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Devika Kumra

Professor Granillo

English 101

30 August 2020

This City

To my fellow classmate reading this, before we jump into the meaning behind my essay,

I just want you to know that it's so great to meet you! I wanted you to get to know more about

me, and thought a dive into my music taste, would be a great way to start. Have you ever felt as

if you were in a completely different world when it comes to a certain song or genre? Think

about a time you were in a dark place, or better yet, had finals week coming up and were

extremely stressed out and no amount of coffee could help out. What is your escape? Is there an

artist that makes you feel secure? Maya Angelou once said, “Everything in the universe has a

rhythm, everything dances”. Coming from a cultural background, this quote has stuck with me

over the last few years, and you will soon find out how it relates to my lifestyle.

Although many of us listen to a variety of artists, or genres there may be some that you

have never heard of and that is totally okay! To be honest, there were a few genres I wasn’t

familiar with up until a few years ago. I feel like my taste in music has evolved over the years.

Similar to most people, I have certain songs I like to listen to at different times; however, I

definitely gravitate more toward acoustic/ pop music. Many of the artists I listen to are defined in

the “soul-pop” category.

You’re probably curious to learn about my cultural background as I mentioned above. I

was born in Mumbai, India and moved to California when I was 2 years old. At most times, I
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consider myself “American” however, I do correlate with my culture in so many ways and it

defines the person that I am today, especially when it comes to my music taste. Have you ever

listened to Indian music? It’s very instrumental, and soulful. Even the songs that are considered

more upbeat still have a very instrumental vibe. This is due to the fact that our music comes from

a unique variety of instruments such as a tabla, flute, sitar, piano, dhol, and more. The ones I

described are more commonly known. It’s amazing how they all have different tones, rhythms,

and beats, however, meshed together they create something so beautiful.

When I was younger, I enrolled in Indian dance classes, which was known as “Kathak”.

This dance focused more on the instruments, and various beats. There were a few that had

singing in the background, but the singer was following the instrument's tone and rhythm, not the

other way around. Kathak is considered the base of Indian music and is commonly known as the

“base of the soul”. We also had to wear “ghungroo” that were mini gold bells linked together and

wrapped around our ankles secured by a knot. After Kathak, I began doing more upbeat Indian

dance classes called Bhangra. Punjabi music is the origin of bhangra dancing. I promise that if

you hear one song you will just want to get up and dance. It really gets the party going and plays

a big role in most Indian weddings.

Although I still keep in touch with my roots, I gravitate to acoustic/ soul pop more

because it relaxes me, and I feel like I can understand the meaning of the song better, and even

the artist's vision of creating that song. If you had a long day, a stressful week ahead, are going

through a rough time, or just need to feel like you are in a different world, this genre does just

that. What I love most about this genre is that it can cover ANY song, such as rap, hip hop, jazz,

etc. This is why I lean more toward it because it really helps you understand what is actually
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being said. A few artists I recommend are Adele, Khalid, Alina Baltraz, Julia Michaels, Jhene

Aiko, Ed Sheeran, Sam Fischer, Sam Smith, and Ali Gate.

The song I would like to talk about is This City by Sam Fischer. You can feel the artist's

pain as he sings and can literally visualize a scene through his words. In other words, putting

yourself in someone else's shoes or feeling as if you are in a different world. When I first heard

this song, I got goosebumps. I was going through a rough time in my life, and I was having

problems with a boy. I was tired of living in LA and felt as if my world was falling apart. This

song helped me see things in a different perspective and gave me an insight that eventually,

everything will be okay. You won’t even believe what happened after I listened to this song on

repeat, multiple times of course. I had researched the artist because I had never heard of him

before. His name is Sam Fischer, and funny enough this exact song is dedicated to his experience

living in LA. He quotes “I wrote it about L.A. For me, it was about how I wanted L.A more than

L.A wanted me. When I wrote it, it came from a place of desperation. It was like, I don’t know

who I am, no one knows who I am, I’m lost. It was just my big fat diary entry.” He mentions that

this song defines that there is hope within, and though you may be in a dark place right now, it's

not the end, and soon enough you will find your light again. He loves the fact that many people

listening to this song immediately turned it into a love song, when in fact it was more so

dedicated to Los Angeles.

I think it's beautiful that music has this much power. Even the songs that have no lyrics

and are just different beats and rhythms. For me, music will always be considered by escape in

good times and in bad. I hope you remember that there will always be light wherever you go,

even if you don’t see it in this exact moment. If it helps, listen to “This City” repeatedly, and I’m

sure you will feel the same. If there is one thing, I can leave this diagnostic off with is to always
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remember your roots, the wise words of Maya Angelou, the evolution of music and more

importantly, feeling your world and all its beauty within your soul.
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Works Cited

Fischer, Sam. “This City” YouTube, uploaded by Sam Fischer, 24 January 2020,

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3IAHXP1dfs>

Wallace, Sarah. “Sam Fischer Talks About The Meaning Behind His Songs” KTU 103.5 FM,

written by Sarah Wallace , 19 February 2020, <https://ktu.iheart.com/featured/lulu-y-

lala/content/2020-02-19-sam-fischer-talks-about-the-meaning-behind-his-songs/>