Have you ever wondered what type of tunes flow through the earbuds of those around you? What sort of melodies make strangers bob their heads and tap their feet?
By Marilee Bodden
Listening to music adds a little flair to a commute to work, school or a leisurely morning stroll around the park.
While seeing live music in a concert setting is very much a communal experience, listening to music through your headphones falls under the more private category of “me time.” ORANGE decided to slightly intrude upon this individual experience to find out what students at the University of Texas at Austin are listening to as they wander around campus.
Alex
Journalism major Alex Briscinio was listening to “Hey Rose” by indie folk band Streets of Laredo. He discovered Streets of Laredo while listening to one of his favorite hometown radio stations. “It’s similar to the one we have here at UT,” Briscinio says. “They play lots of local artists. It’s awesome.”
Bryn
Radio-television-film major Bryn Poth was listening to “Danger” by Erykah Badu, an influential female R&B singer. When asked why she was drawn to this artist, Bryn says she “think[s] it’s really cool that Erykah Badu is from Dallas.”
Mindy and Dorothy
Neuroscience major Mindy and civil engineering major Dorothy, were walking from class together, each wearing a headphone in one ear and listening to each other talk with the other.
Mindy was listening to “R.I.C.O.” by rappers Drake and Meek Mill, while Dorothy was listening to “Shelter” by Porter Robinson, an electronic artist. Both mentioned that they discovered these songs through their friends and love to use their friends as a resource for new artists.
Patrick
Petroleum engineering major Patrick Molina was bumping “Strange Brew” by Cream through his headphones. Cream, a blues and hard rock band from the late ‘60s, was only together for two years. The group’s influence continues to this day, especially through their guitarist Eric Clapton.
Patrick mentioned that he discovered this song when he was first learning how to play guitar. “My brother taught me the opener,” Molina says with a grin. “I was thinking about that today, and it made me want to go back and listen.”
Veronica
Radio-television-film major Veronica Alvarez-Ferreira has a passion for the song “Tambourine” by Eve, a female rap star who was popular alongside artists such as Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown.
“The first time I heard this song was in dance class,” Alvarez-Ferreira says. “We had to learn choreography to go along with it. Now, whenever I listen to it, I just wanna dance.”
Kevin
Education major Kevin’s iPhone was playing “Jazz” by Mick Jenkins, a hip-hop artist with poetic lyrics. Kevin said that he didn’t know about Mick Jenkins until he found himself at one of Jenkin’s concerts last semester. “It was a completely random, last-minute adventure,” Kevin says. “But I got totally into the music.”
