This isn’t a new topic. Music has been around since the dawn of time. Nature is engrained with sound, love, and light. The birds compose, the wind rustles through the trees, animals call: music is all around. A lot of famous quotes come from those before us that perfectly encapsulate how music is not just life, but everything.
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“Music is the shorthand of emotion.” – Leo Tolstoy
“Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where speech ends.” – Lord Byron
“Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the Universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything. It is the essence of order, and leads to all that is good and just and beautiful.” – Plato
Music has always had a huge influence in my life. I feel like I was born with sound, comforted by melodies, and held with lyrics. Every step of my life has been accompanied by some type of song, album, or sound. I had a boombox, CD player, vinyls, MP3 player, and iPod shuffle, to now my iPhone with iTunes and Apple Music. I grew up on old country, like George Strait, Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, Atmosphere because of my older brother, Kid Cudi, Kanye, Chris Brown, and Miley Cyrus. Who really solidified my music personality was One Direction. I already talked about them before but I found them when I was in 8th grade and from that moment on, something in me shifted. They were my first concert in 2012 and because of them I became a concert girl, a music fanatic, someone that lives and breathes music.
I’ll have songs or lyrics pop into my head every now and then. I’ll say a lyric over and over just for fun, inserting it into conversation just to see if people get it. This does bite me sometimes because I’ll be saying something serious and no one pays attention because they think I’m speaking in lyrics when really I’m just trying to say something genuine. But it gets some good laughs! That’s all I care about, making people smile, and getting them to giggle. If my random lyrics are what get the people going, then I don’t mind being ignored for a moment.
Also nothing I love more than when an album drops. For me, I just have to wait until 9pm the day before they officially drop. Nothing heals the soul more than just slowing down, putting on that new highly anticipated album, and letting the music take you. I did that recently with Tame Impala’s new album Deadbeat that came out October 17, 2025. You guys, I love Tame Impala. I’ve seen him in concert and it really is a holy, spiritual experience. Honestly, every concert is.
The first song I was ever introduced to by Tame was “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” back in 2012. Since then, I have been so hyped for every album he’s put out since. I love every single one. I love artists who do it for the love of music and not money because they follow their heart throughout the years and make music they want to make. In Kevin Parker’s recent Zane Lowe interview, he mentioned how if he didn’t care about the music he would just make the same album over and over again. Of course some people will be upset with a change in sound, but that just means they’re not real music fans. Real fans care about the artist and appreciate staying true to themselves.
I have to say, I’ve become enlightened over the years of learning to appreciate a sound I wasn’t prepared for. For example, in 2018 I was hyping the hell out of Arctic Monkeys then-upcoming album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, which was the next follow up to the 2013 AM album. I was expecting essentially another AM vibe, and when TBH&C dropped, yeah, I was disappointed. I stopped telling people it came out. I didn’t have the appreciation for the album like I do now. Don’t get me wrong, I initially loved like 2 songs but that was it. I just didn’t get it. Years later, I finally gave the album a proper listen, and Alex Turner is a lyrical genius. Absolute masterclass in poetry and sound, and changing up the vibe to fit where he is in his life. That album taught me music is about the journey of life, and it’s beautiful to watch it grow.
I did the same thing with the 1975’s 2020 album Notes On A Conditional Form. Initially, I only really liked 6 out of the 22 songs on the album. I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t even give it a full listen. I barely gave it a chance, and I LOVE The 1975. I mean come on, my whole website has been inspired by them. I’ve seen them live 7 times since 2014. Then there I was, driving back from California by myself, bored out of my mind and figured, “hey, I should give this album a listen.” It was just me, my car speakers, and Matty Healy’s vocals for an hour and 21 minutes, and I finally understood. Another masterpiece of an album, The 1975 is a band that has transformed and defined a multitude of music eras since 2013.
Music is my love language. When I find someone with a very similar taste in music, I never let them go. It means they not only appreciate the art for what it is, but they just get it. Bonding over sounds, lyrics, and vibes, are some of the most beautiful things I think this world has to offer. That’s why concerts are so magical. Music and songs say what the heart wishes it could. I currently have a shared playlist with someone that just makes me feel so seen and loved. I get to say all the things I couldn’t in person, but wrapped in a melodic little love letter. Even just songs that sound good. I realized sometimes I will know every word to a song, but I don’t actually know what they’re saying. I’ll find myself singing along and then I’ll finally tune in and realize, “oh my God THAT’S what this song is about??” The amount of sad songs hidden in a beautiful beat is why music is everything. It expresses feelings beyond our comprehension. In the chaos of the world, music just makes sense of it all.
I’m more of a “beat and music first” listener than really hearing the lyrics. I prefer sound over words, but it’s a fun little surprise when the lyrics just hit so perfectly with a beautiful beat. I also love asking people what type of listener they are because I feel like it gives a peek into their soul. It’s also an excellent question to ask artists and musicians what comes first in their process, lyrics or melody. So far, I have found melody has been the biggest answer and I think that is so insightful.
I also love music for the fact it can heal me. When I know I just need to sob and shut my brain off, I love putting on my “Sad Billie” or “Silence” playlist I made full of songs that know how to make me feel. It’s cathartic. Music is emotion, it’s love, it’s joy, it’s sadness. Music is everything. Next time you just need to take a breather, put on your favorite album, lay on the floor (or bed whatever you want) and just let the music take you where you need to go. Because without life, there is no music. And without music, there is no life.