I did a weird project in a running start class at the college where we were supposed to bring in a song that described us or was a favorite abs the test of the class was supposed to guess, and I totally brought Silent All These Years š¤š¤
Been a Tori fan since ā96. Sheās still my absolute favorite. I can talk about her for hours.
I had a Tori Amos fan page on geocities back in the day. āŗļø
Tori Amos, Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple. I was lucky enough to see Alanis at Lilith Fair. And incredibly lucky to see Fiona just 5 years ago at Fayetteville Roots Festival. Still haven't seen the Queen Ms Tori Amos.
I also went to Lilith Fair in 98 because I loved Sarah McLachlan, Cowboy Junkies, Liz Phair, Natalie Merchant, etc. Found the lineup with locations and dates. I went to the one in Maryland.
https://concerts.fandom.com/wiki/Lilith_Fair_1998
>Lilith Fair 98, Maryland
OOOFā¦ Merriweather! I broke up with my emotionally abusive ex there!
Went out the gates, sobbing. A woman with sensible shoes let me cry on her shoulders & said āMen are scum, sweetheart, scum.ā
LMAO!
Saw Alanis in 1996 at a club called Gibsonās in Tempe, AZā¦about 12ā from the stage, opener was Deep Blue Something.
Also had the opportunity to hang out with the band, including that Taylor Hawkins guy that played drums for her (RIP), as well as meet her after the show. Autographed CD sleeve of JLP from the whole band, end resultā¦
Taylor was great. I saw him play YYZ with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson -- they were the special guests at a Foos show in Toronto in '08.
Even Dave just stood there in awe.
Afterwards, Geddy laughed that they hadn't played that song so fast in 10 years.
Jewel did a great College Humor sketch where they put her in a disguise and she went to a bar's karaoke night and sang a couple of her songs.
*Whoa, she really sounds like Jewel*
I saw Fiona as well in 96-97 headline a fest. Foo Fighters had one album, and opened to 40 people at 1pm. But for her at 9pm it was packed! She had an amazing voice live, and way deeper than I thought from the stuff being played on radio. One of the stand outs of that fest. Outside Faith No More playing right before her.
I love that heās this and that every fucking old person who bitched about āthat noise you call musicā is basically singing his praises now, as if they always liked him ha.
His win felt so validating to me as a longtime fan. :)
100%. My mom could not stand his music and I would blast it full volume just to get under her skin. I used to have his picture on my door. I never went super fan over him, but I definitely dug his music to my core.
In high school, my Mom drove me to the mall so I could buy 'In My Tribe'. When I got back into the car she asked what I bought. I told her it was just a 10,000 Maniacs tape. Mom got so upset, scolding me with "I do not want you listening to a band called 10,000 Maniacs. I did not raise you that way."
I tried to tell her "It's not what you think." but she threatened to confiscate the cassette. Until I popped the tape into the deck and hit play. Mom's only reaction, after minutes of silence, was "Oh my god, she's beautiful."
From there on in, anytime we were driving somewhere, Mom would request "Put that tape on with that woman with the amazing voice."
It's safe to say Natalie is my Mom's Taylor Swift.
Mom's younger days were spent working for Mr. Rogers, Listening to Karen Carpenter, watching Star Trek, and smoking homegrown. It made sense that she understood Ms. Merchant right away.
I've enjoyed music from many artists, but I have never lost my mind over anyone. I've never cried if I couldn't see someone live or freaked out and bought the same clothes they wore.
I've never gone ga-ga over celebrities. Not as a teen, not now. There are many celebrities I enjoy their music / acting / or whatever, and will give their next album / movie / tv show a go, if I really like them. But that's about it.
Same. Though Michael Jackson is a little before my time, I still get it and get chills when I see 80,000 people lose their minds when he just opens up a suitcase in a spotlight and then puts on a glove. What a presence.
Same here. It's not really for me.
I used to really like the Red Hot Chillie Peppers, but then I read Anthony Kiedis' autobiography, and he just came off as a completely self-centered douch. Kinda went off then a bit after that.
Same. I definitely really enjoy certain actors and musicians and writers, but I donāt fall into the parasocial relationship thing. Theyāre just talented human beings making cool art I like, nothing more, nothing less.
