a million more // playlist + thank you!!

-

a million more is a playlist of some of my favorite songs ever - specifically music that, in one way or another, has shaped me as a writer. I wanted this collection to reflect my personal journey over the years I've spent writing on my blog, and to honor the songs that have stayed with me through every version of myself along the way. All of these songs have inspired me and pushed me to grow as both a writer and a listener. 

I wanted to share this playlist as a way of celebrating a massive milestone of my blog reaching a million views recently - which is so exciting and surreal! More than half of that number came from the past year alone, and I am so grateful to anyone who has taken the time to read even a single piece of my writing since I started posting in 2017. This space has been such an important creative outlet for me since I was 17, and I'm so proud of the ways it has grown alongside me. 

I started out writing beauty reviews, trying to channel some of my favorite influencers and beauty gurus of that time. I posted sporadically throughout college while studying Journalism, with the occasional music review sprinkled in. As time went on and I developed a more confident and clear voice as a writer, I discovered my real passion was writing about music, often through an analytical lens. 

Music has always been at the heart of everything I create, so shifting my writing focus felt like a natural progression. Along with my annual favorites posts and concert experiences, I slowly began incorporating even more music coverage into my writing and in 2020, I fully committed to it by sharing in-depth album reviews of the artists I love. I started with Taylor Swift's folklore and then evermore, and the following year I opened my content up to even more albums that resonated with me on a deeper level. Since then, I have written about countless artists, highlighting voices across all genres. Others that are featured heavily throughout this playlist include; Lorde, Bleachers, Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Djo, The 1975, Harry Styles, Halsey and many more, which are just a few of the artists I have written about the most extensively over the years. 

a million more begins with "Bravado" by Lorde, which is a deeper cut in her catalog, but one that I have always seen a piece of myself in. It's ultimately a song about finally finding the courage to put yourself and your art into the world. Even when it feels overwhelming to be perceived in a way that is often so personal, the power of being vulnerable for the sake of connection ultimately outweighs that fear. I heard this song for the first time right around the time I first began my writing journey in 2017. It inspired me immensely then, and continues to be just as impactful in my life to this day. A lyric that has always particularly stuck out to me is "I was frightened of every little thing that I thought was out to get me down, to trip me up and laugh at me, but I learned not to want the quiet of a room, with no one around to find me out". 

I always want my passion for music to be at the forefront of everything I write, and to be able to highlight the stories behind the songs and the intent of the artists who create them. More than anything, I always hope to capture the universal feelings and connections we find in our favorite songs and albums, and the ways in which they serve as mirrors for our own feelings and experiences.

In doing all of this, I have been able to find such a great community of readers and music fans who have discovered my work, commented, shared and supported it. As I said, music has always been at the center of everything I create and this playlist felt like a small way of further honoring that - a celebration of a milestone that in many ways still feels like just the beginning. With that being said, here's to a million more! 🫶


Thanks for reading and for your continued support! Be sure to follow me on Spotify to keep up to date with upcoming playlists and check out a million more here or linked above. If you would like to check out more of my playlists click here or the links below. 

-Melissa ♡


Photo Credit: "Letter of Love" by Andy Warhol, 1957



Related Posts: 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

CELEBRITY HALLOWEEN COSTUMES 2018: BEST DRESSED

-
Image
Happy Halloween! In today's post I'm going to be sharing a few of my favorite celebrity costumes from this year! Enjoy! Credit:  Kevin Mazur // Getty Images for Casamigos My favorite from this year was Harry Styles dressed as Elton John at the Casamigos Halloween Party. He wore a custom Gucci Dodgers uniform to replicate what Elton John wore in 1975 during his show at Dodgers Stadium. This costume actually suits Harry's style so well, I hope he wears more outfits like this on his next next tour ! Credit: @bellahadid on Instagram This year Bella Hadid & The Weeknd went as Beetlejuice & Lydia - it was one of the best couple costumes I've seen this year. They have had so many iconic fashion moments together and this is one of my absolute favorites! Credit: @KylieJenner on Instagram I also loved all of Kylie Jenner 's costumes this year - especially the matching butterfly costume she had with her daughter Stormi &...
Read more

COLOURPOP x DISNEY DESIGNER COLLECTION REVIEW

-
Image
For the last few weeks, I've been using the new products I bought from the new Colourpop Disney Designer collection and wanted to share my review of them! I love Colourpop and Disney, so I was very excited when they announced their collaboration! I love that it's a modern take on the classic princesses' styles. Everything about this collection, from the packaging, shade selections, and shade names are so detailed and well thought out. I can see how much work went into making this a reality! It's a Princess Thing // Pressed Powder Eyeshadow Palette // $20 This is one of the products that caught my eye when I first saw this collection. To start off, the packaging is so beautiful and detailed in every aspect. The cover of the palette has the 6 princesses illustrated in their reimagined designer dresses. The design of it is so spot on to fit their individual styles in the modern day. The inside has all of the princess' signatures embossed in gold, whic...
Read more

"Spring Into Summer" by Lizzy McAlpine // Song Review

-
Image
Lizzy McAlpine 's "Spring Into Summer" is a beautifully written reflection on the cyclical nature of relationships, using the changing seasons as a powerful metaphor for love, regret, and personal growth. The song captures both the melancholy act of letting go and the hope that comes with stepping into a new season of life, embracing change despite knowing that the cycle will inevitably continue. It signals change after the darkness of winter, carrying a sense of warmth and renewal as summer approaches. At the same time, it carries this anticipation that the fall will eventually come again. As always, Lizzy's intimate storytelling shines through in the lyricism, beautifully depicting the emotional transitions that this song represents. "Spring into summer, and the winter's gone, I try to hold on to it, but the current's too strong, somebody finds me in the state I am, love you like I mean it when I know I can't," she sings in the opening lines. I...
Read more

"Pool" by Samia // Song Review

-
Image
"Pool", the opening track of Samia 's 2020 debut album The Baby , is a haunting and introspective introduction that sets the emotional tone for the rest of the project. It's a slow burn that focuses on fleeting intimacy in such a vulnerable way. While the rest of The Baby is more varied stylistically, "Pool" beautifully represents so many of the themes that recur throughout the rest of the album. The Baby feels thoughtfully bookended by "Pool" and the closing track, "Is There Something in the Movies?" as well. "Pool" opens with her grandmother, also named Samia, singing a song she used to sing to her as a child, which is such a deeply personal and grounding way to begin the album.  In a track-by-track breakdown of The Baby , Samia told  Flood Magazine  that "Pool" is about "hiding away with someone in a stranger's house in Texas for a few days, spending most of it staring at the moon from the pool, knowing fu...
Read more

"Stateside" by PinkPantheress // Song Review + Zara Larsson Remix

-
Image
"Stateside" blends such a fun, infectious mix of Euro‑dance and electronic influences. PinkPantheress worked with The Dare for the first time on the production, and I love seeing her collaborate with artists who push her sound in new directions like this. The energy of the song is incredible, and the lyrics are just so cute and playful. She has such a distinct voice in pop music that is so unique and instantly recognizable, and "Stateside" really highlights that. The song itself is a cheeky recollection of falling for an American guy, and all the longing and excitement that comes with it. "You could be my American, ha, ha, ha, ha," she sings in the chorus. She has talked many times about how this is her personal favorite track from her sophomore mixtape, Fancy That , feeling like it really explored her growth as an artist. It is overall such a clever piece of pop writing, infused with garage and Y2K influences from some of the great UK pop stars who cam...
Read more