replay
Quality time, gift-receiving, words of affirmation, acts of service, and physical touch. All of these things are types of love languages that signify how an individual demonstrates their love for someone, platonically or romantically. One of my own ways I like to show my love is by creating playlists.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1vdjMkwhsAGhX18mbQZIND?si=c329f83f84924945
Curating a group of songs for someone isn’t a new, generational thing. It has been occurring for ages, like when men used to make the girls they liked a cassette tape filled with “their” songs. It was an act that fostered a stronger and personal bond and relationship between individuals, making the act of curating playlists intimate. Transitioning from a romantic to platonic atmosphere, I like to create my own playlists for my friends, which is something we can share even when there are times we cannot see other. Creating and listening to playlists keeps our friendship alive and allow us to still stay connected to one another.
Music is something that is extremely raw and intimate, and creating a playlist for someone is another level of love and closeness one can have for another. You create a playlist with a specific person in mind. You choose the songs you think they would like. Music has often been very personal, as people have varying music taste, and some even base others off of the type of music they listen to. Creating a playlist for someone develops a different relationship for the other person, becoming a window into someone else’s soul and thoughts, opening the door for vulnerability and companionship.
My Playlists
replay
This playlist is a compilation of the songs that evoke specific memories from me. From screaming in the car to dancing at work, each one of these songs have a unique story behind them. Stay Stay Stay takes me back to the third grade when I sang the entire song with my best friend Jessica when lining up for recess. It also reminds me of the time we still scream to the lyrics of the song together in the car, weeks before we start a new chapter of our lives: college. After School reminds me of the summer of 2021 when my friends and I danced to the choreography in the middle of H-mart with our boba drinks and my phone propped up against a box of tea. Music becomes sources of memory, which is what this playlist represents. I want to replay these memories that bring me joy.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2sxe4SBzRHO5xxtPXK0qBk?si=0af773de28b04c22
monicaca’s cafe roastery
My friend Rianna, or what I like to call her, Riri, made this playlist for me. I first met Rianna when working at Sunright Tea Studio and our friendship immediately took off because of how similar we were in our immaturity and love for fun.
Out of all of my friends, I have to say that Rianna is the best at making playlists. She has a theme to each one of them, and goes out of her way to make each one look aesthetic and representative of the songs inside the playlist. monicaca’s cafe roastery is a playlist that lets me stay connected with Rianna, despite me moving away for college. Whenever I listen to each song, I get reminded of our friendship and how much I appreciate her.
for moni.
This is actually the first playlist someone has ever made for me, and it was created by my friend, Myke, who I’ve been friends with since 2018 (but it feels like we’ve known each other for ages). This playlist is nostalgic to me because we each created a playlist for the other just a few months into our friendship. Our friendship was actually formed because we shared the same favorite artists, Taylor Swift and BTS, and, from there, our friendship bloomed. Listening back to this playlist a few years later makes me sentimental because of how far we’ve come with each other by our side. A friendship that started just from similar music taste became something that felt like family and a friend I know would always be there for me for a lifetime.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Hjv2P8sCpfZYm6Gmw9G4c?si=ef5bc0a2ddd64ddb
next chapter: escapsim