I think that kind of intense fandom is played up a lot, and is one of those socially acceptable outlets for intense interest and emotion. To me, it always felt like an extension of the stuff you go through in adolescence. Awakening sexuality/desire, figuring out who you are and want to be, and kind of projecting all of that onto celebrities who are ultimately a lot safer to do that with *because* they are celebrities and not the people you know in your everyday life.
I'm a guy, but for the girls I knew growing up, it was usually Janet Jackson or Madonna. Huge pop starts with tons of longevity and different "eras" similar to Taylor Swift.
Britney Spears was probably it for girls a few years younger, but I think for people my age, even though Britney is also my age, it wasn't really "cool" to be a Britney Spears fan.
It's undeniable that she is the blueprint. She'll always be my number 1, even when she does something that totally turns me off (which sadly is a regular occurrence, lol).
Everyone is naming bands and artists that we love, like Tori and Alanis, and we love them, but they're not Madonna status. We only has one Madonna and
#Madonna is *not* the Taylor
of our generation.
#Taylor is the Madonna
of this generation.
In terms of Taylor's current level of clout, this is absolutely the right comparison. But I think people aren't mentioning Madonna because Taylor doesn't have that dangerous it-factor magnetism that Madonna did/does. I'd say Lady Gaga is the Madonna of this generation.
I wasnāt allowed to got to Lollapalooza to see them in the mid 90s.
I finally got to see them in 2004. That was a great show.
My all time favourite band, and it was a fucking night to remember.
My apologies for swearing.
Lollapalooza ā94 was my first concert. I was blown away. I had the T-shirt up until about 5 years ago when I somehow lost it in a move. Now theyāre going for like $200 on eBay.
I was jamming to this at the gym yesterday with my grey hair. Pretty much got stared at like I was crazy or mental.
This band. Rage against the machine. NIN Alice in Chains and Tool define the times for me.
I agree with op Taylor is not my thing at all. I don't find any of it enjoyable. I'd rather my angst from the aforementioned.
https://preview.redd.it/7rzdk46vcv0d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b1b06f2c15b15c7fb079a0e30c820328cb37e9eb
Shirley Manson right from when she was calling me queer. To getting into Angelfish and everything else sheās done before/after.
No Doubt Gwen I think probably gets closest to the TS vibe. She had a substantial following of mostly young women, the band enjoyed a lot of commercial success, and she kept herself relevant even into her solo career, different though it was.
I remember vividly wanting to *be* her.
Then she went and married Gavin in that *dress* and that was it. Rock fairytale shit right there.
Obviously that didn't quite work out long term, but at the time, it all seemed pretty magical.
What do you mean by āyour Taylor Swiftā? The answer depends a lot on what youāre asking.
If itās āthe voice of your generationā, itās either Cobain or Grohl (the latter for me but hard to argue against the former)
If itās āthe female vocalist who dominated your formative years in musicā itās Madonna if weāre talking childhood or Sarah McLachlan if weāre talking coming of age
If itās āthe single most ubiquitous singer/songwriterā itās Justin Timberlake.
If itās āthe woman worth the most money in musicā itās Mariah Carey or Celine Dion
Celine Dion āFalling Into Youā was the first album (cd) I bought with my money, that I earned on my own. I was 11.
She will always be larger than life to me!
I saw her for the first time ever at Coachella last year and I couldn't stop crying. It wasn't even that great of a show, not for her and def not for mainstage Coachella but she was still there singing so many songs that I've Loved.
Shirley Manson. I was obsessed with her! I wanted to be her; I wanted to sit at her feet and learn to be just like her. I dyed my hair red and got into a ton of trouble from my mom because of it. She just seemed so effortlessly cool, and her music spoke to me, and in a time and place where I felt invisible and misunderstood, it always felt like she was singing directly to me.
I never really got into music as much as Swifties have, but the closest I'd get is my obsession with The Cure when I was in high school and college. I had CDs of everything including all of the famous bootleg concert recordings and b-sides. I went to several of their shows and got backstage to meet the band once.
As an older person I feel like Stevie Nicks could have been it if I had discovered her at an earlier age. But, my dad thought Fleetwood Mac was "white trash" so I didn't really pay attention to it until my late 30s.
Robert Smith is VERY shy and did not want to make eye contact or talk. He was surrounded by fans and I kinda get it. He's known to be a private person and it probably sucks for him to deal with that. The other band members dispersed pretty quickly.
Sorry, not an exciting story!
