Is it too early to make Christmas posts? Surely not…
Anyway, I’ll be doing it regardless.
I don’t know man, the last two years with COVID and going in and out of lockdowns, Christmas just hasn’t hit like it usually does, so I’m hoping this month we’re able to revive it. My family have set up the tree, lights have been thoroughly strung and all that’s missing is the infamous Christmas playlist.
However, when it comes to Christmas playlists, I’ve branched out a bit. Of course you have the classics, the typical Christmas songs and usual fun, and you’ll find them in most Christmas playlists you throw on. Which is why you won’t find that many of them in mine.
I’ve discovered that this year in particular, my favourite genre of Christmas track is that late 90s, early 2000’s Christmas album release that every pop/RnB artist was releasing at the end of the year. You know the ones I mean. The ones that with a couple lyric changes could pass for a release at any time of the year. I love them. The ones that hit you in the feels and having you feeling nostalgic without even realising you’re listening to a Christmas tune.
Hard to imagine? Lucky for you I have a playlist filled with these very tracks in particular. Have a listen.
I’ll leave you with this for now, but don’t worry – I’ll try and pop back in before Christmas day to give you some more!
Hello, hello, hope you’re all well! I’ve returned for another monthly tunes post. I listened to my fair share of music this month, some new, some old, some that I was eagerly awaiting and some I stumbled on unexpectedly. Here’s what I was listening to in September.
Don’t Shut Me Down – ABBA: Did I get caught up in Donda/CLB hype? Yes. Was I saved when ABBA decided to release new music? Also yes. This song literally blessed us all and reminded us again why this band is timeless. I love it so much.
Love All – Drake, JAY-Z: This song was one of my favourites on first listen of Drake’s latest album. I think a mix of the song itself and JAY-Z’s verse. I love his voice when he raps so much and he manages to make such an impact on whatever track he’s on.
Monks – Frank Ocean: A return to an old one. I will admit that I never listened to this song much, even when channel ORANGE was first released, but I recently returned to the album and fell in love with this track. The bass, the drums, the entire flow of the whole song. So tasty.
Mung Bean – Masaya: Back again discovering absolute gems. Masaya are a band from New Zealand who I fell in love with immediately. This was the first song I listened to on their Spotify channel and I’m glad I stuck through it because the switch into the chorus is so beautiful. So much energy, incredible vibes, I want the sun.
Gyspy Woman – Tom Misch: I was stoked to see this on Spotify as well as all of Tom’s Quarantine Sessions. This was one of my favourites when he originally uploaded it to YouTube, so to be able to add it some of my playlists was a blessing. So funky. Give it a whirl if you want some easy listening with a sprinkle of funk.
Tweety – Raveena: This song is an instant throwback to some early 2000s RnB and I love it. I was out of the Raveena loop for a second but I’m so glad I’m back. This song will make you float.
All I Ever Wanted – Yebba: It’s hard to put Yebba’s debut album into words. So many beautiful tracks. Such a beautiful artist. Can you tell I’m struggling? This track in particular takes you to places you’d never expect.
Pressure – Ari Lennox: I was so excited to see Ari Lennox had released a new track and this was just what I needed. Everything I love about her. Super slick instrumentation and production, cheeky lyrics and incredible vocals. I love this woman.
Love Came Down – Yebba: As soon as I listened to this song I ran to the credits to see who was on it. There’s just something about Mark Ronson and KAYTRANADA doing their thing on a track that has you hooked immediately. There were a few reviews that weren’t a fan of this track on her debut album Dawn, said it was a bit left of centre and random in the middle of the track but I loved it. So sick. It was such a nice switch up and it still felt like it stayed true to her amazing lyrics and imagery and vocals.
scapegoats – Baby Keem: Hands down, my favourite song from Keem’s new album. The Serpentwithfeet sample at the start made my jaw drop and it took me a second to place it but once I realised what it was I was sold. Plus, I’ve become a fan of Baby Keem and his flow a lot more with this record.
Right Track – Syd, Smino: I love Syd. Always have. Add Smino into the mix, an artist I’m loving more and more, and you have a happy gal. This one is such a fun track, perfect for the summer which makes me so excited for warmer weather, throwing this song on during a drive down to the beach *hopefully*.
