I've talked a bit about this with one member. When looking at your entries collectively - or maybe your most recent few - how good of a representation are they of what you listen to outside of the contest when you're just chilling listening to music? Maybe it's more of a taster of what you like, maybe you only bring one or two areas of what you like into the contest?

For me, just like the music I listen to for my own pleasure, my entries have been pretty versatile as I don't particularly care about having a specific sound or era or anything, I mostly just send a song I like at the moment 🤭 BUT, that said, there is a lot of music I listen to that I probably wouldn't really think about entering as much of what I listen to is more 'lowkey' - understated trip-hop / chillout music, folksy or artsy singer-songwriters, etc. I've sent some of that, but it still has to stand out in some way for the contest.

I'm also much more of an albums person - I like the trip of a full album - so finding a song that sticks out on its own can be challenging.

I'd say over the years I mostly gravitate towards goth/darkwave sounds or electronic music which does represent a large chunk of my musical preferences. I do love a swerve too, like my recent pop winner or my next planned entry being math rock, but I'd say this still feels authentic - as my taste can be fluid and I might get a bit bored of too many similar-sounding entries in a row. A hit is a nice bonus sometimes but ultimately being fully invested in a song I love is the most important criterion when selecting an entry.

I have a couple of signature sounds and would classify myself as an alt nation but acts like Sonia y Selena have their place in my back catalogue too. Just like in my personal chart where Ariana Grande can happily co-exist alongside Makeshift Art Bar.

So far my poppy entries since my return and My First Time (for my rockier tastes) absolutely represent my listening habits well!

Esther Graf is probably my least representative entry... But even that is exactly the type of dance pop I often get behind!

All of my entries are songs that I'd have zero hesitation charting, so I'd say my entries are a pretty solid reflection of my listening!

Edited ramblings, read if you wish 😊

Before coming back, I did send entries that I wouldn't usually listen to in the hunt for something obscure or a hit. The problem with the that is that I struggle to engage with the contest if I'm not really behind my own song...

Much more of my listening now is stuff that is less known anyway, and it's really a roll of the dice how many people here will have heard it, so I'm not really worried about obscurity anymore (few people have been vocal about knowing any of my entries to date, and I end up sending songs that people do know, then it passed the veto so I'd imagine it won't be well known to everyone at least).

I'm really not fussed about getting a hit either... Chasing a hit is stressful, and I wasn't any good at it, I'd rather send what I love and hope that at least one of you lot hears what I hear in it too! 🥰

Edited July 2Jul 2 by Juranamo

100% don't think I could send in a song thats not to my taste

Not as much as they did at the start. I

Very well although with one caveat - I ought to send more pop, which probably makes up a good third of my music listening but probably not a third of my entries. I am sending pop this time though.

I would say very well, 6Music and critically acclaimed music are what I most often seek out and I generally send all of my favourite discoveries of the moment and only specifically avoid songs that are likely vetoes or the artist has been sent a lot before, though I do purposefully try to mix it up genre-wise from month to month as I'd like to not become too reliant on one sound, The exceptions are generally more subtle ambience or obscure breakcore which I do listen to quite a bit of, but it can be a bit risky if it really connects.