my year in music - 2018

I'm not sure why, but I always get so reflective as the end of the year approaches. Maybe it has something to do with the "new year, new beginnings" idealism. Or maybe it's because I'm just a emo gal, stuck overthinking everything. Whatever it may be, it's usually around this time Spotify gifts us loyal music listeners with a summarized look at our year in music.

Every year since I started using Spotify back in 2013, I always looked forward to receiving my year in music. Each year it gets better and better, my eccentric music taste perpetually changing before my eyes. I tend to have a very nostalgic look on life, linking certain songs with memories and people. You can only imagine how I am when I take a look at my Spotify Wrapped.

This year was no different. It began with the very first song I had listened to at the beginning of this year. For some odd, odd reason, it was Welcome To The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. Why that was the first song I decided to play at the stroke of midnight is beyond me - nor can I truly remember because if I'm being quite honest, I was very drunk at the start of the new year...

Wildly enough, I listened to a total of 49, 688 minutes (and counting, since I'm currently listening to Spotify right now) of music. That's just on Spotify alone. I can't even accurately add up the minutes of music I listened to live in concert or at work. If you really think about it, I probably listened to over 100 thousand minutes of music. That's A LOT of music. Sometimes I wonder if I'll become deaf sooner than most since I listen to my music so loudly (LOL).

My top artist of the year was 5 Seconds of Summer. No surprise there. They were on hiatus for two years before they released their third studio album, Youngblood, in mid-June of this year. According to Spotify, I listened to them for a total of 60 hours - and that's not counting me listening to their CD in my car. (Yes, I still buy CDs. My car is old and doesn't have an aux input, ok?) A lot of the times, people assume I only love 5SOS because of their good looks. I mean, they're not entirely wrong, but c'mon guys, I actually appreciate the music they put out. Don't even get me started on their new album. That piece of ART. God, in the two years since their second studio album, these four aussie boys have grown so much and honed their craft into what became Youngblood. It was a wonderfully produced album that showcased a depth 5SOS fans haven't heard before. Sheesh, I just love them so much. Makes sense why they were my top artist, right? :-)

The top songs of 2018 playlist that Spotify curates for their listeners has to be my favorite feature of the Spotify Wrapped. This ties back to the whole "nostalgia" thing I was talking about earlier. It's a whole playlist of the top songs I bopped to all year! A whole list of songs tied to memories and moments shared and privately experienced.

Here are the top five songs I have deemed noteworthy for you to check out. A few of these songs have significant meaning to me that I'd rather not get into right now, but they're all great songs, so give 'em a listen! I'll probably do a separate post of my thoughts on my top 100 closer to the end of the year. But for now, take a peek at my Top 100 playlist here.

1. Bloom - The Paper Kites

2. The Next Best Thing - Romance & Rebellion

3. Ain't Easy - Elijah Wood x Jamie Fine

4. feelings are fatal - mxmtoon

5. still feel. - half•alive

But beyond all the minutes and hours of music I listened to, this year was a wild one. Did you remember that PyeongChang hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics in February this year!? Tell me why that feels like MILLIONS of years ago!

In April, I spontaneously went to the KROQ Coachella house and saw Bleachers perform an intimate acoustic set. In June, I attended Vans Warped Tour for the very last time. I sang Perfect by Simple Plan at the top of my lungs, surrounded by my pop punk people. I flew to Chicago to attend Lollapalooza, a four-day music festival, for the very first time - and yes, I survived all four days, despite the terrible heat on day three. I watched 5 Seconds of Summer perform Ghost of You and Amnesia in the rain - and I mean, was it tears or just the fucking rain? Throughout the year, I worked in press for four major radio station shows in Los Angeles. I attended about twenty something different shows this year - a few of them were even repeats because I just had to see 5SOS and The Mowgli's again.

Of course, music is notorious for bringing people together. I made so many memories with all these new people I met at these shows and festivals and I honestly wouldn't trade it for the world. I know I exhaust this quote a lot, but music is my life. I truly don't know where I would be without it.

I look forward to what 2019 has to throw my way. Hopefully it brings newer and bigger music projects, more festivals to attend and new music to listen to. But until 2019 actually gets here, catch me on Spotify jamming to my top 100 songs of 2018 playlist.

Later days,

Reanna xx

#playlists #KROQ #jackfm #spotify #musicfestival #losangeles #livemusic #stories #hardwork #aboutme #music #adulting #passions #work #life #concerts #radio #workinggirl #career #thepaperkites #bloom #thenextbestthing #romanceandrebellion #ainteasy #elijahwoodxjamiefine #feelingsarefatal #mxmtoon #stillfeel #halfalive #winterolympics