LIKE THAT – IJALE, Yung Shogun, ThatKidMaz: I love sharing Melbourne-made tracks and this one has been so exciting to find. I’ve been around Yung Shogun and ThatKidMaz for a second but this is the first time I’ve heard IJALE and I am loving his music already. This is such a fun release, and all three of them play their role perfectly, really tying this whole song together seamlessly.
I FEEL IT – Jon Bellion, Burna Boy: Imagine my shock when my boy Jon announced he was releasing a song with Burna Boy. Two of my favourite artists on one song? Say less. This song is so interesting, Jon’s vocals are pitched down throughout the entire track which I love, a lot more than I expected and it’s the perfect blend of his sound and Burna Boy’s sound. When I first heard about the collaboration I was so confused at how it would work out, shame on me for having such little faith, Jon Bellion did what he does best and made an absolute tune.
Stomp! – The Brothers Johnson: This one goes out to my Dad. We’ve recently bought a new sound system for the living room, and he’s finally figured out how to connect his phone and Spotify account, so every weekend we’ve been blessed to a new playlist of his. Last weekend we had a great Sunday filled with some of the finest disco tracks I’ve ever heard, and this one was my all-time favourite of the day. Best on ground for sure. I’ve been playing this track all day, every day, just to make a shitty situation (one of the world’s longest lockdowns and most recently, a bloody earthquake) just a little bit better. The bass solo sent me into orbit and I’ve shared this track with so many of my friends. Lots of love for this song.
INDUSTRY BABY – Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow: After the VMA’s I jumped back on this train. This song is still my favourite track from Nas’ album Montero, and I think a lot of that also has to do with how perfectly he and Jack Harlow blend on this one and how they were able to transfer that energy into a live performance. My cousins and I also have a running group chat *jack harlow appreciation*, where we just collectively love Jack Harlow.
Somebody That You Don’t Know – dvsn, Ty Dolla $ign, Rauw Alejandro: I wasn’t aware that dvsn had released an album until I found it on Ty Dolla $ign’s Spotify page and I promptly binged the entire song, which led to me finding this beautiful track. Such a good mix of delicate Latin-inspired guitar and really hard hitting bass and drums. Love it.
Bag – Abhi The Nomad, Charlie Curtis-Beard: I stumbled across CCB on TikTok and immediately fell in love with his playful rap delivery. A quick perusal of his Spotify account and other releases led me to this song, which I thoroughly enjoy.
Better Things – Kee’ahn: Another Aussie artist I’m so glad I found. This song is beautiful. Her voice is immaculate and this song captures so much soul and emotion.
2Day – Yuto., Priya Francis: Yeah that’s me. Let me plug it please. The boys who make up Yuto. and I have been working on this track for over a year, so when it was released on the 23rd I was so happy to finally have it out. Very proud to have working on this track.
Be My Own Boyfriend – Olivia Dean: Slowly, slowly becoming obsessed with English singer Olivia Dean. Holy moly, this girl’s songwriting just gets it. The way she’s able to capture such intricate feelings and emotions and situations with her lyrics just leaves me in awe of her with every song I listen to. Before I full investigated her music, the only song I knew of hers was Password Change, another beautiful song that gives you really honest lyrics paired with soulful vocals and this song, as well as most of her other tracks, is no different.
She Wants To Move – N.E.R.D: I always come back to N.E.R.D. Whether I mean to or not, they always find their way back to me. I can’t remember which Volume it was one but it appeared in the back of one of the Fenty x Savage shows and I recently binged all three since the latest one recently came out. Love them, aside from the point, this song popped up and I had to pause the show to pull up the song and enjoy it. N.E.R.D literally transcends the need for genres and labels. Everything they touch is magical and this song is in my Top 3 from them.
As always, if you wanna keep up with my 365//2021 playlist which is where I pull all these tracks from as I add to it every day, as well as any other playlists I’ve curated, here you are!
Let me know what you were listening to in September! I’d love to get some new tracks to add to a playlist or two.
Hello friends! Hope you’re all well and enjoying the holiday season, whatever it is you’re doing! I thought I’d pop back in and remind y’all I very much exist, by sharing my Spotify Wrapped for 2020. I’m well aware that Christmas as very literally come and gone and there’s mere days left of 2020, but I’m gonna squeeze this in here because I feel bad.
