Powerful music from Bay and Bey

TAYLER REVIERE VERNINAS | THE USD VISTA | ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Music is an unbelievably beautiful art form. It has the ability to bring back a vivid memory along with the emotional feelings that come with that particular memory. It has the power to ignite raw passion and intense reactions from within. Every beat, melody, and lyric contains a different meaning from its creator, and therefore elicits different interpretations from each  of us.

A little over a week ago, I witnessed one of the best live performances I have ever experienced so far in my life. I was in awe at the insanely talented James Bay and the intense emotions that were sparked within me from listening to live, authentic music.

There was something about his music that brought complete serenity to the venue and a peaceful ambiance between members of the crowd. Couples swayed together, friends sang along passionately, and fans closed their eyes to bask in the moment. James Bay sang with such conviction and heart that he further exemplified the depth behind his meaningful lyrics.

The power of music is inexplicable, honestly. My realization for this continued a few days ago after Beyoncé released her visual album, Lemonade. Visual albums consist of lengthy music videos that contain all of the songs within an artist’s album, and sometimes contains a plot sequence or overall tie-in message between each different song and video.

However, Lemonade is more than just a big music video featuring all of Beyoncé’s new songs on her recently released album. It tells a story that brings back vivid memories and evokes strong, passionate feelings of hurt, love, anger, fear, lust, isolation, discrimination, and compassion. The art of her visual album contains dynamic beats, poetic lines, and aesthetic images that convey various messages open to multiple interpretations.

Both Bay and Beyoncé utilize their musical talent and authentic passion to share their life experiences with a bigger audience, possibly hoping to make a deeper connection that music has the power to create among people. So whether it is a live two-hour performance or a one-hour visual album, Toreros should recognize the beauty of every song, acknowledge the work put in to creatively configuring a beat, and appreciate the story behind the lyrics.