Music is a critically powerful tool used by many people to achieve the desired emotional state or relax and enjoy themselves. The favorite genres and the preferences of either vocal or instrumental music largely depend on a specific individual. However, some general trends still exist and are defined by the broader changes in society and popular lifestyles. They result in the increased popularity of vocal music for a number of different reasons.
The most prominent contributor to the given trend is the abundance of information surrounding everybody today. This leads to people getting used to acquiring only the data lying on the surface, and the same approach often becomes true for the emotional sphere as well. Since instrumental music requires deeper thinking for its interpretation, it may seem too complicated for many. Besides, researchers noted that “it is the lyrics that make all the difference as in whether the music is a happy or sad one” (Otchere & Dordzro, 2020, p. 82). The given trend is evident during the review of the surveys indicating the most appealing compositions of recent years. For instance, in 2019, the first place was occupied by “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X (Chow & Bruner, 2019). The song is a perfect example of a vocal composition, where the lyrics are used to convey the predominant emotions, and the music becomes the structure through which they are expressed.
Therefore, the excessive amounts of information and the changing approaches to its processing have tipped the balance between instrumental and vocal music. Thanks to being more accessible for its interpretation, the latter has grown in popularity, leaving the former appealing mostly to certain groups of people or predominant during specific events. This trend will definitely shape the future music preferences for several decades, enabling the world to meet several new outstanding compositions.
References
Chow, A. R., & Bruner, R. (2019). The 10 best songs of 2019. Time. Web.
Otchere, E. D., & Dordzro, J. D. (2020). Popular emotions in popular music: The highlife experience. European Journal of Education Studies, 7(3), 75-87. Web.