Pop Music and its Role as a Communicative Medium to Express Emotions among Youth

Abstract

The social nature of music can influence human emotions. Music allows listeners to express their emotions, whether positive or negative at intrapersonal and interpersonal levels. Pop music in particular has been known as a useful tool to facilitate students’ learning and help them become creative, relieve their boredom, and help them get through difficult times. However, what is less known to date is how Pop music influences the emotions of youth and why they rely on the music to communicate their feelings. Available studies have mostly used surveys to collect data among pre-school and middle school children. Samples have also been mostly from Western countries. Utilising a qualitative research method, we recruited 12 undergraduate students from public and private university in Selangor, Malaysia. The participants were selected using the purposive sampling method and data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted both online and face-to-face. Thematic analysis revealed that students experience joy, relaxation, happiness, and sadness when they listen to their favourite Pop songs. Pop music enables youth to release powerful emotional responses such as thrills and chills. The relatable and meaningful lyrics often mirror their inner thoughts and feelings and helps them express and explore their emotions when communicating with other people.