If you have been keeping up with my articles, you know that I love music. It has been something that I have loved since I was able to walk, and it has given me the biggest appreciation for art as a whole. I listen to all kinds of music, and there are a select few albums I can definitely say altered my brain chemistry and made me love music more than ever. With that being said, here are the five albums that changed my life!
Songs in A Minor by Alicia Keys
I could really put any Alicia Keys album here, but I remember her album, Songs in A Minor, being the first album I truly loved as a kid, and I saved every song on my Spotify when I got my iPhone 5. She was the first artist that made me feel truly seen. As a woman of color who, in elementary and middle school, had been bullied relentlessly, I felt so represented and comforted by Alicia’s music. Her music talked about the struggles of growing up, being seen as different, and yet, coming out of it stronger than ever. She was helping people in her community, judging The Voice (you bet I watched every episode), and she just has this generational voice. I had never felt more attached to an artist than I felt with her at the time, and she was a big part of the reason why I fell in love with music.
Recommendations: “Fallin,” “A Woman’s Worth,” & “Caged Bird.”
Wings by bts
My friends in middle school introduced me to K-pop right as this album was about to drop, and BTS was the very first speck of K-pop I had heard. Needless to say, when this album dropped, I was floored. I had never heard an artist with such a defined storyline and concept, and every single song on this album was a banger. BTS was the reason I fell in love with K-pop, and, to me, nothing will ever top the story and happiness BTS gave their fans over the years.
Recommendations: “Awake,” “Blood Sweat and Tears,” “Cypher 4,” “MAMA,” & “21st Century Girls” for the girlies!
DAMN. BY KENDRICK LAMAR
Anyone that knows me knows that this is, currently, my favorite album of all time. I listened to this album at a time when I was really struggling with my self-esteem and felt really isolated from everyone. This album directly mirrored what I was going through at the time, constantly at war with myself about what I was doing right and wrong, what I could do to be better, and whether I would even be good for anyone. This album, to me, is also perfection from start to finish. The story that this album tells about personal vindication is unlike anything in Kendrick’s discography, making his Pulitzer Prize for the writing in this album so well deserved.
Recommendations: “FEAR,” “YAH,” “DNA,” & “LOVE”
CTRL by SZA
Around when I had listened to DAMN for the first time, I also discovered Ctrl by SZA, an album that is almost too good. It is such an empowering and beautiful album, with some of the best R&B music you will ever hear. Her voice is to die for, and it feels like an angel is singing to me through my headphones. You rarely hear an artist so vulnerable about her womanhood, femininity, and the way she experiences love, and that is what makes this album so good in my eyes.
Recommendations: “Drew Barrymore,” “Broken Clocks,” “Garden (Say it Like Dat),” & “Doves in the Wind.”
igor by tyler the creator
If DAMN is my favorite album of all time, then this is the closest second you can get. I find this to beThis, to me, is perfect from start to finish, but it is such a gut-wrenching album as well. When I was in high school, this was one of the albums that got me through COVID. It felt so honest and, by the end, you could feel every bit of pain in his voice, and I never related to an album more at the time. I was navigating so many feelings and emotions, not knowing who I was or what I wanted to be, and this album was there for me through everything. This album truly did change everything for me, and is the reason why Tyler will always be at the top of my favorite artists.
Recommendations: “Igor’s Theme,” “Running out of Time,” “I Think,” “Are We Still Friends?”
Now, because there are so many albums I love, I didn’t want to just stop at five. I wanted to briefly talk about some honorable mentions and some older albums that still hold up for me. Starting with the honorable mentions:
Melodrama by Lorde: Like DAMN, this album captured every one of my emotions in a time I needed it most, and has some of the most killer production of any album I’ve ever heard.
Recommendations: “Perfect Places,” “The Louvre,” & “Homemade Dynamite.”
Right Place Wrong Person by RM: This has only been out for a year but I have never heard an album that I am so sure will stand the test of time. If you have any appreciation for hip-hop, R&B, jazz, or any fusion of music, do yourself a favor and listen to this album in full.
Recommendations: “out of love,” “Around the World in a Day,” “Domodachi,” & “Heaven.”
ANTI by Rihanna: Like Ctrl, this is some of the best R&B you will ever hear, and I love literally everything about it.
Recommendations: “Woo,” “Love on the Brain,” “Desperado,” & “Consideration.”
And the two oldies but goodies I have are:
Rumors by Fleetwood Mac: Stevie Nicks is a legend, and there is a reason this album is considered such a classic.
Recommendations: “Go Your Own Way,” “The Chain,” & “Gold Dust Woman.”
Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder: This is an album I bonded with so many of my loved ones over, and this album is so special and timeless for me.
Recommendations: “Sir Duke,” “Isn’t She Lovely,” “Saturn,” & “Ebony Eyes.”