Music has always been a big part of my life. From countless car trips, singing in the shower, and the connection in understanding the lyrics of a song, music is an escape. Not only does it allow people nationwide to understand each other, but it creates a space for people to overcome physical distance and language barriers. Personally, music helps me focus and stay calm. Here are my top 10 most listened to artists, with some of my favorite songs.

10. Ice Nine Kills – 383 plays:

Ice Nine Kills is my best friend, Peyton Earls’, favorite band, so when I met her I was introduced to them. Early on they didn’t actually fit in with my taste in music, but as time moved forward, and my music taste changed, I started to also become a fan. They make music mostly about horror films and stories. My favorite songs are “Tess-Timony” and “A Grave Mistake.” Another obvious choice being their parody of “Stacy’s Mom,” titled “Jason’s Mom” about the devotion of Pamela Voorhees as she slaughters the campers of Chrystal Lake after her son drowns.

9. NF – 398 plays:

I’m not a huge fan of rap, but NF has always been an exception. I discovered him in 6th grade and his songs are probably the first that I actually felt sad while listening to. Throughout the years, he has released two EPs and six albums with a darker, almost hopeless tone. However, this past year he released “HOPE” which included a sequel to one of his most popular songs “How Could You Leave Us,” titled “MAMA,” where he finally expresses his forgiveness and understanding toward his mom’s struggles with addiction. One of my favorites of his songs is “STORY,” off his album “Clouds (The Mixtape),” in which he tells a literal story that lasts 4:40.

8. YUNGBLUD – 457 plays:

YUNGBLUD is a unique find. I actually discovered him through a “Lockdown Session” he did with Machine Gun Kelly. It was a cover of “Champaign Supernova” by Oasis. His voice is shockingly more pop than I expected and his range is incredible, so I looked into his music. Since then, I have been a huge fan and love the Black Hearts Club. My favorite of his songs is “Sweet Heroine” which is off his last album “Yungblud”.

7. iann dior – 702 plays:

I’m not entirely sure how I discovered Iann Dior, but I’m think it was the collab he did with Jxdn, “Ton!ght.” Afterwards, I learned that he has done multiple collabs with artists that I like, and that he is featured on the popular song “Mood” by 24kGoldn. At this point in time he hadn’t really released any music that I would listen to often, so he wasn’t a regular on my playlists. Then, in 2022, he released “On to Better Things” and I fell in love with the album. My favorite song happens to be “Thought it Was” featuring MGK and Travis Barker.

6. Tate McRae – 773 plays:

Tate is the artist that I have consistently listened to the longest. I discovered her YouTube channel right as she released her first “Create with Tate” in which she performed “One Day” on her little keyboard. At this point in time she didn’t even know how to play the keyboard but instead formed chords that sounded good to her ear. This is incredibly inspirational to me, and I began to look forward to her posts. During the height of COVID, in 2020, she filmed her own music video to her most popular hit “You Broke me First.” This led to her first EP as an official artist, and then her first album in 2022. While I love her new songs, including “chaotic” and “boy x,” my favorites will always be the originals like “Shoulder to Shoulder” and “Teenage Mind.”

5. Machine Gun Kelly – 1010 plays:

Another quarantine find is Machine Gun Kelly on my YouTube recommended. The first song I had heard of his (besides “Bad Things” by Camilla Cabello…which I didn’t know he was featured on) is his song “Glass House” from his last rap album “Hotel Diablo.” The deep emotional charge in his lyrics and his cadence pulled me in. While I am not a huge fan of his older works, his last two albums (with the exception of a couple songs) are some of my top favorites. I love all of his “Lockdown Sessions,” but my favorite of his songs come from “Tickets to my Downfall.”

4. Dean Lewis – 1023 plays:

Dean Lewis is another older artist. “Be Alright,” a song from 2019, is the first that I had heard and is his most popular song. From there, I gained a love for the tone of his album matching the dreariness of lockdown. As time went on, I began to listen to a lot more of his songs, and as he released his last album, I couldn’t help wanting to see him in concert. One of my favorites of his songs is “How Do I Say Goodbye,” which is about his dad getting cancer and the fear of losing him sooner than expected.

3. Jessie Murph – 1026 plays:

Although Jessie Murph is a newer artist, she is still one of my most often listened to, with her song “When I’m Not Around” being the first that I had ever heard and one of my favorite songs to sing while doing chores. Even being only 19 and just starting to release music in the past few years, she has made great strides toward fame. These accomplishments include huge collabs like Diplo and Jelly Roll as well as a song on the new “Fast X” soundtrack. My personal favorite of her songs is “Pray” or “Where Do You Go” with “What Happened to Ryan” being a very honorable mention.

2. jxdn (Jaden Hossler) – 1155 plays:

I learned who Jxdn is from a random YouTube video where he, and his friends, did a video with a group called Free Time. They would make funny content and do challenge videos. A while after, he released his first single “Comatose,” which was soon followed by “Angels and Demons.” This song led him to be signed as one of the first artists on Travis Barker’s label DTA. He released his first album “Tell Me About Tomorrow” for his best friend Cooper Noriega in 2021. My favorite songs of his are “Even in the Dark” and “Beautiful Boy” off his release “28 (Songs for Coop)” after Cooper passed in 2022.

1. Nessa Barrett – 2619 plays:

I discovered Nessa at the end of 2019 before she has even released her first song and was simply a TikToker. Her first song, “Pain,” actually got a lot of hate because people didn’t want to accept that TikTokers had more talent than just being good looking and ten second dances. As time went on, Nessa experimented and found her sound, releasing her first album, “Pretty Poison,” in 2021. Although I do love her early works, her second to last album “Young Forever (Extended)” is my favorite with the exception of a few songs on her last album, coming to top five.

Honorable Mentions:

Alec Benjamin- 382 plays, Corpse- 376 plays, Zevia- 370 plays, Rowan Drake- 353 plays, Stevie Howie- 327 plays