Every chance I get, I open up Spotify and hit play. Whether it be singing in the car or having a song playing in the background while I study and read, music is a vital part of my life.
Like many others, I have an assortment of playlists associated with different events or feelings.
If I have a road trip coming up, I make a new playlist.
If I have had a memorable experience, I want to listen to the songs that remind me of it and make a new playlist.
Growing up, my music taste has shifted. I’m not listening to the Frozen or Annie soundtracks on repeat every day. I’m not singing “Let It Go” while running down my staircase pretending to be Elsa and freezing everything in my path anymore.
Now, my music library is comprised of different musical soundtracks, including Taylor Swift and a plethora of other songs scattered across multiple genres. Some tunes stick with me more than others. When I listen to certain songs, they invoke a memory: singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver on the way to West Virginia on a mission trip or screaming “Naughty” from Matilda with Juliana on countless car rides. My favorite songs hold meaning.
Sometimes, playlists are difficult to make. I want to listen to new artists but don’t know where to find them. I don’t want to listen to the same song repeatedly, but I don’t know how to stray away from what I know.
Selecting music for a playlist is comparable to life. I’ve been trying to find new people—like artists—to enhance my life even more. Just like songs, I have embraced stepping out of my comfort zone to try new experiences different from the ones I do every day.
One of my goals for this year is to listen to a new song every day and throw it in a playlist, and by the end of the year, I’ll have a new playlist filled with a variety of songs to listen to.
The first song I turned on at the start of 2024 was “New Year’s Day.” To me, this song makes me reminisce about the past year. Listening to the lyrics allows me to reflect and remember everything that happened in 2023 and prepare for a new beginning.
2023 was an astonishing year for me. I could write a list as tall as me of all the marvelous memories I have from the last twelve months. Dancing in the grass, laughing in the trunk of my car, and walking down the streets of New York, are some of the many moments I cherish.
Hopefully, this year will be similar. Feeling so free and full of excitement every day, especially in the warm months of summer. I hope to find new songs, new artists, and, most of all, new memories to take with me for the rest of my life because, right now, my playlist is just getting started.
“Hold on to the memories / they will hold on to you”
-“New Year’s Day” by Taylor Swift.