I’ve done a Spotify Wrapped post, ever since Spotify Wrapped existed. I’m all over it. I genuinely think about it year round.
If you’ve been keeping up with my sporadic posting throughout 2020, you’ll know that music got me through a lot of lockdown, I discovered a bunch of music that I was keen to share when I could, and I listened to a whole lot of new artists with all the time I was finding myself with. Hence, I was super excited for my Spotify Wrapped this year.
This year there were a few additions and fun tidbits as there is every year. I was super intrigued with the stats on genres and new artists listened, and I like how they made it a lot more simple than last year. I’ll admit, last year seemed like…a lot, but the 2020 Wrapped gave you everything you needed and wanted to know, and I genuinely spent the entire day it came out, asking my friends about their Wrapped, comparing and sharing.
I did see the memes that held the general sentiment of ‘we don’t care about your Spotify Wrapped’, which seemed to be in excess this year, but I personally, love seeing everyone’s wrap-up. It was such a fun day to see everyone sharing their results, whether their top songs were plucked right from TikTok or rain music that they played year round to help them fall asleep. It’s always super wholesome for me.
So with all of that said, I’m obviously gonna be sharing the results of my 2020 Spotify Wrapped, not that I’m assuming you all were holding your breaths for it, but because in a super shitty year, it’s something that I’ve been looking forward to, something that made everyone a little excited to talk about and something that got people talking. I’m also warning those of you who have been here since the first Wrapped, prepare yourself for a complete lack of Jon Bellion that honestly threw me off as much as it might throw you off.
Here ya go.
Very much not surprising if I’m being honest.
This just makes me very happy to look at.
I think this year’s Spotify Wrapped may have been my favourite so far. I saw so many more people sharing their result and everyone really got into it. There is that little niggling thought in my head that Spotify Wrapped is great publicity for everyone to mindlessly promote the platform while it refuses to properly pay the artists who are streamed on, but in the words of Flex Mami, I am capitalism’s handmaiden and if I can enjoy something as much as I enjoy receiving my Spotify Wrapped…I’m gonna do it.
I know. I know. I’ve been absent. Severely absent. Pinky swear there’s a legitimate reason, but that’s a post for another day.
Today’s post is our monthly wrap-up of tunes I was rinsing during the last month. October produced some good music. There were some covers that slapped (Miley Cyrus I’m looking at you), some cinematic masterpieces (ahem, Shawn Mendes) and some great discoveries made.
So, if you’re keen to see what I was listening to during the month of October while I was anywhere but on my blog, keep reading.
Ungodly Hour – Chloe x Halle: These girls have a ridiculous amount of views on their latest music videos, and I can guarantee I’m at least a hundred of them. Especially this one. It’s gotten to the point where I know the live version with the choreography and the ad-libs better than I know the studio version. These two are so bloody ethereal and heavenly it’s hard to measure up to these ladies. So strong vocally and so effortless in their performance. I’m on a bit of a Chloe x Halle binge and I highly recommend.
Heart of Glass – Miley Cyrus: What much else could I add to the discourse surrounding this gift from God itself, that hasn’t already been said. Not a lot.
Last Time – Giveon, Snoh Aalegra:Giveon delivered once again, this time he brought my gal Snoh with him. This song is the definition of smooth and sultry and I’m all about it. Both of them deliver creamy vocals and their voices blend so perfectly together.
Poetic Justice – Kendrick Lamar, Drake: I blame the Savage x Fenty show for this one. You know the vid I’m talking about. Neon green hair Lance, dancing with two other male dancers in silk pyjama sets behind mesh fabric then the camera pans to our gal Cara Delevingne? That’s the one. That and this song has always been a tune.
Wonder – Shawn Mendes: I’ve spoken already about this song. You don’t need me to ramble again because ramble I will. Check out the blog post HERE.
Like You – Bow Wow, Ciara: Oh my lord this song. I heard it in a TikTok and just got violent flashbacks to singing it when I was a lil kiddy. Just the Ciara hook, the way it gets stuck in your head is a medical issue, but I don’t have that much of a problem with it.
