Sad music has the ability to have an immense effect on listeners, as it allows them to identify with and sympathize with an artist’s experiences and suffering. One song from XXXTENTACION called Sad 1 hour has resonated strongly with his fanbase by further cementing their bond through its poignant lyrics and melancholic melody.
Studies suggest that people enjoy sad music because it evokes many emotions, providing individuals who wish to expand their experiences with stimulating stimuli.
XXXTENTACION’s personal life
Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy (XXXTENTACION), otherwise known by his initials in Florida as Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, experienced both highs and lows throughout his personal life. Although a hugely successful hip-hop artist from Florida, XXXTENTACION had an eventful history of violence, law-breaking, mental health issues and public scrutiny that became a constant presence throughout his latter years – music genres included hip hop, emo and depressing lyrics which reflected personal anguish from himself and others alike.
In 2014, XXXTentacion started publishing songs on SoundCloud and quickly gained prominence. He adopted the moniker of XXXTentacion for all of his works, even while facing multiple legal battles; after much consideration he ultimately decided to leave criminal activity and devote his efforts solely towards music; his ex-partner Geneva Ayala was pivotal in helping him make this decision.
XXXTENTACION’s turbulent personal life had a tremendous impact on his musical style. He wasn’t afraid to talk openly about his challenges in his music and connect with listeners on an emotional level through it; often dark in tone but offering messages of hope as well. He believed strongly in helping others, volunteering at animal shelters frequently and paying for meals for strangers out of kindness.
Though his career was brief, XXXTENTACION’s music resonated deeply with many and was warmly received by his fans. His single, “Sad 1 Hour,” reached number one on charts across several countries and featured prominently in several music videos as he inspired young rappers to follow in his footsteps. After his untimely passing in June 2018, many fans expressed grief; in response, on September 8, his estate released a posthumous EP featuring four tracks that was made available via all streaming platforms.
Musicality
Music with sad undertones can often be found pleasurable. This may be because art abstracts the negative emotions from their social and physical contexts; plus it provides psychological benefits like catharsis (the purging of negative emotions), emotional resolution, and sense of belongingness.
Acoustic characteristics of musical instruments may affect their capacity to convey sadness. For instance, an ocarina may not be as adept at conveying that feeling as violin; however, this should not be taken as an indicator of actual performance or popularity but as rather an indication of its capacity for doing so.
Researchers have discovered that musical instrument’s timbre plays an essential role in how it will be perceived: sad or happy. More specifically, the frequency and duration of notes within melodies determine their emotional intensity and sonic texture – factors which vary based on personal experience and mood; this interaction determines one’s psychological reward and pleasurable response to music, represented in this figure by blue and purple arrows.
As well as its acoustical components, sad music evokes emotional and psychological benefits through its lyrics. Lyrics may describe an end of relationship or death of loved one. Slowcore genre of indie rock features low tempos with atmospheric instrumental arrangements; typically lyrics contain references to doomed love and motorcycle crashes that give this subgenre its emotional punch.
Lyrics
While research into why people enjoy sad music may be limited, scholars agree that it can be pleasurable as sadness expressed through art is considered beautiful. Perhaps emotions expressed through art help to reduce their negative valence by filtering through aesthetic context; similarly it allows people to quickly experience them quickly as catharsis – perhaps this explains why Adele excels at writing tearjerker love songs like “Someone Like You”. No matter whether mourning a lost relationship or recovering from a difficult breakup these songs offer catharsis and healing benefits when played out loud!
Impact on listeners
Researchers studying sad music recently published in PLOS ONE found it can elicit positive emotions such as peace and tenderness, as well as empathy and the desire for companionship. Furthermore, listening to sad music elicits feelings of empathy as well as companionship needs; people tend to enjoy it because it allows them to explore feelings of sorrow without the emotional baggage associated with other forms of expression such as poetry or painting.
The authors examined data from over 770 participants who self-rated their felt and perceived emotions using a standard rating scale, then conducted factor analysis on that data to identify three underlying experiences: Relaxing sadness, Moving sadness and Nervous sadness. Each experience had associated physiological indices of emotion as well as distinct psychosocial implications – for example moving sadness was related to subjective evaluations of quality of life while relaxing sadness was associated with perceived peacefulness and positivity whereas nervous sadness is related to arousal and negative valence.
Research examined both emotional responses and how sad music influences cognitive processes. Results suggested that enjoyment of sad music results from homeostatic imbalances which are rectified through aesthetic experience; for instance if someone’s mood drops because of distressful events they will find listening to sad music pleasurable because it will help restore homeostasis in their emotional system and restore equilibrium.
Sad 1 Hour by XXXTENTACION is an eloquent portrayal of his personal struggles with mental health, providing listeners with healing and support as they confront their own difficulties. The accompanying music video portraying X attending his own funeral and having an internal dialogue only heightens this impactful song and fosters connection among listeners.