Music is the basis for human culture worldwide. As of this year, Spotify alone had 551 million users, an astonishing number. Music continues to be an integral part of human culture in many different ways, through live singing performances or even exclusively instrumental music. There are so many genres of music, meaning everyone can find at least one thing they like. This begs the question, what did Edgemont listen to this summer?
Everyone has his or her own favorite from the summer when it comes to their favorite album, favorite singer or rapper, or even a new genre they explored. One person may have loved an album someone else hated, and they may both have loved another album. The art of music is subjective. Everyone can find something he or she can enjoy because of music’s variety. Through a series of interviews, we will find out what Edgemont students listened to this summer, perhaps inspiring you to listen to some new tunes.
This summer featured tons of new hits. “Song of the summer” is a commonly used phrase to categorize a popular summer anthem and is a label one can award to a song they enjoyed the most-- a song they can tie their summer memories to.
I first asked Rustin Mirhaji (‘25) what his “song of the summer” was. “I really like 'Sprinter,'” Mirhaji said. “Sprinter” is the newly released song featuring a collaboration of British duo Central Cee and Dave. This song was featured on their new EP Split Decision. I asked Mirhaji, “Why ‘Sprinter?’” He responded, “It attests to many events that happened in my life. I find them pretty relatable, and I like the vibe.” Mirhaji’s response exemplifies music’s ability to connect to memories. Mirhaji was able to connect the song to events in his life that make the song special to him.
When asked about his “song of the summer,” Gabe Tanen (‘25) responded, “I listened to a lot of Pink Pantheress…My favorite song from her, with Destroy Lonely, was 'Turn Your Phone Off.'” “Turn Your Phone Off” was a single released by Pink Pantheress featuring another musical artist, Destroy Lonely. This song features a fast flow from the two as they sing and rap over a UK garage instrumental music. Gabe also discussed his favorite artists from this summer, his number one being Tame Impala, another big name. Gabe is also fond of Kendrick Lamar, a seventeen-time Grammy winner.
Next, I interviewed Darren Kim (‘25). Darren said, “I’ve been listening to albums like Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape, featuring production from artists such as Ken Carson. I’ve also listened to the NewJeans EP [and] Get Up, which blew my expectations out of the water.” Pink Tape and Get Up are two projects released this summer featuring experimental tunes from artist Lil Uzi Vert who ventured into genres such as metal along with a new catchy EP from NewJeans. I asked Darren if he branched out into any new music genres this summer. He replied, “Recently I got into Japanese City pop as a new genre. I like the atmosphere created by the lead instruments, as well as the percussion.”
After being asked what artist he recommends from this summer, Vibhu Vajpayee (‘25) responded, “Gunna.” When I asked why people should listen to him, he responded, “he swims like a seal on the beat. Or a dolphin.” Gunna, four-time Grammy nominee and successful Atlanta rapper, released his new album, A Gift and a Curse, in June.
I followed up with Roger Jiang (‘24) with the same question. He said this summer he listened to, “Virtual Riot, because he makes good EDM, and because his songs are in Geometry Dash. He knows how to pay tribute to older songs.”
Bennett O’Reilly (‘25), told me “[he] listened to a lot of JID this summer.” I asked if there were any new artists he started listening to. He replied, “I started listening to a lot of [Playboi] Carti. He really started a new generation of music. I’ve also listened to a lot of Kendrick [Lamar].”
Next up was Penelope Kraus (‘25), “I really listened to a lot of SZA. She is very catchy, a good beat to it, good car songs.” SZA, a platinum artist, recently featured on Travis Scott’s Utopia and is currently on tour and gets Kraus' stamp of approval.
Leah Paley (‘25) gave her vote to Rihanna. When I asked why, she responded, “She is a really good singer, a good mix of pop and rap, suits a lot of people's interests.”
Finally, to wrap up my interviews, Charles Gomez-Burke (‘26) said his favorite artist of the summer was Yeat. "He is the ‘G.O.A.T.’ artist right now, and he flows like water," said Gomez-Burke. Yeat, the new hit artist from California, rose to fame with hit songs, “Money So Big” and “Out The Way.”
After hearing a variety of music recommendations, I hope you can try some of them out and expand your own music taste, whether rap, pop, or one of the other 337 sub-genres of music, Edgemont listened to a wide variety of music that may inspire you the next time you load up Spotify. Edgemont is a small district, but everyone’s individual taste in music shows the diverse culture within.