How in the world are we half way through the year already. Trust me, I feel like a completely broken record each time I sit down to write one of these posts, (which seem to be the only blog posts I’m sharing recently…my apologies) but time truly is just flying.
I thought I’d use this post as a mini catch up (watch it turn into a long winded ramble post) because I know I’ve been a bit on and off here. I think everyone had some changes to make after 2020 and I’m definitely no different.
I was blessed in 2020 to not face too many difficulties as a result of COVID. I still live at home so rent and major bills weren’t something I had to stress about, and the Australian government did a decent job of supplementing our lack of pay cheque for anyone who was out of a job like I was. That said, my job was only shut down for a total of three months before we were back on, so I was one of the lucky ones.
That said, I handed in my letter of resignation at the old music store in February. If you’ve been around for a hot minute, you’d know that I’ve worked at a popular music store in my area for the last five years, and having graduated and completed my degree at the end of 2019, my plan was to get into some full time work the following year. Obviously 2020 had other plans, so I decided that in 2021 I’d cut down to just one job and quit my role at the music shop. At the moment I’m only now teaching at a local performing arts school that has the flexibility for me to pursue that full time job goal further.
Since finishing up there I’ve been working towards locking down a full time position, but I’ve also taken on more responsibility admin/social media wise at the music school, and my band and I (Real Good Company on Spotify if you’d like to check us out) have really put our foot on the pedal in terms of doing gigs, recording music and putting stuff out there.
So that kinda leaves me floating around for a bit, making a little less money but really being able to improve my mental health and personal growth. I’m writing a lot for other artists and singers and I’m doing plenty of work featuring on other musicians tracks which was a huge aspiration of mine. I’ve always loved collaborating, so I’ve finally had the time to put myself out there a lot more and commit to more work with others. I’m singing on other people’s songs, doing feature verses, writing songs for other singers and in general just growing my list of credits which is what I love doing. Fitness has become a bigger focus for me and I’m finally hitting a bunch of performance goals that I’ve been steadily working towards, but that’s for another post – y’all will get another gym playlist eventually don’t you worry.
When I say that the year is moving quickly, I look back at how much has changed, what all has happened and what’s currently happening, and I mean…it checks out. Obviously, that’s not the whole point of this post – you probably came here for a few tunes a least. May was a weird month for me. A whole lot happened but it also felt like not a lot happened at all. That said, it was a great month for music, as every month this year is proving to be. I think a year in lockdown and with the world at a standstill in 2020 really gave all these musicians and artists the perfect conditions to really buckle down and get to work.
Here’s what I was listening to in May. Mind you – I’ll be using the new Spotify feature that I mentioned in my last post which you can find HERE, to compile this list, so it’s gonna be a list of what I truly, actually was listening to over the last month and not just what I added to the playlist!
Latch – Disclosure: I rediscovered my absolute undying love for this track this month. I don’t think I’ve skipped this track, ever. I could listen to this song on repeat. There’s something laced in this song I tell you, I can never get sick of it.
Antidote – Nao, Adekunle Gold: A banger. It’s one of my favourites for the year if we’re being real. The rhythm, the beat, Nao’s velvety voice, everything about this track is perfection.
Vossi Bop – Stormzy: I couldn’t tell you how or why I started listening to this song again, all I can tell you is that I did and I’m not mad about it. It’s made features on my driving playlist, my lifting playlist, even my Sunday morning playlist because I can really just listen to this song whenever.
Bartender – T-Pain, Akon: This may be the song of the month for me. Oh my goodness. All I need is the first two bars and I am feral. This song really does unlock something in me that can only be described as the energy you felt way back in the 2000’s walking out of the cinema’s having just watched the first Step Up movie. Can’t be compared.
Your Power – Billie Eilish: I was so ready for this. Such a mature, raw, authentic and vulnerable side of Billie that we only get a glimpse of every now and then. I’m still trying to digest the lyrics on this one and every time I listen I feel like I get closer and closer to what she’s really trying to say, but as is evident, we only really get to see what she shows us. Totally fine with that because I could listen to this song all day, every day.
p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l – J.Cole, Lil Baby: I don’t know if it’s the fact that the guitar sample is the exact same as Can’t Decide by bae Amine, or if it’s because I’ve been that bloody deprived of new Cole content, but this song just hits you different. It’s my favourite from his new LP and as much as I try listening to some of the other songs and giving them some love, it never comes close to how much I abuse the play button with this track.
Mystery Lady – Masego, Don Toliver: An older release, but still an absolute track by any standard.
Pray – Jungle: Got a quick Jungle fix as one tends to need every now and then. It was played in the background of a clip from Last Chance U: Basketball which I highly recommend if you’re into sport docuseries’. Obviously hearing the introduction chords had me running to Spotify to listen to the rest of their tracks, which gave me major 2019 nostalgia.
Footsteps In The Dark Pts. 1 & 2 – SiR: I don’t know what it is about this particular cover of this song…actually I do know. It’s SiR. He just knows how to do it and when it comes to being as smooth as this song LEGALLY requires, he just hits the nail on the head. I highly recommend you give this cover a listen.
Heaven – Julia Michaels: Another throwback. I was obsessed with this song for a hot minute. I rarely listen to Julia Michaels, if ever, but this song came up on my TikTok For You Page and I instantly had to listen to it in it’s entirety again. Such beautiful arrangement and I think Julia’s voice just ties it all together.
Undercover – Sam Wills: A TikTok discovery this one. I’ve found myself getting more and more song recommendations popping up on my FYP, which I’m obviously not mad about, but this one has to be one of my favourites. Not only is this particular song beautiful, but Sam Wills is such a gem and undiscovered treasure. His entire discography is hit after hit after hit in my opinion, and each time I clicked on a new song, I fell more in love with his voice. As far as I could tell, he had not one back track at all. Thank you TikTok.
Body (Remix) – Tion Wayne, Russ Williams: Again, I’m hand on heart, blaming TikTok for this one. Mainly for how good ArrDee’s verse is and for how incessantly it’s been imprinted on my brain. Let me know if you agree and we can suffer along together.
So High – SIX60: You really thought we’d get this far without a SIX60 song? Wrong. This song is so beautiful. It very beautifully timed an appearance on my shuffle as I was on a long drive home just as the sun was setting and the moment and the soundtrack has been imprinted in my mind this whole month. I had a little excited scream because of how beautiful it all was. The song, the sky, the moment. So good.
Ye – Burna Boy: Another track that just gets me out of my chair and having a boogie. Slight hazard when it comes on while I’m driving but we make it work. If you’re in the mood to groove, could not recommend a better tune.
favourite crime – Olivia Rodrigo: Holy moly. I’m a bit of a fraud for not dedicating a whole review to Olivia and her album SOUR, but I suspect it will come with time. Just give me a little while to digest this album completely, we all know how slow that can be. I’m really just making my way through this album because first listen just didn’t do it justice for me. That said, favourite crime is very steadily becoming ne of my favourite songs ever. Deja Vu will forever be my favourite song she has released thus far, regardless of how bloody good Good 4 U is, but this track is a close second I tell you that.
That’s a glimpse of what I was listening to during the month of May. I say a glimpse because when I went back to get all the *data*, there was just…a lot of it. A whole lot. So obviously just had to condense it a little bit for y’all, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! Let me know what you’ve been listening to in the comments!
You can also find the songs listed and a bunch more on the playlist below! Make sure you follow my Spotify account and the 365//2021 playlist so you can see how the rest of the year pans out.
x
Priya
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