YEAHNAH – Church & AP: Church & AP. Was obviously gonna mention them again at some point. If you haven’t heard me go on about this NZ duo before, check out my post on them HERE. This is such a track. It’s from their latest EP, At Thy Feet, and it’s arguably my favourite. The bass line, the drum, it’s got a very UK feel to it if that makes sense. Dera Meelan, the producer is phenomenal on this track and it’s done so well. Church, AP and Dera are trio to watch when they’re together.
Way Down – Ocean Alley: Another tune from Ocean Alley. I’m on a bit of a bender with these guys too. This goes back to their surf rock roots perfectly, complete with heavy drum beat and head nod-inducing guitar riff. Baden, the lead singer, also delivers one of my favourite vocal performances so far.
So Done – Alicia Keys, Khalid: My girl Alicia. I can’t help but think of my childhood and driving in the car, listening to her albums with my Dad. She’s such a staple piece of my youth, so when I saw she had an episode dedicated to her on Netflix’s Song Exploder, I was all over it. This isn’t the track the episode covered, but it’s from the same album, and I mean…Alicia Keys and Khalid? Bliss.
going out – ROLE MODEL: More ROLE MODEL. This guy is making waves and they just get bigger and bigger. Last month it was BLIND, and now we’ve got going out. It’s not an overly complicated song, but the lyrics are so well written and constructed, with a super catchy hook and it’s just a hit in my eyes.
Self Control – Frank Ocean: It’s that part of the post where I share the inevitable Frank Ocean song I found myself obsessed with during the month and for October it was good ole Self Control. It’s just that guitar man. I mean, we done been knowing Frank’s lyrics could break the stoniest of hearts and his voice is sent directly from angels, but the guitar on this track just gets me. I love this song. I could be mid hype and I wouldn’t be able to find it in myself to skip this song.
Kevin’s Heart – J. Cole: I think I love this song so much for it’s intro. It’s just beautiful. That said, J. Cole consistently delivers, and I’ve been going back to the KOD album over the last month and digging up some of the treasures on that record, this being one of them.
On My Mind – Diplo, SIDEPIECE: Complete change of pace and we have some DIPLO on the playlist. I added this to my before the uber comes a little while ago, and then I saw more than a few TikToks using this song and I just had to add it to my daily playlist because of how often I found it stuck in my head.
Not My Neighbour – Niko Walters: I found this song through a series on YouTube called Don’t Make It AUX, which is one of the vibiest playlist series I’ve ever seen. I’m a huge fan of Jordan and Lance who I mentioned earlier, and they got Niko as well as Matui, the lead singer of SIX60, on their latest episode so I had to find out more about Niko. I genuinely spent the rest of the day on his Spotify, listening to his music while doing my work and getting on with it, but this song is by far my favourite. Highly recommend. Super groovy and chilled out, perfect for summer, which is on it’s way here in Australia.
Higher Place – Skip Marley, Bob Marley & The Wailers: Another song I discovered from the Don’t Make It AUX show, this time recommended by Matui Walters, who as I mentioned, is the lead singer of one of my favourite bands, SIX60. Skip Marley, Bob Marley’s grandson really puts such a modern and relevant spin on his grandfather’s tapes and recordings, even sampling some of Bob Marley’s speaking and writing in this track, hence the feature. This song is so good. There’s an incredible drop that is understated, yet hits so hard at the same time, and I’ve been rinsing this song all month.
Only Time Makes It Human – King Princess: I remember a couple years ago when King Princess was always on my radar…now, not so much. I discovered this song by pure lucky – my phone refused to connect to the BlueTooth in my car, so it was the rare occasion where I chucked on the radio, and this was on. I instantly made a mental note to add it to my playlist when I got home because of how insanely catchy the hook is. I’m in love with this disco-pop genre and though I’d never think it, King Princess does it so effortlessly. Nails it.
Over Now – Calvin Harris, The Weeknd: We love Calvin Harris around here. We know this. Add in The Weeknd, who’s also riding this disco-pop wave making itself known in 2020, and you have a tune like this. I mean, dreamy synths, some smooth RnB style percussion, a slappy bass and Abel’s impeccable vocals, make this a killer track. So low-key and ambient, I love it.
positions – Ariana Grande: She really pulled through at the end of the month didn’t she? I’m so exciting for her upcoming album, probably more excited than I’ve ever been for anything she’s ever put out, and this single has a lot to do with it.
