JOY BLOG

12 Jul 2023

Why is Alternative Music so Relatable?

This article was written by Wyni, one of JOY’s recent Work Experience students, as part of his time at JOY. The prompt was: “write something you feel passionate about”.

I am a queer teenager that considers himself a ‘metalhead,’ and for years I’ve been listening to rock, metal and screamo, but as I’ve gotten more involved in the music scene, I found a sense of self-acceptance in my queer identity catalyst, in part, from my music taste.

Alternative music such as metal, goth, and punk are not considered ‘mainstream’ and the subcultures and fans of this music are often shunned by so called ‘mainstream’ media.

This narrative of being shunned away from public spaces, told not to be so ‘loud’ about who you are, and your interests are- is a familiar story for many queer people. Queer people are often shunned from being ‘out and proud’ about their differences and thus many lgbtqia+ people – especially teenagers– relate to a genre of music that is enjoyed and created by fellow outcasts.

When meeting new queer people and learning more about myself, I realised how easy it is to connect to punk music that often shares the same political and social ideas as many queer people – specifically that there is so much misguided hate pushed onto people that are not positive represented in mainstream media, as well as the message that it is okay and even freeing to not ‘fit in.’ For me, it is a way to channel a lot of the anger I feel about hateful ideas and systems that exist within our world that’s only purpose is to hurt people that already lack support and representation. Particularly, during a time where my identity as trans is being turned into a political debate and the increase of legislative actions and fear mongering continue to change how safe I am to express myself.

The Journey to Find Music that I Connected To:

During a time in which I was searching for a kind of music and social environment that supported me, I realised that I needed to enter a space that celebrated the differences and nuances of every individual person, but those spaces weren’t accessible in straight, cis environments that prioritised appearances and social conformity. While I struggled to relate to a lot of my cis straight peers, I also couldn’t see myself in a lot of mainstream pop music and only after exploring how music influenced my confidence I finally started to research and learn more about the music my parents love.

I started learning more about my parents’ interests as a teenager; such as music, films, art and their connection to punk ideology and culture. I started to accept that I didn’t need to fit in with all these people that always judged me – I don’t need to look like them, have the same interests, and I definitely did not need to make myself straight or cis for them.

I had always felt like I didn’t really relate to a lot of the other people my age; the way they dressed, acted, and even their interests, but through music I’ve been able to meet people that felt the same – especially a lot of queer people my age and older.

As I’ve gotten older, I wanted to develop my own identity and as I have always used music to help me express myself, I started to explore bands like GWAR, SOAD, and Megadeth. Making me realise that this kind of thrashy and heavy music could make me feel confident, and oddly prouder in my identity as a trans teenager.

I now use intense and aggressive music to affirm myself and express the way I feel through bands like ‘Alien Weaponry,’ a combination of thrash metal and Māori culture through their use of te reo in their lyrics, making me feel connected not only to my queerness but to my culture that often felt inaccessible to me because majority of my family live overseas in Aotearoa, NZ.

I now feel really proud in my identity and my music taste helps me feel confident in standing out and being myself. The outcast narrative that is present in emo, punk and metal communities have rather than making me feel more isolated made me connect with others that understood how I felt and has helped me grow into someone that appreciates both my differences and others.

concert image with rainbow lights