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"Uncle J?"
"Yes?"
Yinu set her cup of tea down; this wouldn't be her average hangout at Barraca Mansion. "I'm doing a project for school. I'm supposed to ask at least three adults what music means to them, and write down their answers. Would it be okay to ask you?"
"Of course! I'm happy to talk about that."
As J began his explanation, Yinu took out a pencil and her notepad.
"Music, as I see it, is something that can bring peace to the world. A really good song can get people to come together, even if they're very different from each other. If you think about it, Vinyl City has people coming in from all around the world just to hear all the music and see how it's part of our culture. So many different points of view, and yet they all have something in common - they love music!"
J looked up to the ceiling. "I've received messages from people, telling me they were able to make new friends, or find love, or bond with family members - all because of 1010's music. And I've seen myself how much people can hate each other for the most stupid reasons. The fact that I've been able to do the opposite - unite people out of love for something - is..."
He took a shuddering breath, composing himself. "Well, it's very special to me."
As Yinu finished writing, she said, "Yeah... bringing people together is very special." Deep down, she hoped the music she performed herself could have that power. Even though she didn't plan on performing full-time for several more years, maybe her existing music could bring people together. Or it already did; she was one of the top artists in Vinyl City for a little while, after all.
She set her pencil down after a moment. "Okay, I got what I needed for that part of the report. Thanks, Uncle J!"
"Anytime, Yinu."
As J pulled her into a hug, Yinu wondered if any of the other adults would have similar points of view.
She wasn't sure if this would count for the assignment, since 1010 were robots, but she was at the mansion anyway, so why not? Besides, robots might provide an interesting perspective.
"What does music mean to us?" Rin leaned against the wall. "Well, it's what we were literally made for. The commander wanted us to help spread his message of peace through music and dance."
Yinu nodded. "He told me about that."
Rin gave one of those winning smiles. "But aside from that, music is fun!"
"Fun!" his bandmates echoed.
"And it helps power the city, so it's practical, too!"
"Practical!"
Looking slightly more sheepish and laughing nervously, Rin continued. "And it also helps us understand life a little more."
"Yeah..." Haym rubbed the back of his head. "That's the thing about being a robot. Things that make total sense to you, we're still trying to figure out."
Yinu remembered what she'd heard about 1010 recently - that J had installed special computer chips into them to make them think more like people. She could imagine that it might be overwhelming at first, but they could always learn and grow as everyone does.
And if music could help them understand others, it could just as easily help them in their quest for peace.
"Do you ever have moments where you feel a storm breaking within your soul? Anger, sadness, fear... even joy, under the right circumstances?"
"Yeah..." Yinu looked down and frowned. Those moments happened more than she'd like to admit.
The look on Eve's face remained quite stoic as she went on. "Some people can be just as destructive as a real storm when caught in their emotions. Others prefer to create." Her voice took on a quieter tone as she said, "A few have done both."
Somehow, Yinu had the feeling Eve was speaking from experience. And honestly, she found it totally understandable.
"I find that music and sculpture have both helped me convey what lies in the depths of my soul, even when it cannot be easily put into words." Eve sighed. "Of course, many people do not understand what I am trying to say with my art. Perhaps more people will someday."
Yinu took down more notes, thinking about how the same piece of music can have lots of meanings to different people depending on who's listening. It happened with her music, it most likely happened with Eve's music, and it would be a surprise if it didn't happen with the others' music too.
Of course, the CEO of a record company would probably have a few opinions on music.
"Personally, music has been many things to me over the years. A method of rebellion, a way to enforce order, a source of shame, a source of pride, and I'm only scratching the surface here." Tatiana gave a thoughtful look. "But after everything that happened with Bunk Bed Junction, I can certainly say that, for better or worse, music is a window into the past."
"Yeah... it makes me remember things, too."
"And this is true on many different levels, as well. You can often get an idea about the culture of different eras by listening to the music they performed back then, for example. And on an individual level, the right song can take you back to a certain time and place." She glanced over at a photo on her desk; it depicted a much younger Tatiana alongside people Yinu didn't recognize. "The main reason why I avoided rock music for so long was because I couldn't hear it without thinking of my failures as Kul Fyra. But I've since made peace with those days, and can look back on them fondly - even though I still would have done things a little differently knowing what I know now."
She shook her head. "And Kliff... he was too attached to the past. He didn't want to accept that people can change their minds and move on from things; in his mind's eye, he still saw me as Kul Fyra in denial. When I made it clear to him that I had no interest in returning to those days, and that I didn't owe him anything just because he liked the music I put out a long time ago..." A bitter laugh. "Well, we all know what that led to."
