artist:
“One of my favorites is Frank Ocean.”
Favorite Songs:
She likes to listen to “Ivy,” “Novacane,” “Heights” and “Pyramids,” and said, “I feel like his lyrics are very deep if you really pay attention to them. Especially the lyrics in ‘Ivy,’ [they] are very emotional.”
As an additional note, she said, “Frank Ocean needs to release his album soon,” as he has not released one in a few years.
Jacob McGlothen (‘24)
Favorite Artist:
“My favorite artist is Ariana Grande.“
Favorite Songs:
“Only One”, “Best Mistake” and “No Tears Left to Cry.” He said, “I like her high and low ranges and her versatility from pop to R&B.”
Grace Stuart (‘24)
Favorite Artist:
Favorite album is “Sling” by Clairo. I asked why she liked this specific album over others, to which she said,“This musical album has a good mixture of up beat mixtures and slower songs, and most of them are catchy songs.”
Favorite Song:
“Amoeba.” She said, “Clairo’s music is really really beautiful and you can listen to it in any mood. It’s versatile music that matches any emotion that I’m feeling, and it just feels good.”
Jack Wasserman (‘24)
Favorite artist:
J Cole. When asked about why he chose this specific artist, he said, “I think his storytelling and view on the world, he kind of puts it in the perspective of everyone. His songs are for putting his opinion out there and helping others before himself. He uses his popularity to get his voice and others voices out there to as wide of an audience as possible. He uses his songs to portray real word issues, like Black Lives Matter for example, and [he] put out his perspective.”
Favorite Songs:
“Kod” and “Middle Child”
Ru Mawokomatanda (‘24)
Favorite Artist: “I don’t have a favorite artist as I mostly just float around and listen to different types of music.” She decided on answering with the genre she enjoys most, which is Indie.” Artists she likes are Earth, Wind, and Fire and Lemon Demon.”The first one[artist] is mostly because my father listens to a lot of 70s and 80s music, and I’m close with him so I like a lot of what he likes. And Lemon Demon is, I would say, funky, pretty obscure.”
Even with an interview of just ten students, it is possible to see the assortment of different artists that students listen to. You could even try adding one of the songs that these students chose to your own playlists!
By Hasita Yalamanchili