Music is a major part of our lives in the Honors community. It allows us to decompress and express ourselves in a different mode. We checked in with our students and faculty, who graciously shared their musical tastes for this issue of the Honorgram.
In late November to early December 2022, Spotify and Apple Music released the highly anticipated Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music Replay, which showcased users’ individual music listening statistics (top artists, top songs, minutes listened, top genre) for the year. We compiled some of these results from our fellow Honors students.
“Yang Yang was my number one most listened-to song because I played it on repeat whenever I did Anki last year for MCAT studying.”
— Isaac Estrada (Biomedical Science, Class of 2023)
“I think these are an accurate representation of the beginning of the year, but my music preferences have changed a bit since then.”
— Katie Jang (English Creative Writing, Class of 2025)
“This was my seventh year of Taeyeon as my top artist!”
— Julia Ko (Biomedical Science, Class of 2026)
“This is like the third year in a row that Conan Gray is my top artist and top song.I knew it was a rough year, but I did not realize it was THAT rough 💀.”
— Quinn McFarland (English: Literature, Class of 2025)
“We love Harry’s House <3.”
— Ailinh Nguyen (Biomedical Science, Class of 2023)
“I correctly predicted my top artists, but there were a few songs that showed up on my playlist that I was surprised to see. I heavily associate music with life events, so it was really cool to see a song pop up and be transported back to those memories.”
— Daphne Prakash (Biology, Class of 2025)
— Zilyn Yeoh (Biomedical Science, Class of 2023)
As an extra treat, we also polled our Honors family to discover what everyone considers to be their most favorite music album and the best album ever released.
Deanna (Asia) Estebar (Biomedical Science, Class of 2024)
Best Music Album: Positions (Ariana Grande)
Favorite Music Album: Something to Feel (Mac Ayres)
Isaac Estrada (Biomedical Science, Class of 2023)
Best Music Album: Djesse Vol. 3 (Jacob Collier)
Favorite Music Album: Nostalgia (Eslabon Armando)
Alexandria Falvo (Biology, Class of 2025)
Best Music Album: Bat Out Of Hell (Meat Loaf) –– “It is an album composed of long, ballad-like songs that each tell a story.”
Favorite Music Album: Melophobia (Cage the Elephant) –– “This album has a certain nostalgic ambiance to it. I also just love nearly every song in it.”
Dr. Howe (Honors Program Director 2016-2022)
Best Music Album: At Folsom Prison (Johnny Cash) –– “Johnny Cash is great, his songs are great, and on this particular album, the connection he shares with his audience—many of whom are hardened criminals—is palpable.”
Favorite Music Album: Rumours (Fleetwood Mac) –– “Leading up to this album, all five members of Fleetwood Mac saw their personal relationships—including the two couples in the group—crumble into acrimony and divorce. An incomparable lineup of songs resulted from this pain and trauma.”
Julia Ko (Biomedical Science, Class of 2026)
Best Music Album: Spirited Away (Joe Hisaishi) –– “Because it is Joe Hisaishi plus Spirited Away.”
Favorite Music Album: Purpose (Taeyeon) –– “Because it is Taeyeon.”
Dr. McBride (Dean, CAS & General Education)
Best Music Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Beatles) –– “It established the ‘concept album’ concept, and it contains the song “A Day in the Life”; together, the song and the album suggest that pop/rock music can be anything about anything.”
Favorite Music Album: The Hounds of Love (Kate Bush) –– “I first experienced it at a time when mysterious lyrics that suggested childhood traumas and disappointments, joined to intricate musical production and Bush’s diverse voicings, resonated with me.”
Ailinh Nguyen (Biomedical Science, Class of 2023)
Best Music Album: The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall: In Celebration of 25 Years (Andrew Lloyd Webber) –– “Andrew Lloyd Webber’s genius really shines through with Phantom. Additionally, the cast in this album is phenomenal. It is beautifully orchestrated and magical all around.”
Favorite Music Album: Harry’s House (Harry Styles) –– “I adore Harry Styles. This is his best album to date. It has so many upbeat jams and somber tunes. It really is perfect for any mood. It will probably win the Grammy for Album of the Year.”
— Responses collected by Ailinh Nguyen (Biomedical Science, Class of 2023)