What were you listening to this month? Let me know in the comments!
Hello and welcome to the end of another month and being one step closer to the end of another year. To be frank, I’m happy to get this over and done with, let’s kindly skip to 2021 and hope it’s an improvement.
That said, my favourite part of every month is here, it arrives 12 times a year – my monthly tunes!
I listened to a lot in September. It’s a reoccurring theme this year, but with all this time spent in the house, under lockdown rules and stuck with not a lot to do, what else do you expect from me?
Here’s what I was listening to in September. If you’d like to check out the playlist for yourself, as well as have a listen to all the other tunes I’ve been loving during 2020, feel free to scan the code below!
PLUS! I’d love to know what you were listening to during September. Let me know in the comments!
356 // 2020
Worry About A Thing – Tori Kelly:It doesn’t get much better than Tori Kelly covering Stevie Wonder to be honest. Arguably the best song from the entire Sing movie soundtrack.
Ultralight Beam – Kanye West: This song popped up on shuffle during a workout and reminded me how much I loved this track. So much to unpack here, truly. The sampling, the synths, Chance the Rapper, Kanye delivering incredible lyricism amidst insane dynamics.
LITTLE BUM – Agung Mango: Always keen to share some new Australian music. Ever since seeing Agung at Laneway Festival earlier this year, I’ve had an eye on the rapper and have keenly awaited any new music. This release has been celebrated quite widely around the country, and Agung just keeps growing and growing. Very excited to see what he has in store.
blind – ROLE MODEL:This track makes my little indie-pop heart sing. Such a sweet and simple ode to internet love and I think in the current state of pandemic that we’re in at the moment – so easy to connect to. It’s got a groovy drum beat, catchy guitar riffs and a chorus that’s stupidly easy to sing along to, which makes it a winner around here.
Pray For Me – The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar: This song was added to my playlist by pure chance and fate. It just happened to come up on shuffle while I was in the car, driving to the store for the first time in ages since lockdown, the day Chadwick Boseman passed away. Being one of my favourite actors ever, not just from Black Panther, but from the many films in which he displayed such a strong performance of black excellence and talent, and being my favourite song from the entire soundtrack, it seemed very fitting to add as my song of the day.
That Girl – Justin Timberlake: A throwback, if you can call 2013 a throwback. Such an underrated JT song, so I’m glad someone decided to make a smooth as heck dance to it and post it on TikTok, because I’m hearing it all over there now, which I’m not mad about.
Circles – Yuto., Luna May: Another release by some Aussie talent. Yuto. are a duo of brothers living in Melbourne and I’ve been all over their releases since they first popped up on the Melbourne-music scene. If you love a bit of electronic pop, with sprinklings of RnB, definitely check out Yuto. This collaboration with Luna May is probably my favourite, so far …
Butterflies – Michael Jackson: This song. Give this song some love please. I recently rediscovered it while doing a mass clean-out of the Spotify account (linked below), and I immediately fell in love with it again. Such a beautiful, smooth track.
Hit Different – SZA, The Neptunes, Pharrell Williams, Ty Dolla $ign:This song is a recent, long awaited release from SZA, and gal delivered. I’ve been entranced by this song since it came out, the structure, the lyrics, the music video, everything about this is exactly what we were all waiting for from SZA. I love how the men who feature on the track take over for the chorus while SZA holds down the verses and pre-choruses, a flip on the usual structure and model for RnB tracks like this. Love everything about it.
Real Games – Lucky Daye: I can’t wait for Lucky Daye to take off even more than he already has. This song is just super slanky and smooth, major Vulfpeck vibes with the synths and bass lines that tie this track together. I truly love the vibe he’s created.
Confess – CVIRO, GXNXVS: Another Australian track, we love to see it! Singer CVIRO comes through with maybe one of my favourite vocal tones of 2020, and producer GXNXVS (pronounced genius) brings it all together with a soundscape that just throws you back to RnB tracks of the late 90’s and early 2000’s, yet still sounds so current and relevant right now. This track excites me so much because I haven’t heard a lot music in this pocket, especially coming out of Australia, in a while. Can’t wait for more.
Bad Girl – Usher: Another classic, resurrected thanks to TikTok. It’s like my foryoupage just dips into the deepest recesses of my memory and plucks songs from there to give back to me and I’m not mad.
