Notes filled with emotion

Between the lines of a musical score, one can read not only how the authors feel but also the state of the world. Anita Abirascid, Bryan Kevin (BK) Pepper, and Cecilia Mezzi all agree: feeling dictates the tempo, not the other way around.

In pop music, everyday life and the beauty of small things are celebrated. In rap and trap, there is an expression of the need for rebellion and anger at the present moment, yet both are driven by a powerful desire for change. A palpable sense of belonging and a fight against marginalisation prevails, where there is also room for «new trends such as male fragility, which until now has been silenced». This is how Anita Abirascid views the distribution of feelings in the music of 2025.

This Italian singer-songwriter is undoubtedly young, but do not call her an emerging artist. In today’s music industry, she argues, this concept makes little sense, as so-called “emerging” artists are often the most listened to and most purchased.

Feelings that connect

Numbers aside, both in terms of fans and sales, the world of music remains varied and welcoming from an emotional perspective; it has merely shifted its focus entirely to the present. Perhaps this is a matter of sensitivity, or more likely the result of an inevitable generational change brought about by the advancing age of those who had dominated the scene for decades but now sound outdated. «In the 1970s, some songs and lyrics carried a strong revolutionary message, Raffaella Carrà’s above all, but today they are no longer adequate to express the sentiment that prevails in the present», observes Abirascid. With the same courageous clarity and the voice of a singer-songwriter, she then comments on the K-pop¹, phenomenon, impossible to ignore but one she considers an anomaly. «I do not like it, but it is sincere; it declares itself for what it is and does not pretend to be something else. Its surreal characters are explicitly constructed and exaggerated, they live in isolation on purpose and are raised to be that way», she explains, before outlining her own concept of music, firmly rooted in emotion.

«It has always been a language I use with myself to bring out, process, and exorcise what I feel», she states, «but it also serves to connect with others and to connect others with each other».

A “transmission channel” and “fuel for change and action”: Abirascid’s music is steeped above all in suffering, sadness, and anger. «I feel pleasure in having emotions, whatever they may be, because they help me understand myself better and grow. And perhaps what I communicate can help others too», she explains.

«Suffering can become an ink for conveying change».

The light and shadow of technology

Bryan Kevin (BK) Pepper also gives free rein to his feelings in his music, except when composing for cinema or theatre.

In those cases, the protagonists’ emotions in each scene prevail. Otherwise, «I choose an instinctive approach and let my emotions guide me naturally, whatever may come of it. This helps me explore and better understand my own feelings, something I sometimes find challenging».

Balancing between cinema, concerts, and theatre, Pepper has learned throughout his career to turn the tap of his emotions on and off, both his own and those of others, but remains convinced that «emotion in music is everything and always will be. What evolves is the way it is conveyed, pushing some artists to focus more on capturing the listener’s attention quickly». Pepper refers to «music tailor-made to be consumed in bites on social media», where long introductions and gradual builds have become rare and less important.

«Technology has always shaped music, determining track length and listening trends, but not the emotions it expresses».

«The fundamental emotions remain timeless», he clarifies. «Technology sometimes offers interesting opportunities, but it can also make musicians’ lives difficult, as has happened with streaming». According to Pepper, being just a musician today is impossible: one must also be a producer and weigh the pros and cons of technology without being overwhelmed (or feeling robbed) by emotions. Otherwise, one risks overlooking its positive aspects, such as the ease of «recording and releasing a track from one’s own bedroom, which is extraordinary».

The rise of artificial intelligence both terrifies and excites him, and he admits: «I have been slow to adopt AI in my music, and I do not think I will any time soon».

«Making music is something I love too much to hand it over to a machine. It is something deeply human, and no matter how much the industry changes, that will not disappear».

