the journey of expanding my musical palate
The last couple years of my musical journey have been so enjoyable. I’ve been stepping further outside of my musical “comfort zone”, which has brought me a great deal of excitement. So, what’s a musical comfort zone? R&B/Soul has always been at the root of my love and passion for music. Growing up, I heard the heavy weights of R&B/Soul around the house, namely Marvin Gaye and Earth Wind & Fire, along with so many others. These artists so beautifully colored my music taste and influenced what I tend to gravitate to.
While I’m grateful and appreciative of my musical roots, I do believe the lack of variety in the music I heard around me growing up played a major role in my unwillingness to explore music outside of R&B. For many years, I stayed almost exclusively within the confines of R&B/Soul. The chronology of the major players in my music journey after Michael Jackson (one of the most stylistically diverse artists I’ve studied) went as follows: Babyface, New Edition, Jodeci, Maxwell, Ginuwine, Eric Benét, D’Angelo…
Don’t get me wrong…all these artists are amazing and have all played an integral role in my journey, but it’s easy to see the trend here. Their music is undeniably soulful and widely celebrated by the black community. D’Angelo’s Black Messiah (2014), the provocative epitome of a genre conglomerate, lit a fire in me. My study of his artistry and realization of his genius and ability to transcend genres provoked my interest in rock music, which led me to Lenny Kravitz.
I credit Lenny for deepening my fascination and curiosity for rock music. His soulful approach to the genre was the perfect introduction to a sector of music that I hadn’t yet explored. I began to become acquainted with hard rock through his music, especially his first three albums of the 1990s: Mama Said (1991), Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993) and Circus (1995), Lenny’s hardest and darkest album to date. I fell in love with his sound and began to embrace, for the first time, rock ‘n roll music.
I enjoyed exploring this new territory. I began to understand that soul exists within all genres; it mostly pertains to the heart of the lyricism of the individuals creating the music. The importance of how the music makes me feel really came into the forefront. Lenny’s music is a prime example of how lyrics can influence one’s thoughts. In this case, his music became a major source of comfort for me due to his messages of love and faith.
The depth of my love for music reached new levels when I began to study George Michael. My mind was completely blown listening to his 1987 solo debut, Faith, for the very first time. I spent all of 2022 studying George, his artistry, and learning about the kind of person he was. I made my way through his discography, falling more in love with him with each album I listened to. George had an influence on my taste in music overall. Experiencing his artistry opened my mind and ears to music in a new and profound way. I became progressively more curious and hungry for further exploration.
Interestingly, I have George to credit for my interest in Kenny Loggins…well kind of. Initially, I heard a lot of similarity in their voices, which reignited an interest in Kenny that had been brewing for years. He’s gone on to become the most personally impactful artists in my life thus far due to his dedication to self-expression and vulnerability (MUCH more on him in future post!)
Let’s get real, when it comes to pinpointing the contrast between my “old” favorites vs. the “new”, the primary difference is the way the music they make is perceived by society. Genres, for decades, have been very segregated, particularly in the U.S. Think about the way artists are categorized for awards shows…black artists, no matter what their sound is, are often placed in the R&B categories (e.g. The Weeknd, whose sound has transitioned into a more pop-leaning vibe). Think about how over the years, R&B and Hip-Hop have been lumped into one category for radio formatting (i.e. R&B/Hip-Hop). It’s almost as if the distinction no longer matters.
Listening to white artists as heavily as I have in the last couple of years is something that I would’ve never expected. Like I mentioned earlier, my musical upbringing never propelled me in this direction. Rock, country, pop, and the subgenres in between, are often associated with whiteness. While R&B, soul, hip-hop, and jazz have been most often associated with blackness (which makes sense given the history of these genres).
There is a perception that the only genres considered “black” at their core are R&B/Soul, hip-hop, jazz, etc. Based on history, we have black folks to thank for the genesis of most genres, even those that have come to be perceived as “white”. Regardless of this fact, socialization did have an influence on the music I deemed acceptable for me to celebrate unapologetically.
Crazy right? But true. Not only that, but creating a platform entitled bopsnblackness, originally intended to celebrate black music exclusively, led to internal conflict when contemplating whether to share the “white music” that I began to really fall in love with. Especially the music that contrasts greatly far from R&B/Soul roots. I’ve only noticed in the last few years as I’ve gone out of my way to expand what I listen to, just how much beautiful art I’ve been missing out on due to my own personal biases.
Coming to this realization has come with some uneasy feelings, but it’s unlearning and embracing what's new to me that has created an opportunity for me to become even more deeply enamored with the art form that is music. Understanding just how MUCH of it is out there to enjoy and appreciate has opened up the world of music for me in a new way. It’s a continual journey to add new artists to my ever-growing list of favorites.
I am continuing to expand and learn about artists, many of which I will highlight on this blog, no matter what genre they fall into. I’m still learning to be as unapologetically expressive about my new favorites as I’ve been in the past about my favorites that are, by default, embraced with open arms.
Celebrating anyone and everyone whose music has become apart of the fabric of my life is of utmost importance to me. Even if it comes with some anxiety and nervousness around whether or not it will be interacted with or appreciated by those who occupy the same digital spaces as me. This has been a barrier for me, but one that I am unwilling to allow to hinder me from giving flowers to artists that are important to me. That’s always the mission.
Holding back due to anxiety around being judged is tiring. By creating this platform and being transparent and honest about just how deeply passionate I am about music, I hope to create a safe and judgement free community of music lovers. At the end of the day…it is so much more than music and since you’re here, I know that you agree. It’s a source of comfort and that often communicates what words can’t say and gives us a feeling of being seen, heard, and understood. It’s the ultimate gift.
love,
cheyenne
