Actively or against your will, whether it be the complicated compositions of classical or the sweet, soft beats of indie, it’s safe to say that everyone has listened to or has heard music some time in their life before. That being said, although we’ve all listened to music at some point in our life before, we all tend to have a preference for different genres of it. While that isn’t much of a bad thing, it certainly leaves a question lingering in your mind: why exactly do we like certain genres of music?

Much like other aspects of our life, our taste in music has to do with things such as you culture and your personality. The first factor, culture, has to do with things like where and how you were raised. The former has to do with the places music is associated with. For example, those who live in more urban areas, such as big cities, tend to listen to rap and pop the most, whereas those who live in more rural areas have seemed to enjoy country a lot more. Similarly, the latter has to do with what those around you growing up listened to. This includes your family and your friends. When it comes to family, you likely listened to what music your parents played while growing up and got used to the artists they would play. On the other hand, we have our friends and our peers. As much as we like to deny it, we have a need to fit in. As we grow up, in order to fit the norm we also listen to and have interest in the things those around us do, which gets us into music that we find out we enjoy.

Personality-wise, our music tastes depend on our personal interests and what things in life we have experienced thus far. Personal interests influence music taste by making it so we relate something we like to that music. For example, I’ve heard from someone that they enjoy video game music for the nostalgia and familiarity of it, especially if that music had to do with games they enjoyed greatly. Furthermore, when it comes to things in life affecting music taste, I believe it is because like how life changes, so too does our taste in music. Music is used as a way for people to express themselves, and in many cases, is a soundtrack to their lives. In my case, I enjoy indie music mainly because I enjoy how gentle and melancholic indie music remind me of myself who is quiet and calm.

All in all, enjoy whatever you enjoy. Who cares what you listen to as long as you enjoy it. Just let it be known that maybe your music taste was and has been affected by what you’ve experienced in life and how you were raised.