TO BE OR NOT TO BE THE MAIN CHARACTER: GEN Z’S ESCAPE INTO MUSIC

I was surprised the day I learned I was not the only child that escaped into their own music video once the radio turned on. The sorrowful look in the eyes, the distant and longing stare as trees pass the car window, and the wonder of what could have been. Of course this is all too deep and insightful for a ten year old to be thinking about. Nevertheless, Eminem and Rihanna’s “I Love The Way You Lie” provided the perfect background music to the scenario I created on that one long car ride to the waterpark in 2010. Who was to tell me that I hadn’t actually gotten my heart broken before? That I wasn’t the only child listening to a sad song with a deep sorrow that could only possibly come from two divorces and a home foreclosure? 

Eventually, I learned I was not unique. The habit of romanticizing my life was not unique to me, as I’m sure almost everyone in our generation has had the shared looking-out-the-car-window-music-video experience. But, what is interesting is our generation’s tendency to utilize music to escape into another reality. To be fair, one of the major advantages of music is to provide an escape. Nonetheless, Gen Z’s obsession of using not only music, but really anything to escape and romanticize their lives is timely. Naturally, during a global pandemic one would find a way to escape the everyday dread, as proven through Tik Tok’s spring 2020 cottage core trend. Gen Z has grasped onto the concept of becoming the “main character”; a new way of taking the reins on life by being the star of their own show. And what is a main character without a soundtrack to accompany them? 

Music is the ultimate form of romanticization, and it is no longer confined to the days of looking out the window of a car. Recently, the idea of being a main character through music seems to be more common as proven by homemade video compilations set to a song á la social media such as Tik Tok.  You see this manifest to the point where Spotify editors have released a playlist titled “my life is a movie,” a collection of songs to best feel like the main character. It is interesting that the current tendency is to use music as a way to create an entirely new environment and life. This may seem like an extreme to some, but it begs the question: is it concerning how much our generation wants to escape? should we learn to live more in our present life? 

If Gen Z has a tiny bit of an escapism problem, there is full reasoning behind it. The last five years have been politically tumultuous to say the least, and adding a global pandemic on top of it all, of course music presents itself as nostalgia, youth, recklessness, passion, sorrow, and power all wrapped up with a pretty bow on top. Furthermore, for many, music serves as a time capsule to past decades that are usually categorized by youth as “simpler times,” or provides an opportunity to daydream an alternate life beyond the four small walls of your bedroom.

Talking with a friend about music romanticization, I realize it serves a more significant role in people’s lives than I originally thought.  My friend provided some much needed insight into how being the main character through music has helped them “get through every day of this pandemic.” Deciding what song to play allows them to tackle the day with an amplified persona and version of themself. So, while it may be easy to criticize those who seem to live in another dimension with their music, it is very telling of the times where mentally existing in another space is essential to get. 

Music serves as a way to deepen any emotion we feel, which is why oddly enough many listen to melancholy music when down. Whether you need a complete escape from reality, or you just want to keep a lasting feeling a bit longer, music will always be there to transport you in a second. So, in the spirit of this piece, it seems fitting to leave you with a playlist of songs that make me best feel like the main character of my own movie.

Click Here: You Are The Main Character Spotify Playlist !