Throughout my entire childhood, I never thought I was the best at anything. I was a part of a lot of sports and clubs and was always trying to do something, but I never believed I was the best, and still don’t for that matter. I downplay my accomplishments and constantly compare myself to others, thinking I’m inferior to everyone (which I am constantly working on to change, by the way).
That being said, I have a superiority complex when it comes to music and I think my taste outweighs everyone else’s.
Music is something that is so unique to one’s personality and preference that there’s no way any music taste can perfectly intertwine with another. I understand that, I truly do.
I just also think that everyone else’s music taste is wrong. Sorry not sorry, insert the “I’m right, you’re wrong, shut up” GIF here.
This won’t be an article that showcases all the music that I listen to and push my taste onto yours, but I will give a couple of Spotify/music listening recommendations to make your experience more enjoyable and diverse (and like mine, hehe).
1. Listen To Albums In Order.
I’ve always thought of this to be a “everyone knows this” thing, but the amount of people who shuffle songs in an album surprises me. Going into an album with the intention of listening to it all the way through and in order shows how dedicated you are to the artists’ craft. The artist made their album to have their songs in a particular order for a reason, we should give it that justice!
Not really into the idea, or just want to listen to a couple out of the whole album? That’s totally understandable! I just recommend listening to it once for a new listening experience. Some albums that I love listening to in order are “Here Comes Everybody” by Spacey Jane, “When Facing the Things We Turn Away From” by Luke Hemmings, and “American Teen” by Khalid.
2. Create A Playlist Of Memories.
Does a song ever come on and you remember listening to it for the first time? Or you remember dancing to it with a significant other, or even crying to it after a hard day? Add it to a playlist!
Creating a playlist of memories is something I cannot recommend more; it gives more depth to music than simply “liking it.” Music shapes your life whether you think about it or not, and you are creating a time capsule of memories through this playlist.
I’ll listen to my own memories playlist whenever I’m feeling nostalgic, or trying to pick out a particular feeling that a song gave me. Usually you have to hear the song more than once for a specific memory to stir up, but then it can be permanized onto your memories playlist forever.
3. Choose A Theme For Your Playlist Covers.
Something I’ve always done to make my playlists and music more personal is add pictures to each playlist. Sometimes it relates to the playlist “vibe,” but sometimes they’re just pretty pictures I found online.
What I’ve done recently, however, is pick a theme and make my playlist covers match to the theme. It started as just… aesthetic women, for lack of better definition and now has transitioned to photos of Zoey Deutch from her Instagram page. Find that something that interests you or would fit your playlists well, then let the pictures find their way.
4. Create A Playlist Meant To Be Listened To In Order.
This is similar to listening to albums in order where you don’t shuffle the songs, but it’s even more fun since you’re the one creating the playlist. This is a great way to tell a story to someone (yourself or others) that you may be struggling to do another way. It also serves as a creative challenge that anyone can do when they’re bored.
If you want to try this one out, try picking out a song then making the playlist revolve around that. A playlist that I made to this theme is called “Why Am I Like This,” an ode to Orla Gartland’s song with the same name. Check it out here, if you’re interested.
5. Listen To Your “Discover Weekly” Playlist.
This last piece of advice is for my Spotify listeners only, unless other music streaming platforms have a similar feature. The “Discover Weekly” playlist is tailored to each Spotify listener who will take what you listen to currently and make recommendations. Sometimes they’re remixes of songs you already know, new songs from artists you already listen to, or new songs and new artists you’ve never heard of.
Although everyone hates on their “Discover Weekly” playlist, this is one of my favorite Spotify features. It updates weekly with completely new songs and I’ve found some of my favorite artists and songs from this playlist. The only downside is that you have to actually listen through most songs and interact (like the song, add to a playlist, skip, etc) for Spotify to get relevant information. This means at the beginning, you’ll probably be getting a lot of weird songs that you’d never listen to or even dislike. Once you get through this stage, however, you’ll barely be skipping any songs at all.
Here’s a song I found off my “Discover Weekly” playlist that I love!
Music Should Be Listened To However You Want!
I know I’m giving you all this advice as if I’m the Spotify expert, but in reality, your music is uniquely you. You can listen however you want, and there’s no wrong way to enjoy music. That’s the beauty in it. So while I still have my Spotify superiority complex, I notice that not everyone likes what I do.
But I still believe my music taste is the best.