TEN IS FOR MUSIC
Not a long time ago, we had a farewell party with the rebellious decade of the 2010s. Characterized by technological innovation and shifting social norms and attitudes, those spectacular ten years saw the music industry transform. It adopted new styles and technologies, congratulated fledgling musicians and prominent stars on their record-breaking album sales, blushed at outrageously ridiculous celebrity scandals, and burst into tears filled with anguish because of the deaths of larger-than-life icons. I suggest we take one more look at the music’s groundbreaking moments from those ‘good old days’: the 2010s.
A Fresh Start For EDM
Originated in the ’80s and ’90s, electronic dance music, encompassing a dizzying array of substyles, gained some mainstream footing only in the 2000s. However, it did not rise into prominence until the 2010s. The pioneer who invigorated the genre and acquainted the world with the unorthodox dubstep sound in all its digitized, distorted glory was DJ Skrillex with his EP Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites. As technologies were enhancing and reaching new heights, more tracks began featuring computerized sounds and bass drop. EDM became a trend. Even now, musicians blend their styles with the fad, which is, unfortunately, slowly declining.
Who Runs The World? — Girls!
Rap originated as an underground genre in the mid-1970s in the South Bronx community of New York City and was associated with a cultural movement called hip-hop. Since then the genre is commonly regarded as a young man’s game. However, the 2010s witnessed the unprecedented change in history that was caused by the emergence of self-assured and rapt women into the rap game. With Nicki Minaj taking the lead, new superstars like Cardi B, Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion and many others took the enthralled audiences by storm and began to reign in the industry.
This is America
In 2018 the public was caught off balance by Childish Gambino’s harrowingly truthful track ‘This is America’ and its music video that hit everyone like a jarring nightmare. The Grammy-award-winning single is a scathing criticism of American capitalism and ambivalence toward gun and racial violence, police brutality, and the concept of freedom in a chaotic world. The internet exploded with posts, video responses, and social memes dissecting the symbolism in the video and meaning behind the lyrics, further establishing the power of music as a tool for social justice and commentary.
B2: Broadway and Billboard
Suburb Broadway director Lin-Manuel Miranda made quite a commotion with his stunning hip-hop and musical theatre mashup, called ‘Hamilton.’ Created with help from The Roots, the exhilarating soundtrack to the marvelous musical debuted at no.12 on the Billboard 200 chart. It is an extraordinarily rare occasion for a Broadway show to appear in the charts. Therefore, it may be considered an unheard-of success.
A Country Mile
Country music and Americana once again proved their significance and kick. It was due to Taylor Swift’s country roots, the sustained success of the TV drama series ‘Nashville,’ and young stars of the genre like Kacey Musgraves, who was zealous to experiment, embellishing the sound of music. Besides, Country music also merged with rap, most famously in the splendidly low-slung drawl of Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road. It was first released in 2018 and re-released in seemingly countless versions (including a duet with grizzled country aficionado Billy Ray Cyrus). However, the crucial point is that the genre took on issues from a different vantage point, with the artists tackling the controversial subjects head-on and in that way winning the intense appeal from the audience.
Thus, the 2010s served as a brilliant reminder of the pervasive might and main of music because the industry changed, but it remained unchanged right in its heart.
