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Music has the power to awaken all kinds of emotions, from anger and love to sadness and happiness. But some artists are more successful than others in arousing certain specific emotions in their fans, according to several rankings produced by a Ukrainian platform.
Preply, an online foreign language learning platform, observed this phenomenon by analyzing more than 200,000 publications and comments posted within the fan communities of 92 artists and music groups on Reddit.
Which playlist to put a smile back on your face?
It turns out that music lovers find that artists like Ed Sheeran and U2 are particularly likely to make them happy. This is because a large part of their musical repertoire contains songs whose lyrics refer to joyful and carefree moments in one’s life.
Blackpink (No. 3), The Killers (No. 4) and Beyoncé (No. 5) are also part of the list of artists who arouse joy in those who listen to their songs. Selena Gomez (No. 6) and Harry Styles (No. 7) are also there, as are the duo Daft Punk (No. 8) and the group BTS (No. 9).
Conversely, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion seem to be the musicians least able to make their fans happy. It is interesting to point out that most of the artists mentioned in this thematic list have a discography very oriented towards rap and hip-hop. The only exceptions are Metallica (No. 6), Britney Spears (No. 7) and Nirvana (No. 9).
Good in his body, good in his head!
Demi Lovato, queen of love
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion appear in several rankings compiled by Preply. They are notably at the top of that of artists whose titles will probably arouse anger in their listeners. This can be explained by the fact that these female rappers are known for their commitment to women’s rights. Their songs often denounce the discrimination suffered by more than half of the world’s population. One of them, “WAP”, caused a lot of buzz when it was released in August 2020, because of its sexually explicit lyrics and its sultry music video.
Kanye West (No. 3), Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd (No. 8) as well as Nicki Minaj (No. 10) are also cited in this ranking on anger. Surprisingly, only two groups appear there: Guns N’ Roses (No. 6) and Metallica (No. 7).
On another note, Preply’s study reveals that Demi Lovato is the artist her fans think is most likely to make them feel love. Katy Perry and Dua Lipa also seem gifted with this particular talent since they appear respectively in second and third place in this thematic sub-ranking. Note that this is entirely composed of female artists, unlike the top 10 musicians who do not arouse this emotional state in those who listen to their repertoire.
Of course, we must keep in mind that music is, above all, a matter of personal feeling. We won’t all feel the same emotions when listening to the compositions of Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande or Metallica.