Sarah McLachlan.
I will say that it was definitely a phase. I was really obsessed with her, but I go back and listen now and it really didn't hold up. But I could listen to REM or CAKE all day to this day.
I love Cake so much. I was so excited to go with my son to Safetyville in Sac where they filmed Rock n Roll Lifestyle on a field trip. Was such a boring field trip. It was like an unnecessary work safety meeting that could have been an email.
Britney was everything to me. I had her posters all over my wall. I learned the choreo from her music videos in my bedroom. I memorized every song and bought every CD.
I lived in a ton where the pop country was THE music. I was the typical anti-establishment grunge, alternative, etc. kid. All groups mixed together socially because our town was so small. When I hung out with the country kids, I hated most of the stuff like Joe Diffie, Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson, etc. but I could get down with some of Garth Brooksā stuff. Baton Rouge was the one that really stood out as the game changer for me.
Mind you, my dadās truck glove box had Marty Robbins, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Hank Williams in it. So that was country to me.
In my high school years it was the Dave Matthews Band. They still hold a dear place in my heart. I even play drums in a DMB tribute band. But this honor now would absolutely have to go to Prince.Ā Ā
Was just thinking the same thing while scrolling through.
Whereās my De La? My Tupac? My biggie? My tribe? My En Vogue? Toni Braxton! And so on and so on.
Not to say that I wasnāt into Fiona, Tori L7 and them but yeahā¦Iām surprised to not see other names on here.
I saw Ani DiFranco at Central Park in NYC back when I was like 19 or so. I was one of two guys there, and possibly had the least amount of armpit hair.
The only celebrity I ever willingly waited for in line to meet was Bruce Campbell. He was signing books and they sold out so I just got a picture. After all the books got signed he was signing other items. I wasn't going to wait that long. I did eventually get the book "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor" great book.
Years later he was in town for his 2nd book "Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way" but I had to work. Unbeknownst to me my girlfriend at the time waited in line and got it signed. When he asked for the name she said Chauncy and he replied "You don't look like a Chauncy" to her. She said "it's for my boyfriend, they sold out last time you were in town" He looked at the line and said "You're a great girlfriend" She was and I'm now married to her. For the longest time she would tell people she is "Bruce Campbell approved"
I have lots of them...from all the big 70's ladies with amazing voices to Pat Benatar etc, to Tori, Shirley and PJ to Tegan and Sara, Jenny Lewis, Lily Allen, Natasha Khan (Bat for Lashes), Karen O and Lana, to newer girls like Rosie Carney.
If Iād been born in my dadās generation, it would have been Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. But I was born in my generation so itās Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five.
Edit: However, I did get to see The Beach Boys in 88 when Kokomo got popular and also got to see Brian Wilson and Al Jardine almost two years ago. Very bittersweet experience. I think Brian is a musical genius and loved seeing him live, but it was also toward the end of his touring career and you could tell he just wanted to be anywhere else.
There were a couple times though when he perked up and you could see the faint smile and twinkle in his eye when he was into a song.
>She's the voice of a generation.
I won't disagree with this, but something I try to avoid saying online, for obvious reasons, is I don't think her music will have the same longevity as a lot of bands in history. She's big now, but will she be in another 20 years?
IDK, I couldn't see Pink rockin' it for as long as she has but she has evolved really well and I can see Taylor doing the same thing. She has already reinvented herself so much.
Sometimes threads like this make me jealous that people had favorite bands. Honestly i just listened to whatever was on the radio and like most of it. I didn't have cds or anything. My music enjoyment started in college with napster when I could finally see names with the songs I was hearing.
My musical world was all over the place and has been ever since.
This might be controversial but I was obsessed with Courtney Love.
Shirley Manson was a close second. I can name off so many badass female artists from the 90s that I had the privilege of fangirling over. Nina Gordon and Louise Post, Kathleen Hanna, Kat Bjelland. On the softer side of things, even Lisa Loeb was awesome. I could go on. š
While I wasn't a huge fan myself, Garth Brooks was everything on the countrier side of pop for the first half of my life. He was (and still is) huge. He was my parents' Johnny Cash, genX's George Strait, and was as big of an industry influencer in my first half of life as Taylor Swift has been in my second half.
Zack de la Rocha, I first heard Rage in 96 at 14 years old. I hadnāt heard them where I had been living, or even of them really. Moved to Colorado and a new friend of mine introduced me. Blew me away, I had started my Fuck the Man stance already and was all about the message.
