By Alexandra Morozová
Lately, I've been wondering what the ideal soundtrack of my life until now would be; which songs would describe different chapters of the narrative and how they would fit with the different eras. So, I decided to review my life’s journey with music.
The first few songs I vividly remember listening to come from when I was about 3-4 years old. Back then, I used to love to watch MTV and would always want to be a part of the music videos. My favorite singers of the time were Kylie Minogue and Shakira — I would dance to "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and "Whenever Wherever” constantly. Another song that stands out to me a lot is Nelly ft Kelly Rowland's "Dilemma."
Later, when I started school, the band Tokio Hotel had reached its peak and every girl I knew knew the lyrics and wanted to be the girlfriend of singer Bill Kaulitz. Aside from TM, I also listened to a bunch of co-ed groups that had been cast on talent shows, or that were put together by producers on purpose. Two of them were named US5 and Monrose.
Then, I gradually started to listen to the radio more often, which broadened my taste. There, I would bump into Ne-Yo and his song "Miss Independent," which I still have on my old MP3 player today. Around the same time, I also started to go to dance school and The Black Eyed Peas were pretty big then. Other artists I listened to were the Pussycat Dolls, LMFAO, Madonna, and Usher.
By the time I was around 13, though, I entered my emo phase. At that point, I first started out with Black Veil Brides, My Chemical Romance, and Sleeping with Sirens, all of which I would listen for days. These groups started my love for post-hardcore music and this phase went on for around five years. Eventually, I also started to enjoy some older bands such as Queen, Guns N’ Roses, and Skid Row (which I discovered through a cover by Asking Alexandria). As time went on, I began to drift away from the heavy music and toward music of a softer tone. I still like some good heavy music, however, such as music by the band Bad Omens, which I highly recommend.
Currently, I enjoy some good shoegaze and noise rock, but also some good indie bands. My favorite band now is DIIV, because they mix all three of those genres very well. I also spend much of my time on Spotify or YouTube, which means that I'm a victim of the algorithm (like many of us) — there, I have found plenty of new bands through my weekly recap and like to share my playlists with my friends. Furthermore, I began to listen to some minimal techno, too; I enjoy Christian Löffler a lot.
Throughout the years, music has always been a form of escapism that has allowed me to discover different worlds and emotions. I have always turned to lyrics in difficult times and especially now, during the pandemic, I find comfort in the songs I love.
As you can see, though, one’s music taste can change a lot throughout the years, but the level of importance stays the same. With that in mind, what would the soundtrack of your life look like?