Feelings across borders and religions

Vulnerability, trust, love, anger, greed, happiness, pain. All of this has been, is, and will continue to be in music, because, according to Pepper, it is nothing more than a reflection of the entire spectrum of human emotion. What evolves are the emotions themselves, but not due to technology, algorithms, or human choices; they evolve by shaping themselves to the new forms imposed by social structures and norms in each era and context. This is particularly true for artists like Pepper, who choose to tackle themes that challenge how we perceive and define our place in the world. In his 2020 album, Territories, for example, he explored the concept of borders and how the lines on maps create a sense of ownership, determining who belongs where, shaping identities, and deepening divisions. «My music always tends to have a strange mix of hopeful melancholy, regardless of the theme», he confesses. «These emotions can also be found in my new album, Pagan. The influence of social norms remains central, but this time I explore religions and their place in modern society, adding a visual element that I am really excited about: it is an opportunity to further express the emotions behind my music».

Feelings on the catwalk

For Pepper, the fusion of sound and image is a personal experiment, but there is an entire industry that has been blending them for years, turning its runway shows into spectacles: fashion. While all eyes are on the new collections, Cecilia Mezzi listens to the notes. Her academic interest in the use of music in the fashion world has led her to make it a subject of study, questioning which emotions emerge and why. With her, one can close their eyes and perceive what the most renowned designers feel. «Valentino has always been one of the brands most consistently aligned with war-related narratives, until the arrival of the new creative director²», she explains.

«It depends, in fact, on how much an individual allows socio-political dynamics to impact their perspective and the emotion of the work they produce».

The feeling behind the musical side of fashion remains highly individual, perhaps even more so than the fashion creations themselves, which are inevitably bound to the brand that makes them globally recognisable. This is evident in the case of Dior, where, according to Mezzi, only the menswear collections align with socio-political sentiments, while the womenswear and couture collections do not at all: they have different creative directors, Kim Jones and Maria Grazia Chiuri, and each allows their own feelings to influence even the soundtrack.

Musical sentiment in fashion shows

«In general, there is an awareness of collective dynamics and their consequences on an individual level, but there are many ways to show affinity with what we care about, sometimes even unconsciously», Mezzi explains.

Her research has explored a vast array of emotions: hope, tension, joy, nostalgia, even disgust. Determining which emotions dominate at any given time is complex, but she has noted a «decline in emotional complexity» over time. Using Spotify API for data mining, she acknowledges that such analysis is not an exact science: «Tracking shifts in sentiment is akin to forecasting weather fronts. Geographical regions can influence trends when contextualised within broader socio-political backdrops. As Cameron Raymond highlighted in his research on music trends during the pandemic³: every time a country entered lockdown, collective listening habits shifted towards sadder music». Even on other occasions, Mezzi has found that geopolitics «impacts musical sentiment particularly when local contexts create the illusion of global experiences. However, cause-and-effect relationships in this realm are rarely consistent. Only in a few cases is there a causal dynamic; for the most part, it is more like a game of Chinese whispers, where information is filtered, shared, censored, and amplified. This remix resembles oral tradition more than linear media».

Guided by emotions, Mezzi has also reflected on whether the concept of “taste” is purely intrinsic to our personality or if it can be influenced by social and geographical context. She has wondered why we all tend to listen to music aligned with our emotions. «One might think it counterproductive, but music therapy indicates that it is far more effective to follow our emotions, as it serves as a means of emotional release, a catharsis».

«Allowing oneself to feel a negative emotion does not necessarily mean wallowing in negativity, sometimes, it is a way to survive».

1. For those who want to learn more about the K-pop world and its impact on society, The rise of K-pop, and what it reveals about society and culture. (2024, October 6). Yale News. https://news.yale.edu/2023/08/21/rise-k-pop-and-what-it-reveals-about-society-and-culture https://news.yale.edu/2023/08/21/rise-k-pop-and-what-it-reveals-about-society-and-culture ↩︎
2. A musical mix from the Valentino maison https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7IMrGitoC31bUMul6U8lWZ?si=EfyFJnWJSG6W_d1QQubM1A ↩︎
3. Raymond Cameron’s analysis of music during the Covid-19 pandemic, Raymond, C. (2021, March 27). How COVID-19 has Changed our Music Listening Habits. Cameron Raymond. https://cameronraymond.me/blog/covid-music/ ↩︎