Your Star Sign Affects Your Music Taste in Ways You May Not Realise

Over the past few years, something strange has happened. When I used to ask people the exact time and place of their birth (“Maybe your mum knows? Call her and ask then!!!”) they would look at me as if I’d just asked them where their dead nan was buried so I could find her remains and eat them. Now, when I ask the same question, they are already two steps ahead. “I’m a [redacted] sun, [redacted] rising and [redacted] moon,” they say with a sweet smile, before I’ve even had a chance to spit out “but – but – what about your Venus!”

The point being, people are going HAM for star signs these days, which is great for anyone who has always been obsessed with astrology – which I have, despite being an entirely skeptical human in all other respects (I’m a double Libra, with a Virgo moon, which is why I’m super charming but also a lowkey control freak, thanks for asking). As such, I thought I’d use this opportunity to speak to an astrologer and ask them some stuff about where star signs and taste in music collide, for the benefit of you, dear reader.

Real heads already know that the position the planets were in when you were born determines a great deal about your personality and approach to life. Our mates over at Broadly, for instance, have already established what your star sign says about your relationship to weed, as well as what you were like in high school. But what does it say about your music taste? If you’re a Pisces does that somehow mean you’re more inclined to fuck with Frank Ocean? Do all Sagittarii harbour a secret predication for nu metal? Is my obsession with the band Shampoo typical for a Libra? I phoned up Annabel Gat (a brilliant astrologer, who also does the Broadly horoscopes) and asked her to talk me through each of the four elements of the zodiac and what they say about our relationships to music.

FIRE SIGNS

“Fire signs – Aries, Leo and Sagittarius – in general are going to be drawn to energising music; certainly something they can listen to during a work out, whether that’s pop or metal or anything that will get their blood pumping. They like music that’s upbeat and fast and that they can move to.

They definitely like to go dancing. Fire signs like new experiences, so they certainly like to go out. They also don’t like feeling claustrophobic, so while they can deal with a huge concert where everyone is packed in with tightly, that’s not going to be their ideal. Their ideal is more like a club where you can really dance and then go to the side to get a drink and talk to someone and then step outside to have a cigarette, allowing for more movement. They’re not only claustrophobic, but they also don’t have the greatest attention span. One band playing a set for 40 minutes might be boring for a fire sign, for instance.

An Aries or a Sagittarius, especially, is going to be really annoying to have as a DJ at a house party because they’ll let a play song for like 40 seconds and then be like “oh wait – oh my god, I have to show you this next one” and get so excited they have to move onto the next. Leos can have a little more staying power because they’re what is called a “fixed” sign (one that falls in the middle of the season). So they are much better at following things through and staying grounded and having a little more patience.”

EARTH SIGNS

“Earth signs – Taurus, Capricorn and Virgo – are drawn to music that’s more sensual, so anything from ambient music to soulful stuff like R&B or jazz and maybe even classical; they like music that’s not too messed with by things like AutoTune or reverb and is just pure, organic sound. I think they can also go to the other extreme and like very ambient, noisy music. They’re very sensual when it comes to sound; it’s all about physicality and the material world, whether that’s harsh noise or gentle.

In terms of how each sign differs, I think Capricorns probably lean towards darker, more gothic sounds. They also love anything that’s old, so anything retro is great for them. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, which is the planet of communication and words, so anything that’s very lyrical is great for them. And being the most sensual of the Earth signs, Tauruses are happy listening to the sort of music that will give them goosebumps. Tauruses are ruled by Venus, which is the planet of beauty, art and musical instruments, so they love beautiful sounds and probably appreciate music the most out of all the Earth signs.

When it comes to going out and dancing, as long as there’s a place to sit – especially for the Tauruses – then they’ll be fine. Virgos are probably the Earth sign that likes to go out the most, and will really enjoy meeting people and dancing and having the whole experience, whereas for Capricorns, unless they’re on the VIP or guest list, they’re not going to waste time going out when they’d rather stay home working.”

AIR SIGNS

“Air signs – Libra, Gemini and Aquarius – are all about communication, so any track that has amazing lyrics is going to be great for them but they can also love electronic music like techno and house. Of all the signs, the air signs really appreciate new technology in music most, so when it comes to new trends or music that sounds different, they will love it.

Libras are going to be the ones who are most drawn to love songs, because they’re ruled by Venus, which is very romantic and affectionate, so they’re suckers for that sort of thing. And again, Venus rules the arts, so they really appreciate musicality in general. Geminis are ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication, so any sort of rap is great because it’s very lyrically driven. And Aquariuses are the most inventive of all the air signs, and the ones who are most appreciative of technology, so for them, any electronic or experimental music will seem appealing.

In terms of consumption, air signs are very mentally busy and are really into multitasking so they’re going to be having music on no matter what they’re doing. They were the kids in middle school who had the radio on while they were doing homework.”

WATER SIGNS

“Water signs – Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio – are very artistic, romantic and creative. When we think of grunge, for example, we think of Kurt Cobain, who was a Pisces, and Courtney Love, who was a Cancer. Water signs give themselves so fully to music that they can end up losing themselves within it.

Pisces in particular love any kind of music that is trippy and takes them to another world; they’re definitely the hippies of the zodiac. They love music from all decades and use music as a way to connect to the past; they’re very nostalgic and emotional about what they listen to in that way.

Water signs also definitely love to create music. Pisces are the sign that are most likely to go out every single night and be the last to leave the club, whereas Cancers are the ones who might get the job at the club or be a part of the industry. Scorpios are very romantic, sensual, deep, dark and intense, so they’ll be the people who lock themselves in a room when they’re upset and sit through and album and work out their emotions with it.”

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