Stereotypes Of High School

I was kind of an outcast in school, so my twin sister and I just kinda formed our own clique. Sure we sometimes hung out with a small group of “nerds” but even then I didn’t really feel like I fit in. My escape was music. I’d take my headphones to school and zone out when I felt overwhelmed, which happened more often than not. I wasn’t bullied or anything, but my sister was and it often landed on me to take care of it. I got into a lot of fights, which I’m not proud of, but it felt necessary at the time.

These kids were absolutely brutal, so one of my many ways of coping with the hierarchy of high school was YouTube. I came from a poor family and a stingy -selfish- mother, so Spotify or Pandora was out of the question. My next best option was YouTube. I had several playlists, my most played being my Band Playlist.

Crossfade: My mom always listened to this particular CD when getting ready to go out for the night and the music just kind of stuck. It reminded me of her and the calm of normal. Some highlight songs I loved being: ‘So Far Away’, ‘Colors’, ‘Cold’ and ‘Dead Skin’. I still listen to these songs to this day and they give me nostalgia to my childhood when things were easier. When all I had to worry about was how to avoid making a fool of myself in school, when to hangout with friends and keeping my grades up.

Melanie Martinez: This was one of the most influential artists I listened to in high school. She had a way of thinking and world views that I agreed with, and I still like her stuff now in 2021. I loved all four of her major albums at the time including (but not limited to): ‘Dollhouse’, ‘Cry Baby’, ‘Soap’ and ‘Pity Party’. Her and her songs vocalized things that I would never dare say out loud, and that felt powerful all in itself.

My General Angst Playlist: This one was another one of my main playlists I listened to. Some songs included were: ‘Her Last Words’ - Courtney Parker, ‘Suicide Note’ - Kyle Spratt, ‘Steven’ - Jake Miller, and ‘Fix You’ - Coldplay to list a few. My freshman year of high school, my sister went into the hospital for the first time. Our mother was pretty shitty about the whole situation, lying to me about what doctors said and never letting me see her. Even after my sister got out, she and my mother were always fighting and I felt stretched thin trying to appease both of them. So one of the ways I dealt with loneliness and pain was listening to these kinds of songs. It was a way to express myself in a non-harmful way, regardless of what the songs were portraying.

My next couple years were handled a little better because my Grandmother came back into my life -she’d moved from Minnesota to Georgia my freshman year- giving me a place to escape from my toxic household and wind down. Then, I began to listen to different genres of music and expand my horizons.

Dubstep: The birth of my love of techno and dubstep music. My favorites were ‘Android Porn’ - Kraddy (I’m not kidding, look it up, it’s awesome), ‘Ticking’ - TIN and ‘TSUNAMI’ - DVBBS & Borgeous. It made me feel confident and cool walking down the hallways, I would even sometimes step to the beat. I felt powerful, like nothing could touch me when those headphones went on and the bass pounded through the speakers. I’d listen to it while studying or just relaxing, but my favorite time for this epic music was… you guessed it, gym class. It was the perfect hype music, since I was usually uncomfortable in class. I was a bigger girl but enjoyed participating in sports, so I was always wearing too-big clothes to hide my body. Listening to dubstep helped me relax and have a bit of fun while blocking out any cruelty that came from my fellow classmates.

Rap Music: Okay, you had to know this was coming. Thankfully, the rap industry wasn’t like it is now, dominated by mumble rappers. This was angry, meaningful lyrical songs with a story. My go to was definitely Eminem. He released a lot of songs that struck a chord in me or I just wanted to rage to. ‘Lose Yourself’, ‘I Need A Doctor’, ‘Love The Way You Lie’, ‘Not Afraid’, ‘Stan’ and ‘When I’m Gone’ were songs I listened to when I wanted to feel like I was in my own music video. These songs just had that kind of affect. I still listen to Eminem today and watch as his style changed as he grew as a person/ artist. It’s amazing and his songs are still great.

Alternative Pop: Of course there had to be pop, because that was my Jamming Out Playlist. It was older pop music though. I’m talking about Adam Lambert and Avril Lavigne. Two artists that, again, my mom influenced me to. Adam Lambert’s songs I loved were ‘Fever’, ‘If I Had You’ and ‘For Your Entertainment’. It was my party music that I’d listen to with friends. We’d chill in the basement and mess around. It was fun. For Avril Lavigne I listened to ‘My Happy Ending’, ‘Keep Holding On’, ‘Girlfriend’ and ‘Sk8er Boi’. I usually heard these songs outside of my house when we were doing karaoke in the garage. We made a day out of it, some of us competing while others screwed around, but it was a way we all hung out together.

I’ve listened to and experienced several different genres of music in my high school, never sticking to just one and finding new ones to add to my ever growing list each day. But the most influential genre was discovered my senior year of school.

Musicals: Yeah, this was the peak of my music. I was introduced to ‘Hamilton’ by a friend who had actually gone to see the play. I fell in love with the music, it was witty and intelligent and told a story. Then I dove into the world of musicals as the genre became more popular. ‘Dear Evan Hansen’, ‘Heathers’, ‘Be More Chill’ and ‘Beetlejuice’ came next as I came upon more fun -and interesting- storytelling.

I did have other influences but those were the ones that affected me and my growth the most. I recommend giving all the songs and artists recommended a listen. They signify who I am as a person as well as some of my own beliefs and emotions.