Beyonce.  Ariana Grande.  One Direction.  These artists are just a few of many that can be found just by tuning into the local KISS FM station.  But is pop music the only kind of music that teens listen to anymore?

According to TeenZeen.org, many teens discover new music by listening to the radio, asking friends for recommendations or through the internet.  

“I was listening to the radio when I first discovered some things that I liked,” says Arrowhead junior Colton Malotky.  “I did some research and found different artists that I really liked.  I like heavy metal bands.  Some examples include Disturbed, Slipknot, and Rammstein.”

Despite the common stereotype that millennials listen to only pop and modern rap music commonly featured on radio stations, many teens listen to a diverse number of genres including (but not limited to) rock, R&B, reggae, EDM, and more.  

“I like at least one song from every music genre,” says Arrowhead junior Christen Currey.  “So I consider myself musically diverse.  I don’t listen to much American radio, but I like modern rap.  Just not the modern pop music.”

Listening to music is definitely a popular pastime for many teens.  However, some don’t pay a dime.  According to a study conducted by Stage of Life, almost half of all teens pay $0 to get music, by downloading it off the internet for free or burning friends’ CDs.  

“I listen to a lot of indie and punk music,” says AHS junior Nathan Roundhouse.  “I either download it off the internet for free or I buy album on vinyl.”

On the topic of music, many teens often go to concerts and see their favorite artists live.  Summerfest is a popular music festival stationed here, in Milwaukee, and every year many teens go see their favorite acts live.  

“This year I saw the Wailers, Violent Femmes, and Joan Jett.  It was really cool to see some of my favorite artists live,” says Roundhouse.  “Earlier this year, I also went and saw Smashing Pumpkins live.”

Some teens get together with friends that have the same music taste and make a band.  Some bands can be found even here at Arrowhead, like the band Slush.  
“Slush was created when someone stepped in snow and said ‘Slush!’ and then someone else said that would make a good band name.  The actual band was started one night when we were bored and recorded all of Lunch by Slush in one night on a phone,” says AHS junior and Slush band member Jack Bohnsack.  “Our music isn’t confined to a single genre.  We just like to have fun and make dope jams.  We also made Brunch by Slush in one night but this time, we used microphones.  Us and our friends like Griffin [Drewes] helped promote all of Slush.  For Smell Mop Who, we spent quite a bit more time on it and released it right before the end of school.  In my opinion, Slush is just a fun thing to do.  It’s never too serious and is meant to be fun.”