Not too long ago, I had my heart absolutely shattered into a million little pieces and stomped all over— this is an under exaggeration. However, that story can wait for another time. Today, I wanted to share a bit of love with some albums that healed and repaired the heart they didn’t break in light of Valentine’s Day.
Music has a way of reaching the inner depths of a person’s soul without knowing a thing. For a girl who vanishes into her mind too often than she would like to admit, the art and feelings expressed through music are cathartic.
This music is a collection of every step it took to heal this broken heart.
- THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY – Taylor Swift
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Taylor knows how to do grief, or at the very least, she knows exactly how to put into words what it means to lose someone whom you wanted so badly to always have in your life. This was the album that I played the day it happened. As I wept in my best friend’s arms, I was also being embraced by Miss Taylor Alison Swift. More specifically, the songs ‘How Did It End’, ‘loml’, and ‘So Long, London’, echoed around the walls of my room on that somber Sunday night.
- Man’s Best Friend – Sabrina Carpenter
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Sabrina’s music is pop perfection that, if you don’t stop and pay attention to the lyrics, you would more than likely miss the most gut-wrenching and spot-on statements she makes targeting the male species. This album allowed me to put into perspective just how similar men really are. They’re all genuinely carbon copies of one another and quite predictable if you just sit down and look at the patterns right in front of you. I would say this album is comparable to the bargaining stage of grief because it goes back and forth between trying to gain control over the situation and letting things be. My top tracks from this album are ‘Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry’, ‘My Man on Willpower’, and ‘Go Go Juice.’ I would like to add that my brother got me this album on vinyl for Christmas, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t have dance parties alone in my room with this record playing.
- Stick Season (Forever) – Noah Kahan
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Unapologetically human is how I would describe this album. I went on a cabin trip with my best girlfriends in Oklahoma at the start of 2026, and the only thing we seemed to play and listen to was Noah Kahan’s music. This trip healed me in more ways than I can count on my ten fingers. I stopped to wonder why we only streamed this album and realized it was because he perfectly describes what it means to be human and to live for the hope of it all, to make mistakes and learn from them, to become better for whatever the future has in store for you. Folk music has a way of connecting and striking deeply with the human experience. Songs from this album that I have had on repeat for many years are ‘She Calls Me Back (with Kacey Musgraves)’, ‘Everywhere, Everything (with Gracie Abrams)’, and ‘You’re Gonna Go Far’, but this entire album is worth a listen if you haven’t already.
- Nowhere to Be – West 22nd
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There is a reason this album was one of my top albums and tracks on Spotify Wrapped in 2025. Nowhere to Be feels like a warm summer day, and during the depths of winter, it was my escape. The guitar, bass, and drums blend so naturally with the lead vocalist that it makes me feel extremely grateful to be young and alive during this time, just because I can experience this band making its way in the music industry. This album isn’t depressing, in fact it gave me hope and comfort in times where I felt like everything was lost. Some of my favorite tracks include ‘All I Ever Wanted’, ‘Love On The Run’, ‘Sun in the Sky’ and ‘Save Your Soul’. But in my book, this is a no-skip album, every song is incredible.
- The Art of Loving – Olivia Dean
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This goes without even saying, but Olivia Dean was a beautiful surprise in the music industry in the year of 2025. I chose this album because love exists in so many forms, and this album is the musical interpretation of it. Personally, she came into my life at the perfect time, truly feeling like divine intervention. Her lyricism feels like a warm hug, and her voice has the perfect amount of soul and jazz to spark a fire on a rainy day. If the healing process sounded like anything, it would be this album. Wow, could anything be more perfect and encapsulate the emotion of love on a spiritual level? Truly a no skip album, but if I had to choose my top three, I would choose ‘Baby Steps’, ‘A Couple Minutes’, and ‘Lady Lady.’
Honorable Mentions
- Albums: Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead by Ariana Grande, Locket by Madison Beer, Parachutes by Coldplay, Everything I Know About Love by Laufey, Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves, and Evermore (deluxe version) by Taylor Swift.
- Tracks: “Deeper Well” by Kacey Musgraves, “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper, “Beautiful Things” by Megan Moroney, “Where The Skies are Blue” by The Lumineers, “Nice For What” by Drake, “Stranger” by Olivia Rodrigo, “New Soul” by Yael Naim, “Wherever I Live” by Alessia Cara, “Street by Street” by Laufey, “Hasta La Raíz” by Natalia Lafourcade, “Decode” by Sabrina Carpenter, “Atta Girl” by Lainey Wilson, “Home” by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, “DtMF” by Bad Bunny, “Here Comes The Sun” and “Let It Be” by The Beatles.
So, if you have recently gone through a soul-crushing loss or maybe just something you really hoped would work out, but didn’t, and you can’t seem to imagine a time where circumstances could ever get any better, trust me, they can. I am living proof of that. If you’re anything like me, it might take you some time to realize it, but you have to be the one who decides that it does, no one else can do it for you. However, having music as your companion is my favorite cheat code and will one hundred percent make the journey worthwhile.
This article is dedicated to those who are feeling unseen, unheard, and unwanted this year for Valentine’s Day. Give this music a listen, and I hope you won’t feel that way much longer. <3