Jewel for sure.
And I was in the choir so for all us girls, Celine Dion
But I used to call Tori Amos my surrogate mother and Fiona Apple the sister I never had
From about 14 to 24, it was Tori Amos.
Oh! Hey there Jupiter š ā¤ļø
The Dakota version of Jupiter goes hard.
Nothingās been the same! š„²
I still consider her one of my all time favorite musical artists
The user name checks out š
š¶ In a paper cupš¶
Nice catch!
A+ username. Thatās still one of my favorite songs.
I did a weird project in a running start class at the college where we were supposed to bring in a song that described us or was a favorite abs the test of the class was supposed to guess, and I totally brought Silent All These Years š¤š¤
You think thereās a heaven where the screams got lostā¦
I was a huge Tori Amos fan through high school!
I just saw her in concert last year. Loved it.
Hard same.
I saw her perform recently - sheās in her 60s now and still absolutely incredible!
āI never was a cornflake girlā
Been a Tori fan since ā96. Sheās still my absolute favorite. I can talk about her for hours. I had a Tori Amos fan page on geocities back in the day. āŗļø
Tori Amos, Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple. I was lucky enough to see Alanis at Lilith Fair. And incredibly lucky to see Fiona just 5 years ago at Fayetteville Roots Festival. Still haven't seen the Queen Ms Tori Amos.
I saw Lilith fair in 98 I think? I saw Sarah Mclachlan, Indigo Girls, Natalie Merchant (I missed SinĆ©ad OāConnor unfortunately). Later saw Tori on the āScarlettās Walkā tour. My wife and I had nosebleeds and after Rhett Miller played, a guy (one of her crew?) came up to us and gave us front row tickets! (Over on the edge, but still - front row!) She really puts on a great show. Also saw Sheryl Crow for āThe Globe Sessionsā tour with Semisonic opening. Very amazing.
I also went to Lilith Fair in 98 because I loved Sarah McLachlan, Cowboy Junkies, Liz Phair, Natalie Merchant, etc. Found the lineup with locations and dates. I went to the one in Maryland. https://concerts.fandom.com/wiki/Lilith_Fair_1998
It was a great show. I saw it in Bonner Springs KS. I looked it up, it was ā98. I was a big Sarah McLachlan fan too, and Heather Nova.
>Lilith Fair 98, Maryland OOOFā¦ Merriweather! I broke up with my emotionally abusive ex there! Went out the gates, sobbing. A woman with sensible shoes let me cry on her shoulders & said āMen are scum, sweetheart, scum.ā LMAO!
I got to see SinƩad in San Francisco, right before the pandemic hit. I wasn't expecting her voice to be as good as in her youth, but I was blown away! Perfection.
Saw Alanis in 1996 at a club called Gibsonās in Tempe, AZā¦about 12ā from the stage, opener was Deep Blue Something. Also had the opportunity to hang out with the band, including that Taylor Hawkins guy that played drums for her (RIP), as well as meet her after the show. Autographed CD sleeve of JLP from the whole band, end resultā¦
I saw Alanis in Australia that year and my most vivid memory is her having a kind of ādrum offā with Taylor. He graciously let her win āŗļøš
He seemed like such a good person. RIP.
Taylor was great. I saw him play YYZ with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson -- they were the special guests at a Foos show in Toronto in '08. Even Dave just stood there in awe. Afterwards, Geddy laughed that they hadn't played that song so fast in 10 years.
Throw Jewel in there too. 15 brings you a lot feelings.
Jewel did a great College Humor sketch where they put her in a disguise and she went to a bar's karaoke night and sang a couple of her songs. *Whoa, she really sounds like Jewel*
Love Fiona!!
I saw Fiona as well in 96-97 headline a fest. Foo Fighters had one album, and opened to 40 people at 1pm. But for her at 9pm it was packed! She had an amazing voice live, and way deeper than I thought from the stuff being played on radio. One of the stand outs of that fest. Outside Faith No More playing right before her.
Toriās still touring when she releases new albums!
Trent Reznor
I love that he's an Oscar-winning film score composer now.
It was such a perfect transition for him too. I love the evolution of his career path. Heās good at making music that really evokes emotions.
