During these difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic, streaming sites have seen an increase in searches for nostalgic, upbeat music. Indeed, music has helped individuals accept and overcome tough times, not just during this crisis but throughout history, as well.

Have the songs you listen to, and why you keep on listening to them changed through the COVID-19 crisis?

The Popularity of Chart Hits on Spotify

Specifically, on Spotify, the chart hits' popularity declined 28 percent from March 12 to April 16. Alternatively, listeners of the online music platform are searching from "chill" and instrumental music.

In early April on Spotify, a 54-percent increase was recorded, specifically, in listeners who create nostalgia-themed playlists, and an uptick in music's popularity from the 50s decade, until the 80s.

More than 50 percent of those taking part in a which the Nielsen Music/MRC Data conducted towards the end of March this year claimed they were looking for comfort in nostalgic and familiar content in their music-listening and TV viewing.

Relatively, this survey conducted was based on the answers of over 940 consumers in the United States aged 13 years old and above, plus responses from online.

According to Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, the pandemic has changed the manner in which people are listening. 

Reconnecting to Self and Community

In a moment when a lot of people are dealing with both increased anxiety as well as increased solitude, familiar music offers a guarantee since it can take someone back to a calmer, more simple time. 

Whether it is a hit song one dances to with his teenage friends or a memorable orchestral piece the older people played, music undeniably lights up recalls of life.

Indeed, music lets one develop an emotional story between the past and present when struggling to articulate such a narrative in words.

Music enthusiasts, experts, and analysts say music helps an individual reconnect to his identities. It also helps help a person, as any kind of art does, to pursue an otherwise indescribable search for meaning. And in doing so, music helps boost one's resilience amidst a struggle.

As for the communities, this COVID-19 crisis has affected some, much harder compared to others. More so, it has demonstrated the manner the existing discriminations are "thrown into much greater relief in these times of pandemic." 

However, in all communities hit by the virus, this pandemic, definitely has the capacity of triggering anxious feelings about their current separations from loved ones and even trauma.

Therefore, listening to music one is familiar with reminds him of the family and friends who have contributed to who he is.

In today's situation, different as it is from the one experienced by the "Salvadoran civil war refugees," familiar music is likewise allowing reconnection both to a much bigger community of friends, family, and even strangers, and personal identity. They also love to listen to a long list of familiar songs.

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