"Ugh..." Yinu shuddered; she already knew why he did what he did from hearing all the other adults talking about it, but hearing it from Tatiana herself just hit differently. At least Mayday and Zuke didn't want to drop a satellite on the city just because they didn't like EDM, and when Kliff tried, they headed out to stop it - and not only did they succeed, they fixed Yinu's piano in the process. And after everything was over, the two had personally apologized to each of the megastars, Yinu and Mama being first on the list. But Kliff, from what little Yinu had seen and heard about him, wasn't sorry at all for what he did.
"Yep." Tatiana leaned against the desk. "And that's why hero worship isn't healthy. Because musicians and other celebrities are people just like you, and people change."
Yinu thought about how she and Mama had changed through the past few years. The family tragedy that initially brought them closer together; those first few performances, some at the Bakat, and some to raise awareness for the illness that took Papa away; Yinu's growing fame and the stresses that came with it causing tension between them; the rock revolution snapping them both back to reality; and now, Yinu's current hiatus to let her and Mama more properly come to terms with things, and to let Yinu have a slightly more normal life away from spotlights and media attention.
And throughout it all, that one special composition had followed them. That gentle piano tune that Papa had written as a lullaby not long after Yinu was born, one of the first songs she learned how to play once she started getting serious with piano-playing, the song that Yinu would always play at her concerts if possible. A very bittersweet song, sometimes more bitter, sometimes more sweet, but always important to her, always taking her back to a special time and place.
If there was one thing she knew, it was that the song would stay important to her in the coming years.
She wasn't sure if any of them were adults yet, but Yinu still wondered what Sayu's crew thought of music, what with Sayu being a charter.
Most of them were apparently busy today, but she did manage to get into contact with Tila.
"Well, it's just fun to create things, you know?" Tila shuffled her hands into her hoodie pockets and smiled. "Sometimes I look back on videos of Sayu's performances, and it's like, wow, we all did that together! And we've made so many people happy, too."
Yinu smiled back, thinking about how many performances of hers went perfectly, and that she was able to perform all of those complicated pieces with all those eyes on her.
"Even now, we like to come up with new ideas for what Sayu could do next. I've seen Remi drawing pictures of her going to space or meeting dinosaurs, or Dodo asking if he can incorporate some new dance moves he learned into her choreography. Sofa's been giving us his own ideas too, for remixes and collabs and stuff. We've been having a lot of fun with all of this, and even when our new ideas don't get as much attention as we would've liked, we're still happy that we made them."
A sparkle lit up Yinu's eyes as she imagined ways she herself could experiment with music in the future. Mama was already good at making EDM remixes of different songs, including hers, and maybe Yinu herself could try incorporating different musical styles into her piano concerts. She loved the grand piano, but maybe she could try new sounds with synthesizers or something? NSR's newfound open-mindedness could give her lots of avenues to explore.
But even as she pondered all of that, an idea floated through her head, and she giggled.
"What if Sayu met space dinosaurs?"
Tila laughed. "We'll think of something."
"It's quite simple, really. Music is a way for me to cement my eternal legacy!"
"Mm-hmm." Yinu wrote this down, not sure why she expected anything else from Dr. Nova.
The DJ themself could apparently pick up on Yinu's sarcasm. "And since you apparently think I sound ridiculous, just think about it for a moment. Think of some famous classical composers - Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, and Holst, to name a few. They may be long-gone, but we still listen to their music - and we're still inspired by them. My goal is to create something that will leave my mark on the universe, to make sure people remember my name even long after I'm gone."
Nova leaned back in their seat. "Hopefully, that explanation doesn't need any further elaboration."
Fortunately for both of them, Yinu totally understood what Nova meant. Doing something to be remembered... memory was why Yinu threw herself into playing piano after losing Papa, and it brought her and Mama back together after fame almost broke them apart. Whether to remember or be remembered, it served as a good source of motivation.
Did Nova have to have an ego the size of Jupiter about his music, though?
And then, just for fun - and to show that there were no hard feelings (at least where Yinu was concerned; Mama still seemed uncertain) - Yinu decided to find out what Bunk Bed Junction thought, too. As luck would have it, not only did she come across Mayday and Zuke near the mamak, but Zuke's big brother DK West was there too - and all three of them were willing to answer Yinu's question.
"Music is freedom, if you ask me!" Of course Mayday, always the fireball, was the first to answer. "'Cause think about it; you can use any instruments you want, sing about whatever you want or don't sing at all, make the songs as long or as short as you want, you can make songs that are happy, sad, angry... you can really pour your soul into it!"
