Music
“I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music” — Albert Einstein
I started learning classical piano when I was 4. I have been studying classical violin since 2018. My favorite classical violinist is Hilary Hahn. Over the last several years (2022– ) I have become very interested in jazz composition and improvising with a band, mostly through the Stanford Jazz Workshop summer camp. One of the things I love about jazz music is that intent is first and execution is second. In classical music, execution is first and intent is second, meaning that you must first learn a piece before you can truly add your interpretation to it. Irvin Mayfield said that, not me. I also listen to a lot of music – 150,000 minutes on Spotify last year (2025), which put me in the top 1% of listeners worldwide – and across a lot of different genres. Below, I’ve curated some of my favorite music recommendations, organized by genre. This list will be updated regularly, so be sure to check back for new additions!
Personal Favorites in each Genre
Rock & Its Branches
Classic Rock: The Rolling Stones
Hard Rock: Led Zeppelin
Punk Rock: The Ramones
Alternative Rock: Nirvana
Indie Rock: Arctic Monkeys, Courtney Barnett
Glam Rock: David Bowie
Garage Rock: The White Stripes
New Wave: Talking Heads, Blondie, B-52’s, New Order
Roots Rock: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Psychedelic Rock: Pink Floyd, The Doors, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix
Pop & Mainstream
Pop: Taylor Swift, LDR, Beyoncé
Dance Pop: Dua Lipa, Madonna
Synthpop: Pet Shop Boys, New Order
Electropop: Robyn
Teen Pop: Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams
Art Pop: Fiona Apple, Brian Eno, Laurie Anderson
Electronic & Dance
EDM (Electronic Dance Music): LCD Soundsystem, Moby
House: Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers, M People
Techno: Cabaret Voltaire
Drum and Bass: Nia Archives, Roni Size & Reprazent
Dubstep: Burial
Ambient: Brian Eno
Electronica: Charli XCX, Tricky, Four Tet
Hip-Hop & R&B
Hip-Hop: Eminem, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco, Heems
Trap: Lil Wayne, T.I., Future
Boom Bap: Ghostface Killah, Wu Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest
Alternative Hip-Hop: OutKast, The Roots, De La Soul, Digable Planets
R&B (Contemporary): Beyonce, SZA, Jill Scott
Neo-Soul: Erykah Badu, D’Angelo
Funk: James Brown, Prince
Soulful & Jazz-Rooted
Soul: Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Jill Scott
Motown: Phil Spector, Girl Group Greats
Jazz Pop: Joni Mitchell, Nellie McKay
Blue-Eyed Soul: Delaney & Bonnie, Joe Cocker, Van Morrison
Country & Americana
Country: Miranda Lambert, Lucinda Williams
Country Pop: Lainey Wilson, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves.
Outlaw Country: Gary Stewart, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash
Alt-Country / Americana: Drive-by Truckers, Old 97’s, Todd Snider
Global Pop Styles
Reggae: Bob Marley, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Pablo Moses
Afrobeat: Fela Kuti
Latin Pop: Shakira
Reggaeton: Karol G, Rosalia
Fado: Ana Moura, Amalia Rodrigues
Samba: Cartola, Paulinho da Viola, Nelson Cavaquinho
Tropicalia: Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil
Bossa Nova: Antônio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto
MPB (Música Popular Brasileira): Elis Regina, Erasmo Carlos
Recommendations
Classical
Christoph Eschenbach: Mozart: The Piano Sonatas
Hilary Hahn: Hilary Hahn plays Bach
J.S.Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, R.Egarr / Academy of Ancient Music; Harmonia Mundi
Jazz
Dudu Pukwana: In the Townships [ YouTube ]
Barney Wilen: Wild Dogs of the Ruwenzori — hard to find; here’s a [ sampler on YouTube ]
Pop
“I’m grateful to have grown up in a world with Taylor Swift in it, or, ‘The World: Taylor’s Version’.” — Phoebe Bridgers, 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Taylor Swift: Spotify [ playlist ]
Rap/Hip Hop
Heems/Lapgan: Lafandar
Ren: Sick Boi
Country
Morgan Wade: Spotify [ playlist ]
Alternative/Indie
Cornershop: When I Was Born for the 7th Time
Courtney Barnett: Spotify [ playlist ]
Reggae
Bob Marley: Natty Dread
African
Franco: Francophonic: A Retrospective, Vol. 1: 1953–1980, and Francophonic Vol. 2
North African/Middle Eastern
Rachid Taha: Made in Medina
French pop
Françoise Hardy: Spotify [ playlist ]
Latin pop
Natalia Lafourcade: Spotify [ playlist ]