I’ve listened to many different artists of a variety of genres these past few years, but Tomorrow X Together, a five-person Korean pop band, has consistently been my favorite. Blasting their music on full volume in your earbuds feels magical and euphoric. Not only is their music excellent, but the dance choreography for their songs is also top-tier. Tomorrow X Together is my number one music artist because of the depth of their songs, their variety, and their reliability, which is reminiscent of some of my other favorite artists.

First of all, their songs have depth. Most of the melodies are very catchy and cheerful, so initially listening to their songs, even if you don’t understand Korean, makes you feel uplifted and lightens the mood. However, once you read English translations of the lyrics, you discover the darker, more relatable aspect of the song. For example, their debut song “Crown” is upbeat and optimistic, but the lyrics describe the pain and fear of growing up. One of the lines in the first verse, “I wanna run away and disappear far away,” is a thought that I, along with many others, have experienced: when life starts getting difficult and stressful for adolescents, they want to run away from the pain and “Stop the loneliness” (line 2 of the song’s hook) that comes with the transition to adulthood. This surface-level cheerfulness and theme about the worries of growing up are similar to the Studio Ghibli film, Spirited Away (one of my favorite movies). Many people, including my parents, believe Spirited Away to be a juvenile film because of its bright colors, animation style, and childish-looking creatures. However, this coming-of-age movie shows the anxieties and fears that the protagonist Chihiro faces as she navigates through the spirit world to save her parents. As she perseveres through many challenges, we see less of her spoiled attitude shown at the beginning of the movie and watch her mature. 

Another reason why Tomorrow X Together is my favorite artist is because of the variety in their music. Their music is a mixture of many different genres, like R&B, pop-rock, hip-hop, etc., so they have a song for everyone. The members also have their own unique voices, yet when they sing together, their voices complement each other incredibly well. Initially hearing their voices individually, you wouldn’t think they would go well together since they’re all exceptionally different from each other, but this variety in their voices makes their music even more captivating and creates exquisite songs that fill your eardrums with joy. Much like the variety in Tomorrow X Together’s music, Blair Somerville uses objects that have no relation to each other and fabricates incredible designs that amaze his audience, as shown in his Lost Gypsy Gallery. His inventions cater to a wide audience with their creativity and imaginativeness. 

Lastly, Tomorrow X Together’s music can relate to everything. In the metaphor activity, I mentioned that their music is the afternoon; the upbeat songs for a sunny afternoon, and the softer songs like a cloudy afternoon. They have a song acknowledged by their whole fanbase for every season. For example, “Ghosting” is fall, “Ito” is winter, “20cm” is spring, and “Our Summer” is summer. Their music can serve as metaphors for an infinite number of scenarios that people experience as they grow up: “Opening Sequence” is a breakup, “Trust Fund Baby” is the aftermath of a breakup, and “Ring” is unrequited love. I could go on for hours about how each song relates to my own life, which is not something I can do with any other music artist.

Their music has saved me in many ways and always gives me energy no matter what situation I’m in, which is why they are and always will be my favorite music artist.