The power of music.
Today I decided to write early in the day. I'm currently listening to Pachelbel's Canon in D Major and while I opened this to write about something, the effect of this rendition on me changed my mind.
Last night, myself and over 80 thousand people tuned into an Instagram live session on Ne-Yo's page. He was up against Johnta Austin battling for the greatest R&B penmanship. They each presented 20 songs. The tweets, the comments, the people tuned in, the reactions, the surprises - it was an array of emotions.
(Feel free to use this and tag me on the gram btw. I wanna see your winner.)
Since then I've been in my music to feels bag. I know time travel isn't a thing (yet), but music does have a power to transcend you to a world and time outside the present. Music is the smoothest mode of transportation down memory lane. Sometimes we can remember the exact place we were when we first heard a song. It's crazy how albums/projects are associated with specific times of our lives or even people. Our moods can be switched by rhythm and melody and there are certain feelings that can only be evoked with specific songs. Music really has the power to move us and make us move.
In this current state of the world, I've seen how music has been a great part of our coping mechanisms. The challenges and content we're all engaging and interacting with to keep us sane revolve around music. We may not be on the go as much or in the gym enough, but there's now ample time to take in THAT album, time to build that playlist, time to watch that music video, time to LISTEN to those lyrics. There's time to redefine what songs mean to us. Time to make room for new music. Essentially, there's time to consume music in our own way. Yes, there will be songs thrust upon us in the form of challenges, and yes there will be songs we can only imagine hearing in the club (Darkoo's Juicy will serve it's time at all Day parties in Jesus name), but it's a chance for us to define our own taste.
When Spotify wrapped/Apple - wait, what's your one called again? - comes out, I hope it's a true reflection of your taste and not just the influence of the world. Connect with music... with yourself and others. Keep these song challenges going man. I'm really loving the role music is playing.
Oh and if you're at home thinking about how music is really a part of you and you really want to make some - work on it. Challenge yourself to write a verse. To make a beat, to sing a hook. There's loads of creatives that don't have meetings - shoot your shot and create with anyone and everyone. I really want to see what this period will birth. I'm excited for new sounds, unexplored rhythms, remixes and refixes and the whole lot. I want more collaborations, more cross genres, more more and more.
It's hard to follow music, because there's A LOT out there. I do believe however there are songs that'll come to us in moments when most needed. Be it in the movies and shows we watch, the parties we go to, the cars we ride in, the challenges that rise up, the DMs we send, the memes , the Whatsapp broadcasts, (I miss ringtones btw) or however... music is embedded in life and well I can't imagine life without it.
Tell me a music story. I'd love to here one.
