Music is something that surrounds us on the daily. It is there waiting for us on our playlists when we wake up in the morning, it is there when we commute, and throughout various points of our day, it is there for us to listen to at any time. Music has become so broad that it is composed of many diverse groups that are represented, and one group of students at New Jersey City University has decided to make representation through music, their project. Their project is called “Listen To This!” 

“Our group drew inspiration from Fluxus movement artists like Yoko Ono, and we turned the mundane task of listening to music into our expression for activism”, said Leigh Isaac, Melody Mclain, and Megan Herrera.

The group came together to create a project called “Listen to This” that focuses on Asian representation by highlighting Asian bodies from different national, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds in various genres. Through this project, six playlists were created: Chill [R&B and Jazz], Hip-Hop, Pop, Study [Classical], Indie, and Rage/Metal. The group carefully thought this project out with the purpose to showcase the diversity that can be found in Asian music with 180 artists from around the world. The group expressed that through highlighting the Asian artists within different genres, culture, and language, they hope it will educate people on what defines the sound of “Asian Music” and diversify users’ playlists. 

Thus far, the “Listen to This” project has accumulated more that 400 saves throughout all playlists in a span of a week. If any of you want in on some good music, the project will be available through a “LinkTree” link and multiple barcodes that will take you to the Spotify platform, where the playlists will be easily accessible. The playlists feature a variety of artists that will take you on a musical journey. These three students did a remarkable job at bringing this project together and it is worth checking out! 

Link to playlists: https://linktr.ee/listen_to_this