The old is becoming new again. Repeated and processed music on mainstream radio stations are dying. With people being quarantined because of COVID-19, they are beginning to grow tired of the same song being played every 30 minutes while they’re on a drive. Therefore, underground music is making a colossal rise in popularity.
There is a large population of Americans in the current state that we are living in that have grown old to hearing the same manufactured junk that is produced by large corporations only used to make profit. The public knows that the art of creative writing has died in places like Hollywood and Nashville. Because they know this, a new musical renaissance has begun varying amongst all different genres. New styles are being created and the old is returning. Beautiful art has been returning for a while but now it is finally being recognized and we are all glad to see it.
Since the beginning of its start, YouTube has become the largest website for promoting upcoming and rising musicians. It is where record companies and famous musicians look when they want to find someone new. Some of the most famous musicians on mainstream radio started out on YouTube. Examples are Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber. These artists however, were in the old days of modern music. As stated in the previous paragraphs, mainstream radio is dying and people are going back to the old ways of discovering art, and the way that most are doing that is through YouTube.
Examples of Growing Artists and Genres
1.) Zach Bryan
This rising country/folk musician began his musical journey on the internet when he posted a live solo version of his song “Heading South” on September 6th, 2019. Since that post, he has earned over 4 million views on YouTube and 7.5 million downloads on Spotify.
2.) Billy Strings
Combining the genres of bluegrass, folk, and metal, Billy Strings began his musical popularity when he posted a solo acoustic version of his song “Dust In A Baggie” on YouTube around a decade ago. That song randomly began appearing in people’s recommended during the start of 2020 and since then, that song has over 11 million views on YouTube and 3.5 million downloads on Spotify.
Electro Swing
“The Roaring 20s are back!” This style of music originated before the 2020s but now that the time has finally come, this criminally underrated genre of music is enough to get you out of you chair and dance along. The old vinyl sound of the original swing songs mixed with the new wave of music production has turned thousands of people on with its creativity. Following this genre and originating in Germany, the style of Electro Swing dance has grown massively in popularity due to people being quarantined and dying of boredom. There are hundreds of electro swing playlists out there and dozens of 24/7 YouTube livestreams. Creativity has struck the eyes of many artists with this genre.
Go Out There and Explore!
-MistaPige
Style's Rebel Radio 