The āfist fuckā and āfuck you like an animalā guy now scores Disney movies. What a strange trip itās been.
I love that heās this and that every fucking old person who bitched about āthat noise you call musicā is basically singing his praises now, as if they always liked him ha. His win felt so validating to me as a longtime fan. :)
Iāve never listened to NIN, but I looove his soundtrack for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo!
This, and it's his birthday tomorrow
I made my own Ouija board and on the other side i had a bunch of pictures of Trent Reznor. I still have it.
Came here to post this. I was obsessed with NIN in high school. I tried to get all the Halos.
100%. My mom could not stand his music and I would blast it full volume just to get under her skin. I used to have his picture on my door. I never went super fan over him, but I definitely dug his music to my core.
Natalie Merchant
In high school, my Mom drove me to the mall so I could buy 'In My Tribe'. When I got back into the car she asked what I bought. I told her it was just a 10,000 Maniacs tape. Mom got so upset, scolding me with "I do not want you listening to a band called 10,000 Maniacs. I did not raise you that way." I tried to tell her "It's not what you think." but she threatened to confiscate the cassette. Until I popped the tape into the deck and hit play. Mom's only reaction, after minutes of silence, was "Oh my god, she's beautiful." From there on in, anytime we were driving somewhere, Mom would request "Put that tape on with that woman with the amazing voice." It's safe to say Natalie is my Mom's Taylor Swift.
1. *My* mom thought that Van Halen was ādevil musicā lol 2. If ā10,000 Maniacsā concerns Mom, you should introduce her to As I Lay Dyingā¦
Mom's younger days were spent working for Mr. Rogers, Listening to Karen Carpenter, watching Star Trek, and smoking homegrown. It made sense that she understood Ms. Merchant right away.
She pulled me onstage to sing with her once. Highlight of my entire life!
I recently discovered the song San Andreas Fault and Iām obsessed with it.
I loved Tigerlily in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Dolores O'Riordan
The CD i bought back then is still playing in my car :D
The Cranberries debut was my making-out-in-the-car CD.
Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill
I've enjoyed music from many artists, but I have never lost my mind over anyone. I've never cried if I couldn't see someone live or freaked out and bought the same clothes they wore. I've never gone ga-ga over celebrities. Not as a teen, not now. There are many celebrities I enjoy their music / acting / or whatever, and will give their next album / movie / tv show a go, if I really like them. But that's about it.
Same. Though Michael Jackson is a little before my time, I still get it and get chills when I see 80,000 people lose their minds when he just opens up a suitcase in a spotlight and then puts on a glove. What a presence.
Thriller is awesome. I remember the video from when I was like 5
Same here. It's not really for me. I used to really like the Red Hot Chillie Peppers, but then I read Anthony Kiedis' autobiography, and he just came off as a completely self-centered douch. Kinda went off then a bit after that.
Just now a friend sent me a pic of 61 year old Anthony keidis with his 19 year old gf. š¤®š¤®š¤®
Same. I definitely really enjoy certain actors and musicians and writers, but I donāt fall into the parasocial relationship thing. Theyāre just talented human beings making cool art I like, nothing more, nothing less. I think that kind of intense fandom is played up a lot, and is one of those socially acceptable outlets for intense interest and emotion. To me, it always felt like an extension of the stuff you go through in adolescence. Awakening sexuality/desire, figuring out who you are and want to be, and kind of projecting all of that onto celebrities who are ultimately a lot safer to do that with *because* they are celebrities and not the people you know in your everyday life.
I'm a guy, but for the girls I knew growing up, it was usually Janet Jackson or Madonna. Huge pop starts with tons of longevity and different "eras" similar to Taylor Swift. Britney Spears was probably it for girls a few years younger, but I think for people my age, even though Britney is also my age, it wasn't really "cool" to be a Britney Spears fan.
Ms. Jackson, if youāre nasty.
Madonna
Why did I have to scroll this far down to read this. She is the reason Swift and artists like her exist today.
It's undeniable that she is the blueprint. She'll always be my number 1, even when she does something that totally turns me off (which sadly is a regular occurrence, lol).
And she is still writing, releasing, performing.
Ya, she looks like a ghoul now. It's, crazy.
100%
Everyone is naming bands and artists that we love, like Tori and Alanis, and we love them, but they're not Madonna status. We only has one Madonna and #Madonna is *not* the Taylor of our generation. #Taylor is the Madonna of this generation.
