COLUMN: Is dance music dead? – Indiana Daily Student

“I am very concerned about the future of my culture, which is clubbing. This is a dying art,” said Tinx, the host of “It’s Me, Tinx” on SiriusXM in the May 7 episode of the “Trash Tuesday Podcast”.  
Since it’s summer, I’ve done hardly anything else other than work and doom scroll TikTok. While scrolling the other day, I came across that video clip. This clip was stitched by content creator Danisha Carter, who explained the art of clubbing is dying because there is nothing to dance to. In the video, Carter demonstrates this by trying to dance to the song “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone, and it is clear that songs like this are for swaying, not dancing.  
I found myself invested in this idea. I went to the comments to see the discourse, and most agreed. Comments read statements like, “WE NEED KESHA” and “2010’s music was THE CLUBBING MUSIC ERA.”  
At first, I agreed. Dance music is dying. A lot of local clubs have nights dedicated to classic dance music. They host special events where they only play Rihanna, Lady Gaga or Kesha. It seems that clubs and bars capitalize on dance music dying, and they can make more money off nostalgia. Otherwise, if you walk into any bar or club, they will be playing the Billboard Top 100 or the iHeartRadio Country Top 40 on a loop.  
An additional factor that I think has affected dance music is COVID-19. We went for a few years without going to clubs or bars to dance with our friends. Artists used their craft as a creative outlet to cope with the pandemic. To help ourselves cope with the pandemic, we listened to their music. While all of this soulful and meaningful music was nice to have these past few years, I think it’s time to get back to more upbeat music.  
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy artists like Benson Boone, Noah Kahan and Zach Bryan as much as the next person, but I’m ready for something new. Something a little more exciting.  
Over a few days, I added songs to my playlists from the classic Y2K and early 2010s artists. They were nostalgic and brought back memories of turning on the radio in my mom’s car and asking her to turn it up because it was a song I could sing along to. As I sang to the lyrics of “Umbrella” by Rihanna, I thought to myself, “Why do I have to wait for some special night to listen to music like this?”  
I then realized I didn’t. Just because music from the greats like Rihanna, Kesha, Madonna and Lady Gaga hasn’t been as prevalent in the past few years, doesn’t mean dance music still isn’t being released. The only difference is the dance music that is currently being released has taken a different form. It has evolved.  
Like the theory of evolution, music must evolve to survive. To survive in an age of instant gratification, artists must create music that is different in some way, whether it be sonically, emotionally or thematically. The only reason dance music is considered “dead” is because we haven’t been able to tear ourselves away from the nostalgia and observe what is right under our noses. Dance music is being released constantly, and we are completely oblivious to it.  
I decided to research artists who are releasing music that fits the dance music genre. I curated a playlist with artists, new and old, who are actively releasing music that is fit for the club or dancing with your friends that people aren’t listening to. Some of these artists include Charli XCX, Troye Sivan, Tiësto, The Chainsmokers, Jonas Blue, David Guetta, Bebe Rexha and Zedd.  
Charli XCX released her album “BRAT” on June 7, and she brought her A-game. “BRAT” is heavily influenced by techno yet embraces the 90s and the Y2K nostalgia we have been craving. Songs like “360,” “Von dutch,” and “Talk talk,” are all inspired by Y2K sounds.  
Troye Sivan has been on top of dance music with his album “Something To Give Each Other,” released in October 2023. Sivan’s recent songs, such as “Rush” and “Honey,” have exactly what we have been deprived of: fun lyrics, a simple beat and exciting theatrics. 
Tijs Michiel Verwest, known as Tiësto, is a 55-year-old Dutch music producer and DJ who has been producing music since 1994 and has released several mixes since the pandemic that are similar to typical house music. Even my 56-year-old dad can’t get enough of mixes such as the 2020 release titled, “The Business.”  
With a little bit of digging, dance music is still available and is ready to be received by the public. It’s time to take a break from the season of the sticks. The dance floor has been pretty lonely these past few years, so drag your friends over and request your new favorite song.  
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