I tend to lean towards instrumental or lo-fi beats for background music while working; they help maintain focus without being distracting. What's your favorite genre to keep you in the zone, Darla?
I usually listen to music that I know. If not then I move from passive to active listening, the multi-tasking then becomes impossible. I change music based on tasks. So if I deep focus it may be classical, if I want to be energetic it could be hip-hop or rap, and sometimes it could be Jazz.
Right this second, it's Fergie Glamorous ft Ludacris, which came out in 2006 and changed my mood (I didn't think it was that old - at least I still remember the lyrics). It's just changed to Ms Jackson (2000) getting embarrassing now.