What kind of music do I like? Hmm. Such a great question for a first date. Music taste can reveal so much about a person.

Oh god.

Um, I like everything! Yes, every single kind of music. I’m looking down at my phone to confirm—yup, I’m seeing a lot of songs by “Glee Cast” and thinking I should say, once again, that I listen to pretty much any and all kinds of tunes. I just let the songs shuffle, you know?

What kind of songs do I shuffle through? Gosh, it’s so hard to pin down but let me think.

Please give me a moment… I’m doing a mental scan… scanning for anything that might seem “cool” amongst my music preferences… scanning… and continuing to scan… hold on… thank you for waiting.

Well, the data from my mental scan shows that I have a preference for Kelly Clarkson, Norah Jones, and my a cappella repertoire from college (sophomore through senior years). The rest of my music knowledge comes from playbill.com. But maybe that’s like a fifth date kind of share?

Oh! I have an idea. Why don’t we both name an artist we like on the count of three. Ready? 1, 2, 3…One Tree Hill’s Bethany Joy Ga—I mean, Kendrick Lamar, like you were saying! Wow, we are so in sync.

His new album? Right! You know, I think I’m still forming an opinion on it. I’m still in the midst of listening, getting a feel for the vibes of the tunes.

But if you like Kendrick Lamar, then you must love other popular artists like Bon Jon Iver. He’s the GOAT. He’s so GOAT. I always say that. I don’t know if you’ve heard this, but I believe some of his fans call him “Bono” for short.

Also, Phoebe Waller-Bridgertons. So talented. Very musical. The notes go up, and then they go down—what a great sound!

Hey, I recognize the song that just came on! It’s Harry Styles’s “Water, Milk, Sugar, Flour.” We need more chart toppers about baking.

I learn about many great up-and-coming musicians on Saturday Night Live. This past season, they had an excellent musical guest called Arcade Fire. They must be new to the scene.

But tell me more about you! What do you like to do for fun? Didn’t you mention you like going to the gym and eating cacio e pepe?

Oh, wait—you like going to shows too?! No way! That’s incredible—I LOVE shows! Going to Broadway is one of the reasons I moved to the city, to be honest. I recently got rush tickets to The Music Man—it was so good! I never got to see Company during its run, sadly. But, hot tip: There’s a new Company documentary on PBS! Maybe we could watch it together. You work for a company, right?

It’s so great that we both like shows.

Oh.

Ohhhh.

Okay—of course. By shows, you meant concerts. Like, rock and roll. Not in a theater, but a venue. Without Playbills. I understand.

Well, you still might like Six: The Musical? It’s basically a concert starring the wives of Henry XIII, but there’s reserved seating and a mini history lesson.

Anyway.

Gosh. We’ve covered a lot. You like Kendrick Lamar, I like Kendrick Lamar, etc. I think I have the brainpower for one more question before I return home and lull myself to sleep with Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway.”

How about books? What are you reading these days?

Maybe we can each do a mental scan and reconvene.