Yinu wrote the basics of that down, thinking of how some of the NSR artists were able to get more creative with their music after Tatiana rescinded the EDM requirement and allowed more artists of more genres to perform. And the more Yinu thought about it, maybe the stuff Mayday was saying was why she was so mad at the audition back then; she'd probably felt like they were rejecting her, not just her music.
"Yeah, and going off of what May said, music is art, too." Zuke took a long sip of his drink before looking at Yinu. "Some people like abstract art, some people like realism, some people like portraits or still-lifes or optical illusions or landscapes, and some people want to see something that's never been done before. It's the same thing with music; some people like what's on the top of the charts, some people only like underground stuff, some people like music to be as simple as possible, some people like really complex music... we'd be here all week if I listed everything."
"Yeah, people are really protective about their favorite kinds of music..." Mayday said with a sheepish tone.
"The point is, some music styles have more fans than others, but every style has some fans. If just one person hears your work and is like, this is just what I need right now, doesn't that make you feel special? Music and art are all about opinions; something that doesn't mean anything to one person can be really important to someone else."
West spoke up. "And when you're performing, you get to feel important, too! When the crowd feels the energy and starts singing and dancing along to the rhythm, or even when they just clap their hands... you and the crowd get to share in that energy! Ewah!"
As he stood up and posed, Yinu giggled. "My concerts are usually a little quieter than that, but I get what you mean."
But still, all three of their thoughts put together made sense. Music had endless possibilities, with any attempted styles being sure to have at least a few people who liked them, and when artists and fans shared a mutual excitement during performances, the results could be magical.
"Did you get everything you needed for your report?"
Yinu nodded, holding her notebook. "Yes, Mama. I think I got way more than I needed; I was just really curious about what everyone thought."
Mama, having finished watering a windowsill plant, set down the bottle she was using and smiled. "Of course, my dear. It's natural to be curious about such things."
"Yeah... they told me all kinds of things about what music means to them."
"Such as?"
Yinu took a seat on the couch, her feet still not quite touching the floor from her seat. "Uncle J says it can help people get along with each other, 1010 says it helps them understand life, and Eve says it helps her express her feelings when words can't. Ms. Tatiana says music can help you remember things, Dr. Nova says it can help you be remembered, and Tila told me that it's fun to create things and be proud of them. I even talked to Bunk Bed Junction."
At this point, Mama, who had previously been listening and nodding at what Yinu was saying, visibly tensed up. "They were nice to you, right?" It was clear from her tone that if they weren't, things would look very, very bad for them.
Yinu, fearing Mama's wrath (even though it wouldn't be directed at her), quickly spoke up. "Yeah, they were nice! They didn't make fun of me or say anything mean. Zuke's brother was there, and he was nice too."
Mama's fist uncurled. "Good..." In Mama's eyes, Bunk Bed Junction still had quite a long way to go before they stopped being on thin ice.
"They said you can make music any way you want, and that every kind of music has someone who likes it. Zuke's brother also said something about performers and crowds sharing energy during concerts."
"I see." There was no doubt from Mama's expression that she had something on her mind.
It was quiet for a little bit before Yinu spoke up again.
"Are you still busy, or...?"
Mama shook her head. "I've finished all of my errands today. Did you want to hear what music means to me?"
"Yes, please."
Yinu took out her pencil and notepad one more time as Mama sat down next to her.
"Many kinds of music - not all, but many - are made out of love. I started making remixes because I loved both classical music and EDM, and wanted to put them together." She glanced down at the ring on her finger. "That's how I met your papa; he, too, put so much love into his music, whether he was performing his own compositions or someone else's."
"Yeah... Papa always encouraged me whenever I had trouble learning how to play. I still feel like he's smiling at me when I play the piano."
Mama had a sad smile on her face. "Yes... the piano helps me remember him, too."
For a few moments, both of them were lost in thought, both sad at what was taken from them too soon, and happy at the memories they did share with him.
Eventually, Mama continued with her thoughts. "So much music is made out of love, Yinu. Love for yourself, your family, your friends, your heroes, your romantic partner, the place where you live... even music that sounds sad or angry can be made out of love, if you're upset at someone or something being treated unfairly. And just like what your Uncle J said, music can help create love between people."
"And creating stuff is very special," Yinu added.
"Indeed... it sounds like you've learned a lot about music today." Mama gently smiled. "So, Yinu, my dear, since you've heard everyone else's thoughts... what does music mean to you?"
And as Yinu thought about her answer to that question, she realized that she actually had a lot of different answers. Music could be everything the others described, and so much more.
It would all depend on her experiences and her way of looking at things.