YOU’RE THE ONE – KAYTRANADA, Syd: Between KAYTRANADA and Disclosure, Syd really got a good run on my playlists this month. This is my favourite track from the 99.9%album, and it’s everything I love about KAYTRANADA all wrapped up into one.
Good Fit – Billy Reeves:Billy Reeves is a Melbourne rapper, originally from New Zealand (remember how I keep going on about NZ talent…) and he recently released this track, which I’m in love with. It’s such a chilled out, breezy tune, and it switches up towards the end, giving you some Chance The Rapper or Anderson. Paak energy that’s very much appreciated.
Dibble – Sycco: You’re getting a great fix of Australian artists this month. Sycco is an 18-year old artists from QLD, and I’ve been mildly obsessed with this track since I first heard it. She’s received a great spin on Triple J, a much loved radio station for discovering new and amazing talent, and for great reason.
Dreams, Fairytales, Fantasies – A$AP Ferg, Brent Faiyaz, Salaam Remi:Honestly, at this point you could throw Brent Faiyaz on any track and I’ll enjoy it. That said, A$AP Ferg and Salaam Remi really tie this track together as a really strong RnB collaboration. If you’re after some old school style rapping and smooth, sultry vocals, this tune will have you covered.
Kiss U Right Now – Duckwrth: Did you catch my review of Duckwrth’s debut album SuperGood? If not, you can get yourself caught up HERE. This is the tune that kicked it all off for me, and it still does it for me.
What You Know Bout Love – Pop Smoke: Pop Smoke sadly passed away earlier this year and unfortunately that’s what led me to checking out his music. Straight away, this song became my favourite. It’s everything I love about hip hop and RnB, and it makes me feel super nostalgic for my childhood when rap tracks had these beautiful little piano melodies and synth riffs in the background.
Thoughts – NUNU.:I couldn’t tell you the first thing about NUNU. because I don’t even know how this song came to be on my playlist. All I know is that I love it. It’s just some more hip hop and RnB. I’m not sure what you’ve come to expect at this point.
Daisy Chain – BOY SODA, Tentendo: How good is Australian music??? This good!!! I did a lil write-up on Tentendo a few years ago, and he’s featured on some of my playlists a couple times since then. That said, BOY SODA truly is the standout on this single, and Tentendo brings it all together beautiful. BOY SODA marries RnB and pop so beautifully, especially on this track, making it a really exciting single from the Central Coast artist. I can’t wait for more, potentially an EP from the sounds of things.
Crazy – Bazzi:Every now and then Bazzi releases a track that makes me question why I’m not listening to him more. This is one of those tracks. He released it back in August, so I’m a little late, but I’m here and I’m loving this latest single. The bass drives this track home, and his falsetto contrasts it so well.
Dead Man Walking – Brent Faiyaz: Snippets of this song have been floating around the internet for a little while, but apparently all we needed to do was blow it up on SoundCloud and TikTok and Brent went ahead and dropped it. So ethereal and atmospheric. You’ve got these beautifully plucked strings that build the perfect percussive layer for his voice to just dance over. I think Brent may just be one of my favourite artists of 2020.
You Sad – Tkay Maidza: You’re sick of me saying it, I know, but Australian artists need the hype. They need so much more recognition, it’s insane. Tkay is kinda like royalty in my mind, and this track from her album Last Year Was Weird, Vol.2 is so bloody cute. Love everything about it. Could not recommend enough.
Insecure – Jazmine Sullivan, Bryson Tiller: Jazmine Sullivan is a queen in my books. She’s on that Yebba, type of level in my eyes. The vocals in this song? Insanity. They should be illegal. She kills it and leaves nothing. I highly recommend listening to the entire track first, but for some real spice, head to 3:07. Jaw on the floor.
And that’s it team!
As always, you can find all of these songs, as well as every other track from my Monthly Tunes series, on my Spotify, linked below, or for your convenience, head straight to my 365//2020 playlist HERE.
I hope you’re all well and getting through 2020 as best you can right now. I just wanted to drop in to share another playlist with you all!
The original post in this series which you can find HERE, was shared a little while ago, right at the beginning of the entire lockdown/isolation/COVID19 situation.
