Joan Baez Renissance

Joan Baez performing in the 60s

With the release of the film A Complete Unknown- A Bob Dylan Biopic, It was only inevitable that younger people have been tuning in more to his music. What also came with this is a newfound appreciation for Joan Baez. Although essentially anyone interested in music from the earlier generations knows these huge names, we must admit it is much harder to gain traction when the peak of your career was half a decade ago. Though difficult, it is obviously not impossible. The notion that Gen Z doesn't listen to old music is completely misguided; in fact I think that it is easier than ever before to discover all types of music than it was in the past. I do believe that what is special is when a song or artist from the past suddenly becomes loved by the masses. We have seen this with Kate Bush, Jeff Buckley, and others as their songs suddenly become slightly trendy and experience a boost in streams. I am now seeing an influx of Joan Baez on my explore page, which makes me quite happy. I see people comparing her with Joni Mitchell, which is an argument that has existed since the beginning of their careers, as their genres are very similar. But most of all, I see young women resonating with Joan, and discovering her discography, which shows how much art-like movies, in this case, can influence people and shape trends.

Joan Baez performing in 2021