The 1 Million Sounds Around You

And How They Lead Music

By Anika Mathur

Not every song starts with an instrument. Sometimes it starts with the sound of a spoon against a mug, the squeak of your chair, or the way a bus rumbles past your window. These sounds aren’t dramatic or profound; they’re just part of your day. But if you start paying attention, they can shift how you think about music.

We usually think of songwriting as something that happens with intention: sit down, find a chord, write a verse. But there’s something interesting about letting sound come to you instead. Letting your surroundings lead the way. Not because it’s cool or artsy, but because it’s honest.

And we’re hearing this in popular music more and more. Take Billie Eilish and Finneas—they’ve layered in the sound of crosswalk signals and slamming doors. Or Bon Iver, who’s used snippets of voicemail and organic noise to add depth and intimacy. Even artists like Rosalía blend traditional production with found sound, from clapping hands to ambient city life. These details create a feeling that’s hard to fake: it’s raw, it’s lived-in, it’s human. Listening to how current artists use real-world audio can shift how you think about texture beyond instruments, but the physical space a song lives in.

Some start by recording short clips on their phones throughout the week. Nothing fancy—just 10 seconds of traffic noise, or the steady drip of water from the showerhead. Later, they’ll scroll through and see which sounds stick emotionally. Not every recording turns into a track, but just having that little “sound sketchbook” changes how they hear the world.

You’re in a room. What’s already happening inside? Tap that glass jar with a pencil a few times with stillness and control. It’s not about making it sound cool, so just follow the rhythm of what feels real, even if it’s small or strange.

A sequence of sounds overlay to build the story. Even the screech of the subway or a breeze of trees can take you back to a memory. The emotional center of a lyric might not be that one sound, but an attitude you have towards it layered on top of another. 

There’s no pressure to make sounds useful or popular. Even if you don’t record or write anything, letting your ears stay open to your environment can shift your headspace. It makes us all notice more. Sometimes that’s all we need to feel a little more present, and by keeping our ears peeled, it can turn into a song.