I think one of the biggest things that changed when literally the world, went into lockdowns of varying degrees, was the way we all worked out, got our exercise, moved our bodies and stayed fit.
A lot of people (me), relied on going to the gym to get a proper workout in, while other people (also me) were a part of sporting teams that practiced and played games every week, providing them with an easy and fun way to workout and stay fit. You had people who went to big group classes and other people who worked one-on-one with a personal trainer. All in all, the way we worked out and stayed healthy, changed drastically.
Like I mentioned, I was one of those people who relied heavily on going to the gym as much as I could, and playing team sports. As expected, considering Melbourne is back in lockdown for the second time, I’ve not been able to go to the gym or play any sport since March. So obviously we needed to make some changes.
Between my little sister, my dad and I, we were at the gym nearly every day of the week, so it only seemed fair that the three of us finally splurged on a bunch of basic gym equipment for our garage, and after an entire day of emptying out the space, cleaning out what we didn’t need anymore, selling a bunch of stuff on FaceBook Marketplace and donating a ton, we finally had a place for it all to go.
Honestly, some kettlebells, hand weights, resistance bands, plates and maybe a bar are all you need, and you could definitely get by on even less. The garage has quickly become my favourite place in the house, and after I come back from my daily walk with my sister, I’m straight in there for an hour or so. Plus with the huge amount of people sharing workout routines and home-based programs on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, I’m constantly changing and switching up what it is I actually do.
One of my favourite things about the space, is that I also get to bring one of the many BlueTooth speakers that are floating around my house in there with me, so not only do I have a place to get in my workouts, but I also have a place to finally blast my gym playlists once again,
It’s a win/win really.
Speaking of gym playlists – welcome to today’s post. I’ve changed up my playlist a little bit since moving to home workouts, I’ve found new music, I’ve taken some music out, and it’s the main thing that gets me excited to workout if I’m being 100% honest, so I thought I ought to share with you!!
Let me know what you think, and please feel free to share your favourite tunes to workout to!
Come Around – M.I.A, Timbaland Blow the Whistle – Too $hort Y.A.L.A – M.I.A Bread – ROYBOY Diana – Pop Smoke, King Combs ROSIE – Sophiya Snake – Lil Keed Me, Myself & I – G-Eazy, Bebe Rexha My Name Is – Eminem The W.A.N.D – The Flaming Lips War Outside – Church & AP Lord Knows – Meek Mill, Tory Lanez Rich – Megan Thee Stallion Dior – Pop Smoke Make It – Vayne, Church Leon Say Yeah – TroyBoi Squat – Haiku Hands, True Vibenation DIET_ – Denzel Curry, Kenny Beats Money Longer – Lil Uzi Vert Crazy Rap (Colt 45 & 2 Zig Zags) – Afroman Before I Go – Guy Sebastian EXHALE – kenzie, Sia
All the songs that I shared on today’s post can be found on my PUMP Spotify playlist, HERE. Make sure to check it out cos there’s plenty more songs where that lot came from!
Today’s post is gonna be a little one, but I’m keen to share it with y’all because I feel like there’s a few of you who’ll really like this!
As is with all good things, I discovered musicScape on TikTok. Feel free to roast me in the comments, but it is what it is and I have no regrets.
Essentially, musicScape is a a one-stop site, to have your very own landscape image created, based on your Spotify listens within the last 24 hours. It’s super easy an quick to do, took all of 30 seconds for me to have my very own pretty little landscape, which I’m planning on dating and printing out to stick up in my room!
Here’s mine!
They’re super simple and sleek, and there’s also reasoning behind the landscape you get and what it means, which you get if you click on your name at the bottom of the page. It gives you a little rundown, like this:
I just love anything that allows you to analyse your listening and get some insight into the way you listen because sometimes listening to music is so easily a passive activity, and we don’t even realise what we’re listening to or our patterns with what we listen to, when and why.
If you make your own musicScape, I’d love to see what yours turns out, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram to show me!!
This post has been a long time coming. In fact, it’s been in the works for more than three years, and it’s finally happening.
Childish Gambino live in concert.
And how do we make it just that little bit better? We add Mia into the mix.
