“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” said Plato. The music industry strives to live up to this quote, and many new music creators are coming up with new content every day. Lo-fi is the newest trend and looks like it’s here to stay. Read on to know why.

What is lo-fi?

According to its creator Eric Matthews, lo-fi is short for “low fidelity”, which is a term used to define the music that contains elements that are conventionally regarded as imperfections or flawed. This type of sound recording has technical flaws that make them sound different from the live sound that gets recorded by adding distortion, hums, background noise and low-frequency response. Music producers now make these flaws as calculated aesthetic decisions and we have a plethora of our favorite songs in this new version. And guess what? It is a hit with the youth.

Why is Lo-fi trending?

The world today has started to acknowledge the fact that it is OK to be imperfect and individuals are starting to embrace their flaws with self-love and grace. This can be one of the reasons why the youth is vibing to this genre of raw music. Also, Lo-fi being passive in nature does not reach out or try to be more it can be a Calming secondary presence rather than a full-on concert you want to perform when you listen to a Bollywood number.
Some of the good Lo-fi songs today are cut, rearranged and extended to create a vintage or retro vibe. So, the same song hit different and brings a sense of nostalgia to the listener. When listening to lo-fi, what remains in our head is not a memory of the lyrics, but a lasting state of mind. As the pandemic has made us think about the good old times a lot, this genre is the current vibe.

Lo-fi for work /study

One of the major changes that the world has experienced in the new normal is the WFH(Work From Home) culture and, college life now is just you, your laptop and the water bottle against the world. Many students find it difficult to focus on their work when there is a TV running in the next room or the family being loud at times. Sounds relatable, isn’t it? Worry not! Lo-fi is here to put you in a phase of focus when you can concentrate on the work at hand and get a lot of things ticked off on your checklist. While many music critics looked down on the Mellow and monotonous nature of this genre, scientists and audiophiles (like me) insist that blandness is the key point. Lo-fi really does put you in a productive trance. Just search ‘lo-fi beats for chill and study’ and let the YouTube algorithm wind you up in a new cocoon of focus vibe and nostalgia. But if you are one of those who would want absolute silence while working, lo-fi may not be your cup of tea. Well, You can always try new stuff, it would be a win-win anyway!

To sum it all, Lo-Fi music accompany you in the day to day question and get you through your day. It is relatable and casual, putting people at ease and making them put it on loop in return. Go ahead and try a session of lo-fi Beats to study or chill. You won’t be disappointed!

Here are some recommendations to start with. Happy Vibing!

This is a playlist for some Bollywood Lo-fi music:

This is the link for a 1-hour session of Lo-fi beats to Study/Chill