Over the last few centuries, music has become a predominant feature in the everyday lives of many across the world. Some of the leading artists in the UK include Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, and Stormzy. However, it is debatable whether the significant influence music has over us is beneficial or actually, damaging. On one hand, music is an expressive form of art that allows one to tune into their emotions, expose their vulnerability and resonate with lyrics that can validate them. On the other hand, music has started to become a social barrier, as more and more people are isolating themselves from reality, indulging themselves in a space that does not welcome them to face their problems, often leading to procrastination.

Many music enthusiasts argue that music is a beautiful art form that influences our relationships in a way that no other medium can. Music encapsulates our emotions - celebration, grief, anger, worry. Music is a space that can serve so many purposes and influences our society significantly. For example, during pregnancy, mothers often use music as a way to connect with their baby, showing how music is instilled into our lives at such a young age, and also, how it brings peace and comfort. Furthermore, we use music as a tool for education – the alphabet is the first song most of us ever learn. The song teaches us the foundation for human socialism and communication, thus representing how music can help us learn. Moreover, music and music videos hugely influence modern-day fashion. So many iconic music video looks have been era-defining, from Ariana Grande’s high ponytail look which dominated through 2013 – 2016, to Jennifer Lopez’s iconic hoop earrings. Music even influences how we dress and present ourselves, proposing hugely contrasting aesthetics for people to develop their own unique take on.

Furthermore, music has helped us overcome huge historical progress. For example, during the 1920s, a time of significant racism and discrimination, Jazz music was a huge factor in initiating contact between black and white people, as the joy of music allowed people to overlook instigated societal views, and instead, bond over shared likes. Since then, music has also developed into an expression of culture and religion which is also important as it shows the diversity in humans.

However, there are also several negative aspects to music that are often marginalized by society due to naïve ignorance. Often, when individuals find that a certain artist perfectly captures their emotions through their music, by impulse, they begin to idolize that figure. Over the years, controversy has arisen as formerly hugely praised artists are exposed of their discriminative natures. However, due to the supposed power of music, fan bases tend to normalize and romanticize these immoral and offensive mannerisms, thus instigating a corrupt society. Particularly younger audiences who are more vulnerable, are hugely affected by this. Furthermore, the music industry is often a space of significant sexism and racism – from the lyrics to even employment. Many a time, the lyrics in songs objectify women and refer to women purely as sex symbols, which desensitizes women and makes them think that they are less worthy or that they are defined by their looks. Moreover, the music industry is significantly male-dominated and research from Statista shows that 97.7% of the music producers in the USA are male, thus presenting the area as inaccessible to women.

 

In conclusion, whilst music is something which allows us to tune into our emotions and allow ourselves some space to relax, it can also significantly influence negative morals in our society like sexism, as some become unaware of how much power music can hold over them. This is what 18-year-old Pooja Pancharatnam had to say on the topic, “To me, music is a way in which I am able to express my emotions when I am unable to collect my emotions in words. But sometimes, I do find that I use it as a way of procrastinating and closing myself away from the grim reality.”