I have always been a strong believer that music is an essential part of who we are. In other terms, the music we listen to shapes who we are as a person.
I was raised on whatever my mom was listening to, which consisted mainly of ‘90s female pop music, like Britney Spears, the Pussycat Dolls, Whitney Houston and many more.
As I look back on this list of empowering female artists, I can see where I get my sassy, independent and girl-boss nature.
However, my dad prefered rock music, like the Barenaked Ladies, Journey and Queen.
Since then, I have found myself singing “The Old Apartment” and “When I Grow Up.”
My all-time favorite song from my childhood has to be “Don’t Stop Believing.” No matter where I am at or what I’m doing, I will drop everything to sing and dance to this song.
As the years went on, my favorite music was mainly Disney Channel songs from “Hannah Montana,” “High School Musical,” any Hilary Duff production and so much more. Despite my age, these are still the first songs I play when I need to be hyped up. “Nobody’s Perfect,” by Hannah Montana, will always be a bop and hype me up no matter what mood I’m in.
I remember in fifth grade when “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” came out, and I told all my friends that the ending song would be our senior year song. Although friendships ended and time went by, that song still stuck in my heart. I listened to it on the way to my high school graduation and sobbed.
The next few years featured a lot of Taylor Swift music. Like most teenage girls, I felt I related to the various breakup songs and empowerment anthems.
Today, I am still a fan of Swift, and hopefully I’ll never stop. Listening to her grow up through her music felt like I had a friend who was going through the same issues as me.
My favorite song of hers through my teen years had to be “Mine.” The premise of this song is a young Swift watching herself grow and her life change as it enters different stages.
My freshman year of college, Swift released her sixth studio album “Reputation.” Swift showed her true colors and acted unapolgetically through various scandals. This album helped me to step outside my comfort zone and show my true colors as well.
Recently, I have been into songs that exhibit girl power. My favorite at the moment is “Girls Supporting Girls” by YouTuber Adelaine Morin. Morin has taken her fame and used it to draw attention to issues like bullying and body image. On top of the empowering message, the upbeat song always puts me in a good mood and makes me feel like I can take on the world.
Other songs I like come from my social media apps. While strolling through Tik Tok, I stumbled upon a song called “Yellow Hearts” by Ant Saunders. Although I have never heard of this artist, the 30 seconds I heard of it really caught my attention, so much that I have had it on replay for a few days now.
I challenge readers to look at their favorite songs and see how they have shaped their character. I bet it will surprise you.

OLIVIA HAHNER
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