This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at JMU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

At the beginning of every year, my music taste gets a little bit of a revamp, and I have a feeling 2026 might be the best year for my taste yet! I spent the last few months of 2025 branching out and listening to a bunch of new songs and further developing my tastes. Who knew I would love Jeff Buckley and Lizzy McAlpine as much as I do? Finding new songs by artists I’ve never heard of is such a rewarding feeling and I adore making playlists for every situation imaginable — I don’t think I would be myself without my 200+ Spotify playlists. Every year, I make a playlist titled that year, so please enjoy some of my recent favorite tunes that I have added to my 2026 playlist. There is no rhyme or reason to these songs; purely just love for the artist and their work.

. “Anything I Want” by Emma Brunner: This song is the epitome of what it feels like to stop letting someone hold you back — specifically, a romantic partner, but I could also see it working in a friend setting. As someone who lost some relationships going into the new year, this song has been my anthem. The lyrics serve as a reminder to reclaim your own identity and not let people dictate you. With the lyrcis “I can do anything I want to / Anytime I want to” repeating over and over it is your reminder that you are in control of your life! I would 100% recommend listening to this song while you get ready in the morning — it will start your day off right!
. “Buckle” by Florence + The Machine: Listening to this song feels like floating. Florence has such an angelic voice — even when she is singing such heartbreaking lyrics, I can’t help but smile. The pain and longing in this song is relatable and has made your girl cry. I don’t know a lot about mixing and how certain instruments are made louder in recordings, but the way the guitar sounds on this track just scratches my brain in such a great way. I will continue to listen to this on repeat.
. “Pushing It Down and Praying” by Lizzy McAlpine: Last sad song, I promise! I genuinely don’t think a song has hurt me as much as this one has. Lizzy McAlpine is known for these amazingly beautiful yet heart-wrenching songs, and this one takes the cake. Every time I hear “He is stable, you are deep,” a piece of my heart cracks. The lyricism and layers of this song are simply unmatched.
. “Wish I Didn’t” by Megan Moroney: Now, time for a complete genre switch — a little bit of country! I am so excited for Megan Moroney’s new album Cloud 9; it comes out in a few weeks and “Wish I Didn’t” is the first single released off the album. This is the perfect song to scream-sing while doing your makeup before a night out — the drama and sass is there and the music video was so entertaining. I have high hopes for this album and can’t wait to listen!
. “Slut Era Interlude” by ROLE MODEL: I love the way that Tucker’s voice sounds in this song. The mumbling and almost nonchalant sound is honestly just funny to me. Also, I did not realize that this song is just barely two minutes, but it is the perfect amount of time to convey his point — which is that he just wants a girl to spend the night and that is it.