I’ve officially reached that point in my life where my existence unfolds beyond the realms of pop music. I am becoming a dinosaur; my musical preferences are possibly already dated and a Gen Z could identify that about me instantly. For example, until two days ago, I didn’t know that the riff made famous through TikTok trends—I’m the problem, it’s me—was from a Taylor Swift song. If you held me at gunpoint and asked me to hum a Swift tune, I would stand no chance. Same with Adele. I follow news about them, or news about them reaches me, because they’re so big. But I don’t really know their music. 

Because I am so caught up with being a mom, my most frequently played music on Spotify includes a sleep-bomb version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and classical music for toddlers. It doesn’t help that I live in a part of the world where English is rarely spoken and the radio features either German or Italian music. So, if you were to ask me if I knew any of Lizzo’s big hits, I would have to find a polite excuse to walk away from the conversation so as not to astonish you with the level of my pop culture ignorance.