Songs you need to survive the winter ☺️🎶

I’m sitting by myself, in my dark dorm room, trying to understand something I’ve read more than five times already, and I just finished ranting to one of my best friends about how uncomfortable things have been over the past few weeks. I’m at that point in the semester where I honestly just feel kind of drained. There’s a bit of anxiety, a bit of hopelessness, some loneliness and a lot of confusion. Along with the tips DA Jazmin gave for battling seasonal depression, in moments like this (and yes, it’s important to remember that these are only moments), I go back to my never-failing ballad of truths that keep me with my head facing forward, feet on the ground and mind on all the good things to come. So, because I’m dead set on giving you my unsolicited musical recommendations, this blog post is a list of songs that have gotten me through the best of times, and the worst of times. Welcome to my playlist 🥹.

For me, music has always been one of the most important parts of my life. There’s just something about hearing someone so honestly speak their truth. The catharsis that comes with singing along to the lyrics that hit home is indescribable; when Sam Fender said “If Saturday don’t come soon, I’m gonna lose my mind” 😅 or Griff says “Then I dance, with a pillow in my arms, as if it has a heartbeat, as if it was your body” 😭, I’m really a sucker for a good lyric. I don’t know anything in this world that can express pure, raw human emotion the way that music does.

So, what are those melodies that keep me going? Honestly, some of them are a bit embarrassing, and I can’t show you all my cards just yet. Here are a few of the big ones though – these songs have meant the most to me when life has meant the least:

1. Step by Step (Whitney Houston) – Simply put, a classic. If there was any artist that I could see in person today, it would be Whitney. At it’s outset, Whitney sings “Well there’s a bridge, and there’s a river, that I still must cross, as I’m going on my journey, though I might be lost, and there’s a road, I have to follow, a place I have to go, well no one told me just how to get there, but when I get there I’ll know”. I don’t know, something about the tone of the first verse really gets to me. The words are always so timely. We don’t always know how we are going to get where we want, we don’t even know where we want to be 😅, but focusing on the next step, not the end of the road, is how we’re going to get there. 
2. Wait till you see my smile (Alicia Keys) – “When your head is in a certain place, nobody around to make you say (Stand strong and you will grow).” This song always encourages me to focus on what’s coming. Nothing is certain in life, but what life has shown me thus far is that the hard moments come and go, sometimes you don’t even remember them. One thing’s for sure though, those moments make the victory that much sweeter, and this song always reminds me of that.  
3. I Can (Chronixx) – What really gets me with this song is not only the way that Chronixx speaks to how blessed we are, but in the way that he says, “Lift up my eyes to the hills I’m blessed oh man, with my two hands in the air as far as I can”. In life, we tend to focus a lot on other people, and the things they have achieved. Here, Chronixx reminds me of how important it is to focus on what I can do. I’ve learnt in life that comparison is truly the thief of joy, and that gratitude is the root of happiness.  
4. Brand new me (Alicia Keys) – “It took a long, long time to get here, it took a brave, brave girl to try.” We all faced a lot of change in coming to Sweden. We’ve taken a brave step, learnt parts of ourselves that we didn’t know, and, all things considered, I think we’re thriving under the circumstances. This song reminds me to take the time to acknowledge how far I’ve come, and to always remember how important it is to give myself grace.
5. Legend (Chronixx) – Legend by Chronixx is a song that tells the story of the life I’m trying to lead. He talks about being the underdog, the person working hard, making a change, with no guarantee that anyone will notice. He says, “I am a legend that you never heard of before, I am a lion, but you’ve never heard me roar, I am a hero that nobody celebrates, if one person remembers my name, that means I made a change”. Those words mean something to me – they always centre me. No matter what’s going on, where I am or how I’m feeling, I know who I want to be.
6. I was here (Beyonce) – Not only does the music video for this song give me goosebumps, it reminds me of why I’m here. This song helps me remember the duty that I have to humanity, and how much of a responsibility I’ve been given. My favourite lyric from this one says “I wanna say, I lived each day, until I die, and know that I meant something in somebody’s life, the hearts I have touched will be the proof that I leave, that I made a difference and this world will see, I was here.”

The songs I’ve mentioned really mean a lot to me. Here are some more to add to your playlist though. I guess these are my honourable mentions 😅.

1. Underdog (Alicia Keys)
2. You will be found (Ben Platt, Laura Dreyfuss, Will Roland, Kristolyn Lloyd, Original Broadway Cast of Dear Evan Hansen)
3. I Got You (Devon Cole)
4. One Step at a time (Jordin Sparks)
5. Wait till you see my smile (Alicia Keys)
6. W (Koffee feat. Gunna)
7. Where I’m Coming From (Lila Iké)
8. Beauty in the World (Macy Gray)
9. Unwritten (Natasha Bedingfield)
10. Brave (Sara Bareilles)
11. Lovely Day (Bill Withers)
12. Can’t Hold Us (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton)
13. Victory (Keznamdi feat. Chronixx)
14. March on (Dexta Daps and Masicka)

I’d be lying if I said that this playlist always pulled me out of a funk. The reality is that the move that we, as international students, have made to Sweden – or any other country for that matter – is extremely difficult. There will be days when you won’t be able to do anything but feel the anxiety, the distance, and the longing for the life you once lived. Nevertheless, in the words of Alicia Keys “If I can touch the sky, I’d risk the fall, just to know how it feels to fly.” Believe me, everything that you’re doing is worth it. The reward for this risk that you’ve taken is a lifetime of memories, lessons and experiences that you’ll never be able to thank yourself enough for.

I hope you enjoyed this post🥰! Until next time!