By: Audrey Pardes and Jiana Rush
in music. We got to talk for a little bit about what we love about music and how we came across
it. Both of our stories are quite unique and entertaining, so let’s dive in a little deeper to see what
Jiana had to say about music. First and foremost, Jiana comes from a musical background; there
are multiple people in her family such as her father and grandfather who both play instruments.
Jiana shared that at the age of 6 years old she attempted to play the piano, but shortly after
realized that it wasn’t her thing. Her grandfather shared many vinyl discs with her and she says
that she has more than 200 discs. One of those being one that blew her away, because of how
outdated it is. She says that her favorite one is called, White Trash by the Winter Brothers. It’s all
rock music and she loves every song from that album.
Jiana says that her love of music is what inspired her to write and though she has not written any
music she has written some lyrics. She spoke about how music speaks to her and that every song
has a message. When I asked her what her favorite song was she said KodaChrome by Paul
Simon. She listens to every type of music and is currently on a 2000s R&B kick. Jiana shared
that she listens to music all day, even when she’s watching TV. One song that is always with her
is by Billy Joel: Vienna. She says and I quote, “ It captures me as a person.” Jiana shared so
much about her personal musical life and why she’s so intrigued by it; the last question I had
was, how has music changed her life, she said, “ there are important messages in every song;
there is a story behind ever word and phrase, and that’s what makes a song worth listening to,”
That’s what Jiana had to say about music. I hope people love music as much as we do.
Audrey, a senior at ASUPD, and I have discovered a common thread between the two of
us: singing. Not only does she sing, but she plays instruments, too. Audrey has always been
interested in music, but she started to sing and even perform when she was around 10 years old.
As she has gotten older, she has begun to play piano and acoustic guitar.
Her favorite music to play is Taylor Swift’s. She is also Audrey’s favorite artist. She loves Taylor
Swift because of her ability to weave her life into her music. Audrey says her music is “…a good
way to capture [your] emotions.” Taylor covers all bases, whether you are happy or have just
gone through a break-up. Besides her versatility in her songwriting, Taylor also speaks out about
current issues and encourages women to be themselves and be proud of who they are
authentically. Audrey’s favorite Taylor Swift album at the moment is Evermore. Her favorite
song is “Coney Island”, which can be found on the Evermore album.
Audrey’s favorite genre of music is pop. The best time, she says, to listen to her favorite
music is when she is doing math. It tends to help her focus better. She likes to listen to music
through headphones because it is like “a vacation in your head.” Audrey also says that when
listening to a song in headphones you “…compare your life to that song’s lyrics” and can connect
to music in that way.
It was interesting to hear someone else’s perspective on music and how it affects their
life. Audrey and I are examples of the fact that even though we come from different backgrounds
musically and have different tastes in music, it is the one thing that brought us together.