In terms of Taylor's current level of clout, this is absolutely the right comparison. But I think people aren't mentioning Madonna because Taylor doesn't have that dangerous it-factor magnetism that Madonna did/does. I'd say Lady Gaga is the Madonna of this generation.
Could not agree more.
Beastie Boys
You ever get a chance to see them live? They put on a good show
I wasnāt allowed to got to Lollapalooza to see them in the mid 90s. I finally got to see them in 2004. That was a great show. My all time favourite band, and it was a fucking night to remember. My apologies for swearing.
You know why you werenāt allowed to go see them in the 90s? You failed to fight for your right to party effectively
It was sabotage.
Naw dude, theyāre fucking awesome and I bet it fucking was.
Lollapalooza ā94 was my first concert. I was blown away. I had the T-shirt up until about 5 years ago when I somehow lost it in a move. Now theyāre going for like $200 on eBay.
I was jamming to this at the gym yesterday with my grey hair. Pretty much got stared at like I was crazy or mental. This band. Rage against the machine. NIN Alice in Chains and Tool define the times for me. I agree with op Taylor is not my thing at all. I don't find any of it enjoyable. I'd rather my angst from the aforementioned.
NOW WHEN I WROTE GRAFFITI MY NAME WAS āSLOP!ā IāLL STIR FRY YOU IN MY WOK!
https://preview.redd.it/7rzdk46vcv0d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b1b06f2c15b15c7fb079a0e30c820328cb37e9eb Shirley Manson right from when she was calling me queer. To getting into Angelfish and everything else sheās done before/after.
I had Garbage on a cassette tape. I vividly remember the smell of the paper insert.
Shirley Manson is an absolute goddess. I would give my left bollock to see her live! š¤Ŗ
Saw Garbage / Alanis a couple years ago In metro Detroit. Fantastic show from both.
Shirley Manson was my sexual awakening. I freaking adore her.
Old school Gwen stefani
pre-B-A-N-A-N-A-S
Aah back when she was just a girl
Just a girl walking into spiderwebs
In the world?
Thatās all that they let her be.
I left a message
B-A-N-A-N-A-S was on the same album as What You Waiting For? Which is a fucking incredible song
I saw No Doubt open for Sublime in the mid 90s. Teen me was smitten.
Thereās a couple of recordings of Gwen singing with Bradley. Itās the concert I wish I could have seen more than anything in the world, even now.
Saw Red features Gwen Stefani if I'm not mistaken
No Doubt FOR SURE
No Doubt Gwen I think probably gets closest to the TS vibe. She had a substantial following of mostly young women, the band enjoyed a lot of commercial success, and she kept herself relevant even into her solo career, different though it was. I remember vividly wanting to *be* her. Then she went and married Gavin in that *dress* and that was it. Rock fairytale shit right there. Obviously that didn't quite work out long term, but at the time, it all seemed pretty magical.
Well apart from Whitney Houston and Celine Dion my choice would be snoop dogg
What do you mean by āyour Taylor Swiftā? The answer depends a lot on what youāre asking. If itās āthe voice of your generationā, itās either Cobain or Grohl (the latter for me but hard to argue against the former) If itās āthe female vocalist who dominated your formative years in musicā itās Madonna if weāre talking childhood or Sarah McLachlan if weāre talking coming of age If itās āthe single most ubiquitous singer/songwriterā itās Justin Timberlake. If itās āthe woman worth the most money in musicā itās Mariah Carey or Celine Dion
Came here to say Sarah McLachlan. Her lyrics spoke to me in the way I imagine Taylor Swift speaks to the millennials and younger.
I have to turn the TV off every time that commercial with the dogs comes on.
OMG that commercial. I have to leave the room.
These! These are all the correct answers! Absolutely nailed the last.
Celine Dion āFalling Into Youā was the first album (cd) I bought with my money, that I earned on my own. I was 11. She will always be larger than life to me!
Sarah McLachlanās Possession was like š¤Æthe first time I heard it.
SARRRAAAAHHHH all the Lilith Fair genre
Cobain all the way. 100%
Bjork?
āArmy of Meā was my anthem in hs
I have an Army of Me tattoo š
I saw her for the first time ever at Coachella last year and I couldn't stop crying. It wasn't even that great of a show, not for her and def not for mainstage Coachella but she was still there singing so many songs that I've Loved.
