I am sick and tired of being at the club and hearing music without any words. How on earth do people enjoy dancing to straight beats over and over again?
The truth is, we have traded art and emotion for bass drops. Music at the club should be about connection, not just noise. It should make people feel something — joy, nostalgia, the urge to sing your heart out with your friends at 1 a.m.
EDM and house music dominate Miami nightlife, from Club Space to UM frat parties. But lately, more people are craving a return to nostalgic, lyrical hits that get the crowd singing instead of just jumping in place.While electronic music is popular in Miami, it’s time for clubs to mix in early 2000s bops that bring back the fun, emotion and energy that lyrics create.
Festivals like Ultra can be credited with the rise of Miami’s EDM scene, where DJs such as Tiësto, David Guetta and Calvin Harris have shaped what is considered “club music.” The heavy drops, pulsing lights and wordless beats are designed for spectacle. Hearing that same sound over and over again begins to feel repetitive and boring.
“I think early 2000s songs are more fun because everyone knows them,” said Sameera Wadhwani, a University of Miami senior. “It brings the whole room together. The new EDM and house wave is cool, but I don’t understand why anyone would want to dance to music without any words.”
That is the key difference: connection. When the DJ plays Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ or Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella,’ the crowd doesn’t just dance — they sing, shout and laugh together. Songs from the early 2000s and the mid-2010s gave people something to scream and sing with lyrics, melody and hooks that stick in your head the next morning.
Early 2000s music remains unmatched because it delivered the perfect blend of catchy hooks, emotional depth and cultural relevance. This era produced chart-topping pop, R&B and hip-hop tracks that balanced strong vocals with memorable lyrics — songs people could sing, scream or cry along to.
Chase Winston, also a UM senior, agreed. “The lyrics are familiar and the hooks are super catchy, which creates a vibe that instantly brings people together,” she said. “EDM can be fun in certain settings, but it doesn’t hit the same way early 2000s music does.”
It’s not just nostalgia. Studies show that songs tied to formative years activate emotional memory, triggering a dopamine response that makes people feel happier and more connected. That is why the first few notes of ‘Party in the U.S.A’. or ‘No hands’ can light up a room in seconds.
Even students who enjoy house music admit that something is missing. “I think people crave that sense of connection you get from singing along to lyrics together,” said Kayla Collins, another UM senior. “From what I’ve seen, people don’t really dance to EDM beyond some side-to-side movements, or doing the typical frat boy flick, but with pop or hip-hop, you see everyone actually dancing, jumping and having fun together.”
Still, some argue that house and EDM define Miami’s nightlife; that the beat-driven, high-energy atmosphere is what sets the city apart. They are not wrong. Miami thrives on that pulsing, festival-ready vibe. But when every bar and club have the same beats on repeat, the energy starts to fade and the overall hype in the club tends to die down.
Winston put it best: “When every venue plays similar high-tempo beats, it can sound repetitive and boring. We need music with words.”
It is time to bring back the bangers, the ones that made us lose our voices and dance like we meant it. The club doesn’t need another average remix. It needs lyrics.