various melodies of my emotions

Stress is inevitable, especially as a UCLA student.

We're constantly being plagued with midterms, pressures of finding a summer internship, extracurricular involvements, social life obligations, and, underlying it all, a pressure to fit into society's expectations for us. Whether it be the future career your family has boxed you in as, looking or dressing a certain way, or even feeling like you can't be honest about how stressed you are - it's incredibly overwhelming.

Clearly, I've been there - it ain't fun. But there is one thing that always cheers me up, no matter what mood I'm in:

MUSIC.

*Photo credits to Ariana Grande, NIKI, keshi, Harry Styles, Lauv, Lizzo, Frank Ocean, Joji, and Khalid.

The way musicians and their production teams perfectly curate tones, keys, and melodies that have me wanting to sing out loud every second of the day is astounding. I not only love listening to music for the amazing bops but also to appreciate musicians as artists. I'm the type of person to deep-dive into every transition, beat, and lyric when I listen to music - it's a whole experience that blows my mind away.

Long intro aside, I wanted to share my favorite artists / songs to listen to in different moods!

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1. HAPPY

The best mood to be in. What am I listening to? Currently, it's a tie between Ariana Grande (is anyone surprised?) and NIKI. My favorite songs by Ari are better off, goodnight n go, and NASA. For NIKI, I've had her song La La Lost You on REPEAT recently, but other favorites of mine are Lowkey and La Cienaga (also featuring 88rising and Joji).

2. SAD

We all have times when we're in a funk and have those midday blues. When I'm in one of those moods, chances are my phone is blasting Harry Styles, specifically his newest album, Fine Line. I love Harry with all my heart, but man, is this a depressing breakup album. Sometimes I ask my boyfriend if we can break up for approximately four minutes so Falling can hit me in a different way (kidding... kind of). My go-to songs from this album are Cherry, To Be So Lonely, Falling (clearly), and the finale song, Fine Line. I've absolutely adored Harry since my teenage-crazed One Direction days, but it's been amazing to see how both he and his music style has matured throughout the years (and I've have the privilege of seeing him three times in concert!).

3. CHILL

I mean, you know those times when you're neither super happy nor feeling really down - you're just... chill.

My go-to type of music when I'm in this sort of ~limbo~ mood of indifference is a mixture of indie / pop / r&b. My top tracks would be Nights by Frank Ocean, 2 soon by keshi, and SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK by Joji.

4. BOSS GIRL

Peep my shirt :). Sometimes, I'm just really feeling myself and the successful, independent woman that I am. I think the epitome of a strong, empowering female artist is Lizzo, hands-down. In my opinion, she is one of the most outspoken, inspiring, and influential musical artists of our generation. I love belting out all the words to Truth Hurts, Juice, and, my favorite of all, Good as Hell (specifically the remix with Ariana Grande).

5. ROMANTIC

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I can't help but notice I've been gravitating towards more intimate tunes lately. My favorite romantic melodies have to be Best Part by Daniel Caesar (ft. H.E.R.) and Paris in the Rain by Lauv.

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And there you have it - my favorite melodies across all my emotions! Leave a comment below with some of your favorite tunes, and I'll make sure to give them a listen :).

Warmly,

Kienna

**If anyones interested, here's the link to my Spotify.