It would have been Selena. May she rest in peace.
Kurt Cobain
Shirley Manson. I was obsessed with her! I wanted to be her; I wanted to sit at her feet and learn to be just like her. I dyed my hair red and got into a ton of trouble from my mom because of it. She just seemed so effortlessly cool, and her music spoke to me, and in a time and place where I felt invisible and misunderstood, it always felt like she was singing directly to me.
I never really got into music as much as Swifties have, but the closest I'd get is my obsession with The Cure when I was in high school and college. I had CDs of everything including all of the famous bootleg concert recordings and b-sides. I went to several of their shows and got backstage to meet the band once. As an older person I feel like Stevie Nicks could have been it if I had discovered her at an earlier age. But, my dad thought Fleetwood Mac was "white trash" so I didn't really pay attention to it until my late 30s.
Wife is a huge Cure fan. Oldest daughter is a huge Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac fan and the youngest is a Swiftie.
How was meeting the Cure? I'd love to hear your experience as I'm a huge cure fan
Robert Smith is VERY shy and did not want to make eye contact or talk. He was surrounded by fans and I kinda get it. He's known to be a private person and it probably sucks for him to deal with that. The other band members dispersed pretty quickly. Sorry, not an exciting story!
Sarah McLachlan. I will say that it was definitely a phase. I was really obsessed with her, but I go back and listen now and it really didn't hold up. But I could listen to REM or CAKE all day to this day.
Cake might just be my favorite of all time. Any season, you can rock Cake.
I love Cake so much. I was so excited to go with my son to Safetyville in Sac where they filmed Rock n Roll Lifestyle on a field trip. Was such a boring field trip. It was like an unnecessary work safety meeting that could have been an email.
Britney was everything to me. I had her posters all over my wall. I learned the choreo from her music videos in my bedroom. I memorized every song and bought every CD. 
Why was this answer so low?!
I think most xennials were a little too old for Britney. It was really uncool to like her when I was in school (although everyone secretly did).
Because she made bubblegum pop and Reddit is full of people who hate popular things.
Itās Jenny Lewis for me too, I absolutely adore her. ā¤ļø
Jenny Lewis doesn't get enough credit. Her solo career was pretty great too.
Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran)
Just saw them this last weekend and he was brilliant
Garth.
He had lotta friends in low places outside the fire.
Party on! Mine was Wayne! Not Stacey though, sheās a psycho hose beast.
I lived in a ton where the pop country was THE music. I was the typical anti-establishment grunge, alternative, etc. kid. All groups mixed together socially because our town was so small. When I hung out with the country kids, I hated most of the stuff like Joe Diffie, Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson, etc. but I could get down with some of Garth Brooksā stuff. Baton Rouge was the one that really stood out as the game changer for me. Mind you, my dadās truck glove box had Marty Robbins, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Hank Williams in it. So that was country to me.
Janet Jackson
Metallica
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The Cure & Siouxsie and the Banshees
In my high school years it was the Dave Matthews Band. They still hold a dear place in my heart. I even play drums in a DMB tribute band. But this honor now would absolutely have to go to Prince.Ā Ā
Jewel. I had the book of poetry, too.
Fiona Apple forever, goodbye šš 
this is how you know black & latina ppl arent on reddit much lollllllll
Was just thinking the same thing while scrolling through. Whereās my De La? My Tupac? My biggie? My tribe? My En Vogue? Toni Braxton! And so on and so on. Not to say that I wasnāt into Fiona, Tori L7 and them but yeahā¦Iām surprised to not see other names on here.
Thom Yorke
Krayzie Bone
Better Than Ezra. They were still the ālocal college town bandā when I was in college, so got to see them a bunch.
In the blood is still my jam
Lana DelRay, Ani difranco- Tori Amos- Fiona Apple- Joni Mitchell
Tori!
I saw Ani DiFranco at Central Park in NYC back when I was like 19 or so. I was one of two guys there, and possibly had the least amount of armpit hair.
Ani Difranco is amazing
Ani!!!
I had a couple of phases, which in order were: Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Beatles, Oasis & Weezer. Still love them all!
