Robyn Violanda

I am a fourth-year student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. As a first-generation Asian American, I appreciate music as an art medium that touches people and uplifts the voice and talents of an artist. I have loved music since I started singing Filipino ballads at 3-years-old, and have deepened my love for all genres of music growing up in the Bay Area. My favorite genres of music are R&B, Rap, Hip-Hop, and Pop. During my time in college, I appreciated music not only as an art form, but as a historical and cultural artifact. The role of music in politics, social movements, and as a signifier of an era fascinates me as a student majoring in Communication and Sociology, and minoring in Asian American Studies. For me, music has been therapeutic and cathartic to listen to, but can be even more engaging when I learn about the artists, their inspiration, and their own creative spark. My interest in creative spaces and the world of entertainment has energized my passion for writing about music and its impact and presence in modern pop culture.