Musical Nostalgia

Being a pop musician may lead some to think that pop music was the only focus of my musical ears while growing up, but that is far from the truth and a very interesting phenomenon which I believe a lot of musicians experience. (Maybe when I get old, I too will turn to classical music.) Who knows?

Growing up, my go-to music was Bollywood songs, dancing and singing along to the same tracks on the CD player because I grew up in a lot of remote places, and it was just me, my brother, and that damn old CD player. There were a maximum of 2 songs that I would listen to on repeat (sometimes for months). After a while, my brother became a cool person with friends, and we moved to a bigger town. This was my introduction to new music on that CD player from my brother (which he exchanged with his friends).

I was introduced to Coldplay, especially to Violet Hill.

and I hated it ...

I could not stand the roughness in Chris Martin's voice and his not hitting the notes that I imagined to be next. My brother was obsessed with them, and I judged him for it (funnily, Coldplay is one of my favorite bands of all time now).

But I remember trying to predict the next note and trying to think of what the artist looks like... that was my favorite activity at night. Tucked away in my blanket and after a glass of warm milk, listening to the music on the bluish-grey CD player and guessing what the artist looked like and imagining myself in the music videos.

I honestly thought Shakira was a black woman who wore glittery dresses. I found out what she looked like 10 years later on a TV show.

But hence began the journey of exploring music and going through different phases and moments in life.

It started with rejecting Coldplay and listening to Avril Lavigne with my emo friend who ADORED Avril. I picked up guitar because of Avril and that friend because that is all we would talk about and discuss. Looking back, I don't think kids need to scream to "Hey, hey you you I don't like your girlfriend!!" or send that song to their crush who had a girlfriend at that time. That was highly inappropriate for a catholic school going child ha!

Avril Lavigne

This Avril Lavigne phase poured into Sum 41, Linkin Park, The Offspring, and Blink-182 phase.

Rebellion. fun. friendships. guitar. music.

Then came Hannah Montana, and we all lost our minds. It marked the time when I started writing my own songs, creating melodies, and taking up singing seriously. I fell in love with live performance and the stage (thanks to Hannah), but I had hurdles of my own. At the time, I thought I just needed to send my songs to big labels, and that would do it. Of course, that did not work out, and I continued with my Hannah & High school musical obsession and somehow slid into the lane of country music as well.

I discovered Taylor Swift on the lawn of my friend who had that big white iPod, and she said that she had discovered a really nice song, and it was "Love Story" by Taylor. I was in love with country then, also with artists such as Jewel, Shania Twain, etc., but I eventually moved on from that love back to rock with discovering Tokio Hotel and Good Charlotte and back to country with Sam Hunt.

Every phase of music was the flavor of my years, and now that I find myself with Pop and R&B, I think about the road I took to come to this and the feelings I felt in these moments. I still remember where I heard the song that I was crazy in love with (that was Numb by Linkin Park for me), and most importantly, I remember how it made me feel. Life is somehow depicted as a straight highway, but actually, it's more like bumpy, rocky inner roads, and the things we love now are the result of a million little things we adored along the way just like songs.

Reflecting on the music you once cherished or discovering your old CDs and playlists is fascinating; it's time to revisit and rediscover those moments. . .