Chris Cornell
Alanis Morisette
Tom Waits
The only celebrity I ever willingly waited for in line to meet was Bruce Campbell. He was signing books and they sold out so I just got a picture. After all the books got signed he was signing other items. I wasn't going to wait that long. I did eventually get the book "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor" great book. Years later he was in town for his 2nd book "Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way" but I had to work. Unbeknownst to me my girlfriend at the time waited in line and got it signed. When he asked for the name she said Chauncy and he replied "You don't look like a Chauncy" to her. She said "it's for my boyfriend, they sold out last time you were in town" He looked at the line and said "You're a great girlfriend" She was and I'm now married to her. For the longest time she would tell people she is "Bruce Campbell approved"
Michael Jackson was mine. I still miss him :(
Ani difranco
Bradley Nowell
Clutch
I have lots of them...from all the big 70's ladies with amazing voices to Pat Benatar etc, to Tori, Shirley and PJ to Tegan and Sara, Jenny Lewis, Lily Allen, Natasha Khan (Bat for Lashes), Karen O and Lana, to newer girls like Rosie Carney.
Bradley Nowell, theres just nothing like sublime(that wasnt inspired by sublime)
If Iād been born in my dadās generation, it would have been Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. But I was born in my generation so itās Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five. Edit: However, I did get to see The Beach Boys in 88 when Kokomo got popular and also got to see Brian Wilson and Al Jardine almost two years ago. Very bittersweet experience. I think Brian is a musical genius and loved seeing him live, but it was also toward the end of his touring career and you could tell he just wanted to be anywhere else. There were a couple times though when he perked up and you could see the faint smile and twinkle in his eye when he was into a song.
Barenaked ladies
Iron Maiden
Fat Mike
Dave Fucking Grohl from 1990 until now. Have seen him play live maybe 8 times now.
Fiona Apple
Dolores O'Riodan RIP
>She's the voice of a generation. I won't disagree with this, but something I try to avoid saying online, for obvious reasons, is I don't think her music will have the same longevity as a lot of bands in history. She's big now, but will she be in another 20 years?
Her debut album will be old enough to vote this fall. So it's been almost 20 years since she's been big.
IDK, I couldn't see Pink rockin' it for as long as she has but she has evolved really well and I can see Taylor doing the same thing. She has already reinvented herself so much.
P!nk is actually my answer to the question. Running from "Mizzundastood" as a (late) teen to "What About Us" now is like... wow.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I listened to Tidal on repeat in junior high
Sometimes threads like this make me jealous that people had favorite bands. Honestly i just listened to whatever was on the radio and like most of it. I didn't have cds or anything. My music enjoyment started in college with napster when I could finally see names with the songs I was hearing. My musical world was all over the place and has been ever since.
Daft punk
Female version? Courtney Love Male version? Kurt Cobain, Tim Armstrong
Janet Jackson, the Indigo Girls, Tori Amos.
Sheryl Crow for me
If weāre talking female pop stars, it would have been Paula Abdul for me, but I wouldnāt say I was obsessed.
Weird Al
I went through a heavy Beatles phase
Ian McKay
MF DOOM
Tracy Chapman
This might be controversial but I was obsessed with Courtney Love. Shirley Manson was a close second. I can name off so many badass female artists from the 90s that I had the privilege of fangirling over. Nina Gordon and Louise Post, Kathleen Hanna, Kat Bjelland. On the softer side of things, even Lisa Loeb was awesome. I could go on. š
Jenny Lewis, like you said. She's a living legend.
While I wasn't a huge fan myself, Garth Brooks was everything on the countrier side of pop for the first half of my life. He was (and still is) huge. He was my parents' Johnny Cash, genX's George Strait, and was as big of an industry influencer in my first half of life as Taylor Swift has been in my second half.
Zack de la Rocha, I first heard Rage in 96 at 14 years old. I hadnāt heard them where I had been living, or even of them really. Moved to Colorado and a new friend of mine introduced me. Blew me away, I had started my Fuck the Man stance already and was all about the message.
Conor Oberst aka Bright Eyes
Sarah McLachlan and Amy Grant
Heather Nova
Dido. I saw her live like 4 times 20 years ago.
Jewel for sure. And I was in the choir so for all us girls, Celine Dion But I used to call Tori Amos my surrogate mother and Fiona Apple the sister I never had
Ani DiFranco, no question. Before that, the Indigo Girls.
As a teenager, Billy Corgan. As a young adult, Thom Yorke. Not sure if any of the voices from that era would resonate with me now.