ENGL103 Canadian Literature

Music During the Pandemic

The year 2020 was a turning point of the 21^st century as the world crumbled under the weight of the deadly and fast spreading Corona virus. The pandemic resulted in the crashing of economies due to numerous nations imposing lockdowns, hunger among the poor and a sharp rise in the death tolls due to the fatality quotient of the virus as well as various other stressors. However, it also allowed the citizens time and space to invest and practice on their music and aid the growth of creativity. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to state how the world-feared pandemic stepped in as a boon for artists and creators in the field of music as well as how it influenced the well-being of the citizens.

The art form of pop music is defined by the mixture of musical, choreographic and theatrical elements (Kablova and Terteria 147). Due to its multifaceted nature, it is regarded as one of the most famous form of musical genre in the world. Although popular on a large scale and among all age groups, it was noted that it was hugely popular among the adolescent group (Jing 12). It was also a factor that provided a release to this age group from the mundane aspects of life.  The article by Kablova and Terteria also investigates how the modern process of music impacts the cultural norms of the music industry.

The digital age today has come across as a boon for budding musicians and artists as they have an innumerable amount of tools and social media platforms through which they can showcase their talent. Even the media today provide them with priority coverage so that they are doing their best to contribute towards the growing arts. Even a number of creative ideas are laid out of for the music industry to avoid getting monogamous and boring. One such creative idea of a program was conceptualised by the artistic director of Nakai Theatre in Whitehorse, Jacob Zimmer who conceptualised the firm’s “24-hour long music creativity competition” (White).

Since the advent of the technological facilities, it is safe to say that music has been allotted a channel that was unimaginable a few decades ago. During the pandemic, when businesses and physical platforms were shut, the online platform was filled with new talent and composing. It acted as a window of sanity and projection in an otherwise inescapable environment. Habe, Biasutti and Kajtana’s (3) paper properly investigates how music fulfilled the role of an emotional de-stressor and promoted well-being among the masses during the commotional time of the pandemic.

The lockdown brought on by the pandemic had its own bounty of side effects such as alienation, stress anxiety and even depression. It made many realize that the simple act of grooving to music with our loved ones during the normal time was indeed taken for granted. With the onset of the government imposed lockdowns, videos on social media went viral of neighbours singing from the rooftops and balconies (Rogers). This was even considered as healthy by many health specialists and mental health experts. This was due to the factor that music resonated with happiness and during the happy times, oxytocin or the love hormone is said to be produced in our brains which is responsible for countering stress and depression (Zhang et al. 133).

Major research companies such as OnePoll in collaboration with the music giant Harman also conducted researches as to how beneficial music was in order to cope with the stressful pandemic situation. The survey was conducted on the sample size of 2000 people and the results were found that more than 80 per cent of the people concluded that music was instrumental in aiding them with the loneliness induced by quarantine during the pandemic (Harman). Many even stated that watching musical performances in the virtual spheres aided them in combating the loneliness factor and made them feel more connected to each other.

The power of music during the pandemic could be well comprehended by the number of audience the online shows amassed. These shows constituted of live-streamed concerts and virtual talent show appearances. It was an incredible feat achieved by the K-pop star group BTS who set a record as their live streamed music show amassed a whopping 756,000 fans from a number of nations (BBC News). Such was the popularity for a pay-per-view online concert. BTS as a band is also hugely popular among the adolescent group and their songs have been known to help victims of depression fight it. In regards to the online gaming module, an appearance by Travis Scott in Battle Royale was attended by a whopping 12. 3 m players (Stuart). The profit percent from such shows is also unimaginable. Thus, the pandemic although a dent on the world and the health factor, has been extremely beneficial to the artists in terms of popularity and money.

Many musicians also provided a glimpse of their living stations which made them connected more to their fans and helped both the parties get connected through the virtual space. Taylor Swift’s folklore which was conceptualised during the lockdown became the year’s top grossing album (Khurana). This shows how one’s creative juices get flowing when there is nothing much left to do. Music became a way to speak their heat out for the creators and a shelter for the lonely people stranded in the aloofness of their nests due to the pandemic.

In summation, music has been a lifesaver and a stronghold for many during the imposed lockdown. The elation of the people on hearing their favourite artists and bands play have all been noted in the digital record. Music as a tool has helped people forget their loneliness and has enabled them to connect with many likeminded minds all across the globe. The pandemic led by the feared corona virus was detrimental to the world in numerous aspects but the growth of artists and creativity along with the fact that it aided in the well-being of the people can be thought of as  a silver lining of the pandemic period.

Works Cited

“BTS: 100 Million Fans Watch Virtual Map of The Soul ON:E Concert - CBBC Newsround.” BBC News, BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/54497760.

“The Power of Music during a Pandemic.” HARMAN International, www.harman.com/India/Pages/The-Power-of-Music-during-a-Pandemic--.aspx.

Habe, Katarina, Michele Biasutti, and Tanja Kajtna. "Wellbeing and flow in sports and music students during the covid-19 pandemic." Thinking Skills and Creativity 39 (2021): 100798.

Kablova, Tetiana, and Victor Teteria. "Popular Song Creativity in the Socio-cultural Context." Journal of History Culture and Art Research 9.3 (2020): 147-154.

Khurana, Suanshu. “Explained: Why Taylor Swift's 'Folklore' Has Become a Best-Seller, despite the Pandemic.” The Indian Express, 12 Nov. 2020, indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-why-taylor-swifts-folklore-has-become-a-best-seller-despite-the-pandemic-6980946/.

Rogers, Dave. “How Music Has Come to Our Rescue during the Pandemic.” Mint, 20 Nov. 2020, www.livemint.com/news/business-of-life/how-music-has-come-to-our-rescue-during-the-pandemic-11605796478071.html.

Stuart, Keith “More than 12m Players Watch Travis Scott Concert in Fortnite.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 24 Apr. 2020, www.theguardian.com/games/2020/apr/24/travis-scott-concert-fortnite-more-than-12m-players-watch.

White, Dave “Music to Keep Your Creativity Flowing | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 1 Nov. 2020, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/airplay-yukon-music-1.5784291.

Zhang, Jinfan, et al. "Sadness and happiness are amplified in solitary listening to music." Cognitive processing 19.1 (2018): 133-139.

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