I’ve loved Childish Gambino for close to four or five years now. Heck, he’s got a dedicated space on my wall, among four other artists who I look up to and am inspired buy (check that out HERE), and he’s become one of the most talked about musicians ever. Whether it’s his music, his comedy, his acting/writing/directing, he’s become a well known name and whether you’re calling him Gambino or Donald, he’s made some impact in the societal sphere, especially within the last two or three years.
Which is why, finally getting to see him in concert, after years of rapping his songs in my room, singing or dancing along with my friends, talking about his cultural influence and critiques; seeing him in concert was something I had been waiting for.
There was also a certain weight to Gambino finally coming down to Australia. I think he’s been injured twice and had to cancel, and the last time he announced a tour I didn’t even get tickets. Which made his final concert so incredible and energetic.
PLUS. The fact that I went for the concert with Mia??? Mind-blowing. If you have the time, keep scrolling to some of my first posts and you’ll eventually come across quite a few where the comment section is purely just Mia and I (and homegirls Chloe and Fiona) fangirl-ing over Donald. And that’s before she moved to Australia. So obviously, huge significance with the fact being the first time I get to see him live, it’s with that gal.
I met up with Mia in the city, and after grabbing a drink to pass the time before the concert, we headed into Rod Laver Arena, obviously peer pressuring each other to buy a T-shirt at the merchandise stand beforehand.
It took a little while to start filling up, though Channel Tres did his best to get everyone hyped up. His set was a little hit and miss for us, with some songs being absolute bangers and really getting our attention, and others falling a bit flat. However, it made the wait for Gambino a bit more bearable.
When he finally came on, it was with little to no theatrics, just him walking to the front of the catwalk, and bowing his head, a move that’s become almost signature. He played a huge plethora of songs, some that had me jumping up and down, dancing and rapping along, others that gave me some space to just watch him and his incredible band.
Summertime Magic came pretty early in the setlist and it brought some warmth to the cold Melbourne night. It was such a fun song to see live and dance along to, which of course Mia and I did.
He performed so many killer songs, like The Worst Guys, Worldstar, Me and Your Mama, Boogieman, Have Some Love, pausing in the middle of these killer tracks to perform another fan favourite, Feels Like Summer and continuing to just give an amazing overall performance, one I’ve literally been waiting years to see.
One of the most commendable parts of the show, was a moment when he completely disappeared from the stage, only for a live feed to be brought up onto the big screens, following him around the underground of Rod Laver Arena. When he finally emerged outside in the front of the arena doors, walking past the merchandise stand, food stands and bars where we all were before the show began, everyone went nuts, searching for the door he’d enter through. He finally appeared, right at the top of Rod Laver Arena, and made his way down through the seats, cool as a bloody cucumber, giving cues to his band back on the stage to solo and really get a moment to show off how amazing they all were as musicians.
This Is America was always going to go absolutely mental, and to have it played live in front of us was something from a completely different planet. The signature dancers were lively and energetic up on the stage with him, and he somehow managed to match their energy seamlessly, still rapping every word, aside from those he prompted the crowd to scream back at him.
When he finally went off stage for a moment, the roar for the encore was deafening as Mia and I tried to think of all the other songs he could possibly play during the encore. Ya girl had personally been holding out to hear Bonfire or IV. Sweatpants, so my fingers were crossed.
It’s hard to be upset when the first song of his encore was Sober, which once again set everyone in the audience absolutely off, and the transition into V. 3005 was seamlessly, continuing the stream. He was phenomenal to watch, and it was like he somehow managed to bring his energy and commitment up a notch during this encore.
I nearly shrieked when IV. Sweatpants started and Mia and I probably pissed off everyone sitting next to, in front of or behind us from how much we jumped and screamed. I mean, this was one of the songs we went absolutely ham on during our roadtrip for Falls Festival, so it’s our song. Of course, he had to tease me a little with the intro to Bonfire playing as a lead up into Redbone.
Watching him kneeling down on the stage, singing the song even better than the studio version, then jumping off the stage to wade through the moshpit?? A moment. I wish I had some photos to include in this post, but honestly I don’t. I was literally so enthralled by the absolute magic going down.
Childish Gambino was literally more than I ever could have imagined. It honestly didn’t matter that we weren’t in the first row or down in the mosh pit – he had the entire arena in the palm of his hand.
YOU SHOULD HEAR 