Two Greenwood High School students, Olivia Slayton and Arzu Bakhadir, were interviewed about their music taste and how it affects their everyday life. They were asked questions about what genres and artists they like, the mood of their playlists, and current trends.
Olivia Slayton, a ninth grader at Greenwood High School, claims that her favorite artist and genre of music changes a lot, but she likes the rock band Maneskin. She says that she likes the beat of their music and how it sounds, such as the upbeat rock vibe it has.
She usually finds new music on platforms like TikTok or her recommended feed on YouTube, and she finds songs based off of the audios that people use for their videos. In terms of her playlists, she describes them as random and unorganized, saying that “there are probably over 1,000 unorganized songs on one playlist, and there is another playlist with only my absolute favorite songs.” She looked serious as she proclaimed this, not exaggerating, but finding the fact amusing. Slayton believes that K-Pop is currently leading 2026 from the popularity of the TV show K-Pop Demon Hunters, but she has another genre in mind as well. “Also, country is popular because it seems like that is all the radio stations play anymore,” but she is not completely mad about it.
When asked if she thinks her music taste is representative of her personality, she responded, “I feel like it can represent me in a way that I am unorganized in my head.” She explained, pondering on how she could explain her next words. She continued describing how her music taste is chaotic and sort of a mental reflection of her mind. A song that Slayton has been listening to recently is “Don’t Wanna Sleep” by ManeSkin, and said that she thinks that it is a decent song to describe her personality in a way, and cheerfully noted that she just really enjoys the song. Finally, when asked if her music taste changes based on her mood, Slayton replied in a casual and normal way that she bases it off of how she wants to feel. She gave an example, such as, “I like listening to jazz or rock, but if I want to relax, I listen to classical music.”
Arzu Bakhadir, a ninth grader at Greenwood high school, describes her music taste consisting of R&B, and she enjoys listening to artists such as The Weeknd, Chase Atlantic, and Don Toliver. She made a playful remark stating that her music taste “might be too basic,” but she nonetheless listens to that music. She discovers new music on apps such as TikTok and Instagram, finding them the same way as Slayton. She casually added that she likes to browse through the discography of music from the artists that she enjoys, giving them a listen and adding them to her playlists. When asked about the mood or vibe of her playlist, Bakhadir stated that she is also unorganized with her music, but she has playlists that consist of different moods. She explained that “some are more upbeat and happy than others, while the rest are more gloomy and sad.” She thought for a second more after concluding that she has no other playlists that she really listens to other than those. Bakhadir said with confidence and assurance that rap and calm but upbeat music are currently trending. She then went on to talk about specific artists, such as Frank Ocean, claiming, “I see many TikToks with mainly that type of music, like Frank Ocean.”
Bakhadir seemed unsure as to whether or not her music taste matches or represents her personality, but she still stood strong with an answer as she answered yes. She explained that “I feel like R&B matches my aesthetic kind of. But other than that, I am not really sure.” She was playful and energetic as she claimed, “a song that I cannot stop listening tois ‘Life of the Party’ by The Weeknd.” She continued that she thinks it can describe her in a way, because she brings energy to whoever she is around and creates a comfortable but hyped environment. Bakhadir was quick and certain with her answer, as if she knew for sure, but didn’t know how to quite explain it. She started, “I listen to more sad music when I am sad, and if I am happier, I listen to more upbeat music.” She added that she likes her music to match her mood.
