During free periods and long commutes home, students’ headphones are filled with this fall’s hits. Several hot albums premiered this year, many of which made the cut for the exclusive Billboard Top 100. With highly acclaimed albums from Taylor Swift, Travis Scott, Jungkook, and more acclaimed artists making the list, The Survey wondered: What’s trending at Tech?
The Survey polled students about their favorite songs this season, and, from the several songs mentioned, 28% of them shared their love for Lana Del Rey’s “Say Yes To Heaven.” The song was set to be released on Del Rey’s 2014 studio album Ultraviolence, and it finally made its official debut last May, although unofficial recordings of the song had already been popularized on platforms such as SoundCloud. Almost instantaneously, the song skyrocketed, peaking at number 18 on the Billboard Global 200.
The poll also registered a rise in student taste for up-and-coming group Wave to Earth and indie artist Mitski.
Wave to Earth, a three-member Korean indie-rock band, has become a staple artist among Tech students. Kicking off their 2023 North American tour at New York City’s Irving Plaza, the band sang their catalog of English songs to a sold-out crowd. Often featured in students’ latest TikToks and Instagram stories, some of their most streamed songs include “love,” “seasons,” and “bad,” the last of which has been used for nearly 145,000 videos on TikTok.
Mitski’s latest album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, has stirred a craze. Upon its release in September, her song “My Love Mine All Mine,” debuted at an astonishing 12th place on the Billboard Hot 100 and even claimed the number 1 spot on TikTok’s Billboard Top 50.
Within Tech, we asked musically inclined members of the community about their musical preferences.
Mr. Brett Verini, a social studies teacher, described his enjoyment of music he finds nostalgic and albums that are trending. From a young age, Verini enjoyed listening to bands like Mindforce, R.E.M., and The Replacements. However, he doesn’t find himself limited to just rock. Mr. Verini highlighted Olivia Rodrigo’s latest album, Guts, as one of his favorite modern albums.
Electrical Engineering major Sofia Pagán (‘25) and Biological Sciences major Miklos Vasquez (‘24) serve as co-presidents of the Music Theory Club, which aims to create excitement around the technical aspects of music, and they encourage individuals to develop their musical taste beyond what’s trending. “People will always find an audience for something, so there is no need to focus on one specific area,” he said. Pagán also added, “I’m not too preoccupied with current music trends; it’s not something I think about. A lot of times my taste tends to be outside the trends, but there are more trendy songs or artists that I enjoy.”
Mr. Deshawn Withers, a Tech alum and band teacher, finds a balance between following trends and staying true to his own musical taste. While he finds modern music incredibly enjoyable and accessible, he describes himself as an “old soul” when it comes to his playlists. Growing up listening to artists such as The Temptations and The Jackson Five, Mr. Withers has a great appreciation for music from the 1960s. While Mr. Withers considers contemporary music to be incredibly accessible, he also expressed how this has made it difficult to keep up with the latest albums and artists.
“What’s interesting about this music industry today is that it is so hard to keep up. And I say that in a good way and a bad way. Music is so accessible,” said Mr. Withers. “Even just 20 years ago you didn’t have YouTube or Spotify; these outlets allow people to hear more music than ever before.”
Like Mr. Withers, Mr. Verini keeps up with the latest music, but he agrees that it can be quite challenging to do so. “It ranges,” he said. “I’ll listen from pop to indie rock to spikes and metal so I get a range, but I try to keep up with modern stuff. However, I think it’s tough and overwhelming to keep up.” Even for a young adult who is in touch with the latest technology and music, it can still be hard to track today’s hits.
Overall, the Tech community is into to a wide variety of musical artists spanning generations and genres. While the older generation holds on to their tried-and-true classics, facing a generational divide with navigating listening apps promoting the latest songs, students are eagerly asking the industry, “What’s next?” Whether their playlists are on shuffle or keeping the same few songs on repeat, teachers and students share a love for music, whether trending or not.
