#gatherround

Looking at your list, it’s got a little bit of everything. You got the old school Aerosmith, along with newer artists like Walk the Moon and Isaiah Rashad. Could you describe the thought process that went behind putting this playlist together?

“Alright so since I knew the songs had to be on Spotify, I literally went through every single song I have saved on my Spotify.”

Really?

“Yeah. I was very thorough. I chose the ones that I know I really love, which brought the list down to like 20, and about five of them were Drake. [Laughs]  And so I had to pick one Drake song which is the hardest thing for me to do.”

What’s the theme, if there is one, of your playlist? Is it just songs you like? Songs you’re listening to right now? Songs you always go back and revisit? Or a mixture?

“In order for me to listen to a song over and over again, it has to have a certain part in it that really speaks to me. Like a part that I feel in a place that can’t be reached except for through music. And so every single one of those songs have something in it that resonates with me very personally, even if it’s kind of weird and doesn’t make sense.”

In one of your explanations you mentioned the instrumental break in “Amazing.” Would that be an example of what you were just talking about?

“Yeah. My heart starts beating all fast, I’m singing all the different instruments; it’s kind of crazy. That song just gives me the goose bumps.”

How would you describe your taste in music, and does your playlist reflect that?

“I guess you could say my taste in music is very lyric driven. I’m not one of those people that can just listen to a beat and be like ‘Oh, I like the beat.’ I really like when artists put time into the lyrics and the meaning behind a song. It means more when I can put myself in the situation that they’re trying to explain. I like seeing the story.”

So I guess I can say you prefer more relatable lyrics?

“Yeah, I guess. I would say relatable, but it’s kind of weird because sometimes it has nothing to do with anything that I’m going through. It’s just like, ‘Oh I remember that time in my life when I felt like that.’ I appreciate the artists for being able to put into words something I felt so strongly about.”

When would you say that lyrics driven taste in music developed?

“Well I grew up only being able to listen to gospel music.”

Really?

“Yeah it’s kind of funny, but it was a great way to grow up.”

I feel like that’s very lyrical powerful music.

“Yeah, so I was always very driven to lyrics, even as a child. My first real taste of secular music was like Lil Wayne…”

Ayyee! Good starting point.

“Good starting point. He’s just like all lyrics driven, so I guess that’s just where it started and it just grew from there.”

So how’d it go from Lil Wayne, to artists like Aerosmith and Lion Babe?

“Ok so, right before I went to college is when I got into Aerosmith. And when I went to college I was in Pennsylvania, so I was around a whole bunch of people, with a whole bunch of different music tastes. I started listening to Rock, Metal, Screamo, really random stuff. One of the songs on my playlist has screaming in it and it’s the best. I’ve gone to the concerts where they’re jumping on people, it’s an amazing time. So I feel like once I started to broaden my horizons I was able to really experience a lot of different music.”

So you would say that your time in Pennsylvania and the people you were surrounded by was reflected in your song choices?

“Yeah my roommates back in Pennsylvania, I’ve never heard half of the people they were listening to. Like Sleeping with Sirens, one of my roommates introduced me to them and I was immediately obsessed and it kind of just grew from there.”

Did you find when you were introduced to these new genres, songs, and artists, the ones that stuck with you went back to that lyric heavy preference?

“It always goes back to the lyrics. Every single song on my list means something to me very personally that is beyond words that I could explain myself.”

Can you pick one song from your playlist and give us the story behind it?

“I’m going to go with ‘Houstatlantavegas’ by Drake only because I feel like that’s the weirdest one. It’s like how can I relate to Drake taking a stripper home. The lyrics in that song really resonate with me, because he’s talking about a woman who feels like she’s stuck where she is and she’s not going to be able to get out from the place she’s in her life. There’s been so many times where I’ve felt like that, whether it’s a relationships, education, just in general. Anytime I’m having a hard day I listen to that song a lot. It’s so easy to feel like you’ re stuck in a place, and he puts it into words that I really like.”

Listen to Kristen’s playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.

Connect with Kristen:

https://twitter.com/krislenay

https://www.instagram.com/magnificentlymade/

https://www.magnificentlymade.com/

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Words by Julian.