I truly believe that music has shaped my own life for the better, and that I would be miserable without it after being exposed and listening for so long.
When I was a freshman in high school, it was the first time I even thought about getting Spotify and listening to music; all I knew at that point was Taylor Swift and some Coldplay, and any one-off songs that I would recognize from other pop artists. But after getting Spotify, I set myself up to construct a playlist of everything I had ever heard and liked, and now it stands at 1,453 songs and over 82 hours in length. I simply have to press shuffle when I’m in the car and it will always be something I hadn’t heard in a week or so.
But having the music itself isn’t the only aspect of it that’s changed my experience and connection to music. I’m part of an a cappella group on campus called the UMBC Cleftomaniacs (a fun little pun on the word kleptomaniac because we always steal the show), and performing as part of an a cappella group is not like any other kind of singing; doos and dahs and dms and ohs aren’t exactly solo singing and more choral, but adding the rhythm and the attempts to take on instruments and chords that existing songs have is what brings a kind of thrill and challenge to the singing. Plus, it feels like I’m part of a family; without one section of our group there, our singing would always fall apart. Everyone giving it their best shot and putting a step forward creates a bond and a great composition when we finally take the stage and perform. Phenomenology works in mysterious ways, right?
As a member of the group for almost two full years now, I can’t help but be nervous about my last semester. I’ve never had a solo, and so I fall victim to imposter syndrome regularly even though every other person I’ve heard sing in my life, and more importantly, my group, sounds amazing. I practice and practice and I’ve begun recording myself and even gaining the confidence to share it with the world through a click of the button, so I just hope to get a solo in my last semester with my friends.
P.S. If you would like to see my group’s performances, you can find them at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsauUuU0WoIyw3lC2JKbm7g
And if you like a cappella in general, please, please, please give any of these a listen. It’s worth it:
Unruly Bodies 
Music is definitely life changing. I remember being a HUGE Travis Scott fan where to the point I felt like I was brainwashed looking back at it. But even now I see myself only listening to like 3-4 artists. on Apple Music so maybe I need a Spotify playlist like yours so I can explore other options instead of the same four artists. Because I don’t mind the other genres. But I love you’re in a group you enjoy at UMBC, good for you!