Exams, classes, pandemics and different situations happening around our lives can bring up a stressful scenario to life. In my musical experience, various artists allow their listeners to transcend to a calmer state with the songs. Whether the transcendence occurs because of the instrumental background of the melody, or the lyrics, there is a variety of different genres and artists to help people get their calm mojo back.
1. Harry Styles – Fine Line album (2019)
While his new album has a lot of new hidden messages and is a hit with a lot of old One Direction fans, his music has some upbeat tunes, and calm flowing sounds. The various melodies in the songs allow the listener to transcend into a calmer state while relaxing their mind. Some hit songs from this album such as “Adore You” and “Watermelon Sugar,” have even become hits on different social media platforms such as Tik Tok. Listeners go with the flow. In any case, that this artist isn’t your type of style, there are three other artists which I can recommend from personal experience.
2. Marc E. Bassy [All Albums]
I ran across this artist by accident while listening to a radio on Spotify. Marc E. Bassy is an up-and-coming artist, with some hit songs like “Treat Me So Bad” and “Plot Twist.” His albums, starting from 2014 to 2019, all have different tones and different feelings associated with each little piece of the puzzle. Most of his songs have some piano and acoustic guitar, with light drumming in the background. I usually listen to Marc E. Bassy while doing homework. While some songs can be upbeat and have a groovy tone, most are relaxing. I like to call this artist with his songs as a “brain-relaxing drug” because there is so much flow, and no harsh tones included. His style could be classified to be between a Sam Smith to Harry Styles.
3. Sam Smith [All Albums]
I remember listening to Sam Smith while still in high school, partially because of the soothing sad song tones. However, taking out the tragic lyrics and observing the instrumental part of the songs, there are melodies where the mind can continue doing a task while relaxing and listening to the instrumental part of the songs or Sam’s calming, relaxing voice. His earlier albums reflect on more sadder tones; however, they are able to soothe any stress away. One song from his more first album, which I enjoyed listening to and destressing to was “Lay Me Down.” The piano background and his voice alongside John Legend is like chamomile tea for the brain. Looking even at his newer song of “To Die For,” the strong piano background has the tune and subtle loop of notes that allows the listener to relax. The song itself is almost like a lullaby for the brain. The lullaby is relaxing and soothing. It’s the breather everyone wants to physically have through a mental state.
4. Drax Project – Drax Project album (2019)
Now, for some upbeat music where it can destress, the beats included in a majority of these songs bring the listener to come up and dance to relax. One song, which gained some popularity a while ago, was “Woke Up Late,” where the tune is repetitive. Still, the beat is simple, and along with the lyrics, you would want to get up and dance the stress and pressure away – similar to Grey’s Anatomy. Other songs on this album have the same upbeat tone, some with more bass than others, but the goal from the artists appeared to be a get-up and dance or to take a walk with a beat in the step. The song “Brain” has a flowing, not overwhelming sound in the instrumental section, keeping the various tunes and instruments to a minimum, not to overwhelm the listener. Sometimes, the tunes with the songs can even be visualized as a relaxing day on the beach. While in my perception, the upbeat music is calming while also setting a “walk with a beat” kinda vibe, the music can be a motivator too. I had times, where I was doing work with this music playing in the background, not too loud, though.
Music is essential for mental health, in my opinion. We hear music just about everywhere we go, with all different genres existing, there are different goals associated with them. Some people resort to music to relax at different times. Within this article, I was able to give some of my current favorite musical artists with some specific albums. With these few artists, I enjoy listening to them in times when I want to collect my thoughts or give my mind a break from school, work, or life problems. I hope these songs and artists find you well. Take a listen to them, and just take a breather, relax, and let them take your thoughts away on a small break from the present, because mental health is just as important as physical health.