“We were born into a world on fire.”
– Jon Bryant’s At Home
Two years ago, I discovered a new music genre. Little did I know that this style of strumming,of lyrics, of philosophy would grow on me so smoothly and yet so quickly, becoming my favorite genre. I still consider myself to be very picky when it comes to the songs I like, let alone the ones I download on my phone (make no mistake, there is a thin line between those two). However, I found my favorite category of songs and what I particularly love in them. I am a huge fan of indie music.
Based on the definitions found on the Internet, indie music is not a genre. It actually stands for “independent” music. In other words, it is music that is not financially produced or managed by any of the four major record labels (WMG, Sony BMG, EMI and Universal). Looking back on it, it does make sense since most of the artists I listen to are unknown to the general public. For example, one of my favourite indie artists is Australian singer Harrison Storm, who averages 80 thousand views per music video on YouTube and has less than 10,000 subscribers to his channel. To put those numbers in perspective, British artist James Blunt (rated as 461st most popular artist in the world according to music streaming platform Spotify) averages 70 million views per music video with 2.33 million subscribers on YouTube.
“I think indie is going to bring back the spirit in music. There was a time when it was all about accommodating to the music business, the music was getting tasteless. But the spirit is back.”
– Yoko Ono
It might be true that indie music is just music that is produced with financial independence from major record corporations. It might just be about the financial aspect of music production, which is why these artists do not get the same exposure as the ones who get lobbied on the radio all day long. Selfishly speaking,I am thankful that these artists are not famous, as this is what creates the uniqueness in their music and allows me to give my own definition to indie music.
Indie music is not just the means of distribution involved. It is the style the artist uses in order to transcend their thoughts to you in a different way than how commercial songs do that. It reaches a new level of philosophy on certain things and the way we look at life as a whole. One of the best examples I use to explain how I feel when I listen to indie is Canyon City’s song called Breathe A World. In this song, the artist describes how he feels inside at the sight of each sunrise and sunset, turning it into a love story between the sun and the moon. A simple come and go between two basic things of our everyday lives have allowed the author to get lost in the moment of the beauty of the universe and of nature, to the point all he could do is “breathe a world”. The world represents the baby born from this amazing love.
“Maybe it’s an endless sight but each time I just sigh, I’d die
A million deaths
Live a thousand lives
Pray a hundred years
To stay awake tonight”
– Canyon City
Indie music is more than anything I could ever write or say. It is the perfect disconnection from a world on fire. It does not ask you to think about yesterday or tomorrow. All it asks you to do is lie down on your bed or in the grass, or go for a walk and enjoy the small things nature has to offer. During lockdown, residents in France were only allowed one hour a day outside. That hour felt like an entire afternoon as the feeling of the indie music in my ears, of the wind in my hair and of the sun on my skin started to mix together. There is a pattern I constantly find in indie songs: they use the simple things to make me feel great things inside.
I would associate these artists to the heroes who do small things with a great amount of love every day. True, we live in a world on fire, but believe me when I tell you that these people are the reason as to why the fire has not killed all life on Earth. A mother is an indie artist. A father is an indie artist. A younger brother and two older sisters are indie artists. A friend who sits next to you and does not say a word when you are feeling down is an indie artist. A man who compliments a random lady on the subway and then leaves without even waiting to see her reaction is an indie artist. A woman who stands up for her dreams and aims high is an indie artist.
I could go on forever about what indie music means to me, but I think the best way for you to understand me is to listen to the music I listen to. I have created a playlist on Spotify with Indie and Folk songs. In conclusion, I would say that indie music is the definition of true, real and good music.
“I love indie record stores. I love anything that’s about independence and preserving the brand of good music.”
– Raheem Devaughn
Change The Lens 